Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Ghost shrimp
May nibble very small fish and fry.
- Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Ghost shrimp only grows to 4 cm.
- Betta eats animals up to about 2.5 cm. Ghost shrimp only grows to 4 cm.
- Dwarf gourami eats animals up to about 2.5 cm. Ghost shrimp only grows to 4 cm.
- Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
- Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
147 species in our list are a good match.
Care and water
Behavior
May nibble very small fish and fry.
Food
Leftovers, pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Females are larger with a thicker abdomen and a greenish 'saddle' (developing eggs) on the back; males are smaller and slimmer.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Larval (needs brackish/salt) · Easy
A true freshwater shrimp: females carry the eggs under the tail and the larvae pass through a short development of about three stages in fresh water; no brackish water is needed. Larvae are tiny and need very fine food.
Buy 8-10 shrimp. Females become clear and have a green saddle.
A 20-40 L tank with plants and sponge filter. Water of any normal hardness.
Warm water and good food. They breed easily.
Females carry 8-85 eggs (average about 36); larvae hatch after about 12-14 days at 26-28 °C.
The young stay planktonic for a few days to weeks. Feed infusoria and baby brine shrimp, with plenty of plants. Mild brackish water helps in some species.
- Keeping with fish that eat them
- Starving the fry
- Dirty water
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the ghost shrimp
A largely transparent freshwater shrimp from the south-eastern USA, eaten in the wild mostly as an algae and detritus grazer; 'ghost shrimp' is a collective shop name that also covers other Palaemon and some Macrobrachium species.
Lewis R. Gibbes described this shrimp in 1850 from South Carolina. Its glass-clear body makes it hard to see among plants, earning it the name 'ghost shrimp'. It is sold cheaply in large numbers, both as a tank cleaner and as live food.
First described by Lewis R. Gibbes in 1850.
- Its transparent body shows its digestive tract.
- It is often sold as feeder shrimp.
- It lives fully in fresh water.
Sources
16 facts checked with sources
- Scientific namecorrected
Invertebrate (freshwater caridean shrimp). Palaemonetes was sunk into Palaemon by De Grave & Ashelby (2013); WoRMS/OBIS now list Palaemon paludosus, while SeaLifeBase, ITIS and most hobby sources still say Palaemonetes paludosus. Keep the old name as an other name. TRADE WARNING: 'ghost shrimp' is a collective shop name; several Palaemon/Palaemonetes species and some Macrobrachium (e.g. the more aggressive whisker shrimp M. lanchesteri) are sold under it, so these facts only hold for true P. paludosus.
OBIS (WoRMS taxonomic backbone): Palaemon paludosus · De Grave & Ashelby 2013, Zootaxa 3734(3): A re-appraisal of the systematic status of selected genera in Palaemoninae · SeaLifeBase: Palaemonetes paludosus, Riverine grass shrimp - Familycorrected
Legacy has no family; recorded as sourced.
SeaLifeBase: Palaemonetes paludosus, Riverine grass shrimp - Size
Body length, not SL/TL. ADW says adults usually do not exceed 50 mm; Aquarium Breeder says females can reach about 60 mm. Wikipedia's 'up to 2.5 cm' is lower than both and is not followed.
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Palaemonetes paludosus · Aquarium Breeder: Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) care guide (hobby shrimp reference; cites lab studies) - Temperaturecorrected
Aquarium range 20-27 °C (Aquarium Breeder). ADW's 10-35 °C is the wild tolerance, not a husbandry range. Legacy 18-28 is slightly wider at both ends.
Aquarium Breeder: Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) care guide (hobby shrimp reference; cites lab studies) · Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Palaemonetes paludosus - pH
Optimal 7.0-7.4, acceptable 6.5-8.0; legacy 7-8 lies within the acceptable range.
Aquarium Breeder: Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) care guide (hobby shrimp reference; cites lab studies) - Hardnesscorrected
GH: optimal 5-8, acceptable 3-15. Legacy had none; new value.
Aquarium Breeder: Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) care guide (hobby shrimp reference; cites lab studies) - Smallest tank
5 US gal x 3.785 = 18.9 L, about 20 L as the absolute minimum. Same source gives 10 gallons (~40 L) as the optimal size.
Aquarium Breeder: Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) care guide (hobby shrimp reference; cites lab studies) - Lifespancorrected
Wild animals live about a year (ADW: 6 to 13 months). In aquaria Aquarium Breeder gives 1-3 years. Legacy '1 year' matches the wild figure only.
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Palaemonetes paludosus · Aquarium Breeder: Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) care guide (hobby shrimp reference; cites lab studies) - Temperament
Opportunistic: may eat baby shrimp or very small fry and can be pushy at feeding time (Aquarium Breeder), matching the legacy behaviour note.
Aquarium Breeder: Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) care guide (hobby shrimp reference; cites lab studies) - Swimming level
Benthic = lives on the bottom; in the wild it clings to vegetation and snags.
SeaLifeBase: Palaemonetes paludosus, Riverine grass shrimp - Care level
Wikipedia says they are recommended for beginners as relatively easy to keep; weak (uncited) source, reviewer may prefer unknown.
Wikipedia: Palaemon paludosus (cites ITIS) - Where it livescorrected
Legacy has no range; recorded as sourced. SeaLifeBase's 'USA and Canada. The Arctic.' looks like a database artefact and is not followed.
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Palaemonetes paludosus · Wikipedia: Palaemon paludosus (cites ITIS) - Male or female
The green colour is the ovary (saddle) before eggs are moved under the tail; once berried the eggs are carried under the tail.
Aquarium Breeder: Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) care guide (hobby shrimp reference; cites lab studies) · Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Palaemonetes paludosus - Breedingcorrected
Legacy breeding type 'larval (needs brackish/salt)' is wrong for P. paludosus. Aquarium Breeder cites lab work: eggs fail at 10-20 ppt salinity; eggs and larvae develop the same at 0 and 5 ppt. 'Hard to raise' is fair because larvae are small. Shrimp sold as 'ghost shrimp' that are really Macrobrachium may need brackish water.
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Palaemonetes paludosus · Aquarium Breeder: Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) care guide (hobby shrimp reference; cites lab studies) - Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy 20-40 sits inside the sourced range; legacy incubation of ~3 weeks is longer than the 12-14 days measured at 26-28 °C (cooler water is slower).
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Palaemonetes paludosus · Aquarium Breeder: Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) care guide (hobby shrimp reference; cites lab studies) - Story
See-through and clean-up claims supported. 'Sold as feeders' not quote-checked. Flag the mixed-species trade name to users.
Wikipedia: Palaemon paludosus (cites ITIS) · Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Palaemonetes paludosus · Aquarium Breeder: Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) care guide (hobby shrimp reference; cites lab studies)