Ghost shrimp care
Palaemonetes paludosus · Fresh waters of the south-eastern United States
Ghost shrimp are cheap, see-through scavengers that clean up leftover food.
- Tank size
- 5 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 65 to 80 °F (18 to 27 °C)
- Group size
- 3 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2 in
- pH
- 7 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 6 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 years
- Diet
- Scavenger
- Care level
- Easy
In a 5 gallon: Aqueon 5½
16 3/16 × 8⅜ × 10½ in outsideHow to keep ghost shrimp
Ghost shrimp are cheap, see-through scavengers that clean up leftover food. A 5 gallon or larger tank and a group of three or more suits them; they are often sold as feeder shrimp, so expect a few early losses.
Diet: Scavenger: leftovers, sinking pellets, biofilm. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Ghost shrimp tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Silvertip tetra
2 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Harlequin rasbora
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–81 °F
Zebra danio
2 in · 10+ gal · 64–77 °F
Cherry barb
2 in · 20+ gal · 73–81 °F
Honey gourami
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–82 °F
Forktail blue-eye rainbowfish
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–80 °F
Lemon tetra
2 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Emperor tetra
2 in · 20+ gal · 73–81 °F
Keep apart
Shell-dweller cichlid: Shell-dweller cichlids eat shrimp.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Everglades pygmy sunfish: Everglades pygmy sunfish belong in a tank of their own.
Discus: No shared temperature: ghost shrimp need 65 to 80 °F, discus 82 to 88 °F.
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid: Cockatoo dwarf cichlids eat shrimp.
Kribensis: Kribensis eat shrimp.
What a ghost shrimp tank needs
A tank of 5 US gallons or more (such as the 5 gallon: Aqueon 5½) with a cover, and the equipment below. Ghost shrimp are comfortable at room temperature, so a heater is optional in a normal home.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Nano
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small shrimp. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
Fluval AC20
Rated by the maker for 5–20 US gal, which covers a 5 gallon ghost shrimp tank without being built for a far bigger one. It comes with an intake sponge, which keeps baby shrimp out of the filter.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter up to 5 gal
Rated by the maker for up to 5 US gal, which covers a 5 gallon ghost shrimp tank without being built for a far bigger one. Cover its intake with a fine sponge, sold separately, so baby shrimp aren’t pulled in.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding ghost shrimp.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 65 to 80 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a shrimp tank · Filters for a 5 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common ghost shrimp problems
- Larger ghost shrimp may pick at very small fish and shrimplets.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Palaemonetes paludosus. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Ghost shrimp Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Silvertip tetra Filtropat; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Harlequin rasbora NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra danio Roundish, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry barb Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Honey gourami Antoon Dommerholt (Dutch Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Forktail blue-eye rainbowfish Dirk Godlinski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Lemon tetra SOK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Emperor tetra 7TP (Krzysztof Bartosik), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Shell-dweller cichlid Richard A. Ingebrigtsen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Everglades pygmy sunfish Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Discus Patrick Farrelly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kribensis André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mystery snail Gabriel Resende Veiga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra nerite snail TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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