Ghost shrimp, also known as glass shrimp, are relatively easy to maintain the freshwater aquarium. Ghost Shrimp is almost always available for sale at local pet stores as well as major chain stores. In the pet shop, they are often kept in a small tank with other shrimp of their kind. The small tank often has a sponge filter or air stone pumping bubbles. In the viewfinder, the ghost shrimp tank often looks nothing like anything more than a dark water tank with tons of bubbles.
Ghost shrimp are relatively inexpensive and are often purchased as “feeders” for larger, more aggressive fish. Some cyclides can eat ghost shrimp throughout the day, but ghost shrimp is more than just a tasty snack. They are great aquarium cleaners and can be a lot of fun to watch. Many new fans don’t give ghost shrimp a second look, but they can actually be an interesting invertebrate to keep in their own right.
Ghost shrimp looks good when kept in a gravel tank or black aquarium substrate. It’s also good to keep them in a tank with a black background. When the shrimp is against the black gravel or the bottom it makes it easier to see.
Taking care of ghost shrimp is relatively easy. They are very active invertebrates and occupied tirelessly combing the food tank to eat. Always in vain, these shrimp are in their element when kept in a set tank that is not “very clean”. As waste collectors, they look for gravel or substrate for small pieces of edible material that is not otherwise eaten. To this extent, Ghost Shrimps are decent aquarium cleaners, almost in the same league as Amano shrimp and nerita snails. Ghost shrimp are small so they can’t eat as much as larger invertebrates, but they’re constantly picking up almost everything nearby.
Tank size for ghost shrimp
Ghost shrimps can be stored in small tanks such as aquariums of 5 or 10 gallons and larger. With small aquariums, consider tank limitations in terms of low water volume and limited surface area. Therefore, be sure not to accidentally oversupply the tank. Ghost shrimp are small creatures but contribute to the bioloading of a tank as well as other living organisms. Overcrowding of a small tank with many shrimp will cause water quality problems and can create an unhealthy environment. Therefore, follow the typical rules of fish storage for community tanks and things should work well.
With small tanks like a 10 gallon, try not to add many ghost shrimp. They can be aggressive and unpleasant to each other if there are many living together in a small space.
Habitat of Phantom Shrimp & Water Parameters
Phantom shrimp seem to enjoy aquariums planted with a moderate flow of water in continuous motion. A properly sized HOB power filter should do the trick and keep the water circulating properly. In addition, an air pump with a thin air stone will create a small wall of bubbles to help keep water moving as well. With bubbles, it’s fun to watch the shrimp be drawn in the creek and have to move your hind paws fiercely to swim out of it. Ghost shrimp are great swimmers.
Ghost Shrimp as Live aquarium plants
Keeping the phantom shrimp in a tank with tough live plants can also be a good idea. Aquariums with many living plants are never “too clean ” because the plants constantly play the matter of the plant in the water column. Ghost shrimp seem to like to pick up through clutter and feast on the parts they can eat. Keeping aquarium plants is also a good idea because they provide small places to explore and hide especially near the bottom of the tank. Other hideouts can be created with decorations or rocks built in caves and caves. Anyway, it’s important that the phantom prawns have places to sneak out of time.
Water parameters
As for the water parameters, the Phantom shrimp seems to be comfortable in the tropical community’s tank range. The water temperature can be 72 – 82 degrees Fahrenheit, with some suggesting that a slightly higher temperature range is also acceptable. The pH of the aquarium should be fine between 7.0 and 8.0 as long as there is no sudden change, and the water should also be on the hard side. The standard lighting of the aquarium will do. And as with all freshwater aquarium shrimp, be very careful when dealing with the tank with medication. Keep ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in control. And most importantly, avoid copper as copper can be fatal to the aquarium shrimp.
Ghost Shrimp food, color size, and scale
The Ghost shrimp meal is great, as they will eat almost everything. They’re great collectors and they eat like machines. Phantom shrimp foods may include some forms of algae, dead plants and Detritus. These shrimps love fish or shrimp pellets, fish flakes, seaweed crackers or otherwise unconsumed pieces. And it’s a good idea to find dietary supplements with calcium, as calcium is needed for healthy shield growth. Ghost Shrimp Foods can also include your fallen tank mates, as they will even feed on dead fish or dead shrimp. Of course, it is important to get the dead inhabitants out of the water quickly otherwise there may be a point of ammonia in the tank. It’s fun to watch ghost prawns swim and pull chunks of food out of the water. And there’s also a pecking order with ration. Bigger shrimp eats first.
Size, shape, and appearance of phantom shrimp
The size of the phantom shrimp varies according to age, but usually grows to be about 1 1/2 inches long. In terms of width, the size of the phantom shrimp is usually about the diameter of a rubber pencil when it is fully grown. The phantom shrimps tend to be thinner and more aerodynamic compared to El Camarón Amano. The phantom prawns have a small hump half the length of the tail. And like other shrimps, they look like little crabs. But there are some differences. A big difference is the size of the creature and the flexibility of its shield. Crystal Shrimp has much softer shells than lobsters.
Ghost Shrimp Antenna
A ghost shrimp has a pair of long antennas and a pair of short antennas. The grandstand is at the top of the right head between the eyes. Behind the grandstand is an area of shell. It is in this area of the shell that you can see many of the internal work of this shrimp, especially when feeding. The front legs of the shrimp are attached to the underside of the shell. The legs are long, thin and clear. When shrimp feeds on the bottom of the tank or on hard surfaces, its main method of movement is to walk with the legs.
Behind the shell, they have six abdominal segments that form a flexible cover. The area between the third and fourth abdominal segment is joined to form what appears to be a slightly pointed area that protrudes slightly larger than the other segments. Small clear pleopods bend the abdominal segments. These pleopods can be seen vibrating back and forth as the shrimp moves up and down through the water column. And the female shrimp keep their eggs safely bent the abdominal segments closest to the shell.
Abdominal segments
The sixth abdominal segment connects to the tail. The queue also consists of flexible and mobile segments. But these segments are thin and smooth. In the middle of the tail is Telson. The Telson are the four segments of soft bark that make up the uropod. The Urócan can expand and contrast slightly to make the tail wider or narrower as needed. And at the edges of the urocan segments, the shrimp has very thin filament in the form of a filament” fringes.” Similar appearance: the “Fringe” filaments also appear on the edges of swimmers.
When the shrimp needs to move very quickly, in case of danger, you can see that it becomes very rationalizing and quickly hit its urocan abdomen. This causes the shrimp to propel again at very high speeds. Often, a rapid recoil impulse is enough to get out of dangerous situations, such as conflicts over a piece of food. But it’s not uncommon for bombeen their urócan a couple of times in a row to put some real distance between them and danger. When this happens, the shrimp can finish retreating to the other side of the tank in an instant.
Color range
A lot of people describe the color of the ghost shrimp as a transparent shrimp, but I think they’re more on the translucent side. Their bodies are generally clear with a pinch of cloudy grey, or sprinkled with green dots. The color of the ghost shrimp varies from light translucent gray to a darker translucent gray, but in both cases, it can be seen almost through the shrimp, and you can certainly see it inside the shrimp. And that’s one of the most fascinating aspects of a ghost shrimp: you can see the inner workings of your body when you feed. It’s really amazing to see up close. They can also have small green dots on the torso, and orange rings on their antennae and forelegs.
Life and molding of ghost shrimp
Ghost shrimp time can be anywhere from a couple of days to 1 year. In some cases, in good condition and with a little luck, a ghost shrimp life can be a little over a year. But usually not much more than that.
Ghost shrimp run the risk of dying right after they are added to a tank. It is not uncommon for Phantom shrimp to die within a day or two of being placed in a tank established with healthy and stable water. Some will appear dead at the bottom of the tank and others will simply “Disappear”. At the same time, the other phantom shrimp of the same group acclimatize well and thrive in their new environment. Maybe it’s the stress of being brought home from the store, or maybe they experience stress due to very slight differences in water parameters, but whatever the reason be prepared to lose some prawns with each batch.
Another consideration is that because these shrimp are considered “feeders”, they cannot be treated very well when transported to the store. They are often kept in overworked tanks, subfilters, with poor water conditions. This may be why some are likely to die when transported to a domestic aquarium.
