Are ghost shrimp a good start to more difficult shrimp?

I was thinking to get into shrimps, problem is I don't feel I know enough and the colored shrimps are expensive (like $5 each).
Would ghost shrimp keeping be a good introduction, like training wheels to keeping shrimp, or is it just too easy or too different and not a good way to get started and comfortable?

I find it difficult the last few times I've looked to pull the trigger on cherry or blue dream, they want like $5 each and they are like 4mm length tops.
While ghost shrimp are under 50 cents each and even more discounted when buying 10 or 20 of them at a time. Just curious if this would be a good way to get started and not lose a ton if I make a mistake, maybe move on from there to something colorful once I've got the ghost shrimp thing down.

I'm thinking to make my 20g long a planted tank next and with shrimps, maybe neons or killis, and if population of shrimp gets too high, I do have a 10g and a 72g to move them to. But I don't have shrimp experience and don't feel comfortable paying the high cost of the colorful ones knowing they all might die if I screw something up.

So, are there similarities between keeping the ghosts and colored shrimps, or are ghosts just too easy and nowhere near similar? I have to think there's a reason they sell for 10%the cost of the colored ones and probably its difficulty level.

 

Hello

So Neocaridina davidi varieties are known as dwarf shrimp...expensive shrimp ahem...as well. They are not particularly hard to keep, as long as you have a balanced tank, give them some greens every now and then and don't house any super aggressive fish with them. But yes, water changes and any big fluctuations can harm them.

Personally I have never kept Ghost Shrimp, however I have and will always keep Amano Shrimp (caridina multidentata) in planted tanks. Yes they are usually about $5 also, but for a beginner they are very forgiving. And do well for a planted tank.

If you think $5 is a lot for a little shrimper, you've seen nothing yet! Lol Some of those Neocaridina varieties can easily go for $30/per!

I know its crazy, but lots of things in this hobby are lol.

I would strongly recommend Amano Shrimp as your first. Make sure the tank has been running for a bit and cycled and there are live plants. They will not spawn in freshwater, as they do so only in brackish. So if your worried about shrimp numbers getting out of hand your good with the Amano.

I have heard many a tale about how Ghost Shrimp ate a schooling fish or went after some other fish lol. They sound very aggressive.

Also, the Amano Shrimp was designed for the planted tank!


*Edit

What I mean by water changes affecting Neocaridina davidi is too much temp difference, too much water taken out of tank, too much of a pH fluctuation. Same things as tropical fish really. Also Copper is very harmful to shrimp, however they do need very very trace amounts of it....don't add it to the aquarium. Just to be safe. A lot of fertilizers contain copper but at veryblow amounts and if one follows the directions on the label then you should, should, not come into any probs with your Shrimp.

 

Though ghost shrimp are supposed to be easy most are either wild caught or bred in wildlike conditions as live food or live bait. You may get shrimp that are not in great condition. Sometimes other shrimp can be mixed ir mislabeled as ghost.

I think you can start out with cherry shrimp. People sell their low grade cherry shrimp or culls for reasonable prices. Established tank with a sponge filter, lots of basic plants and resistance to temptation to add fish (or larger shrimp, crayfish, etc) will get you an easy-to-manage shrimp tank.

 

Cherry shrimp aren't at all difficult to keep, if you have the right water conditions, and are willing to be patient and let the tank season for at least three months before adding them to give time to build up biofilm. I wrote an article with some basic information about keeping them if you'd like to take a look: Neocaridina (Red Cherry Shrimp) Basics - Aquarium Article

 

Knowing your tank parameters would help a lot. The gh and kh and really helpful to know with shrimp. Amanos are very forgiving as mentioned above but they are very differently behaved , in my opinion , to neos.

I’m sure , with a little research , you could make neos thrive

also some shrimp can go for $1,000 never mind $30 but that’s of no consequence to you right now ( maybe if you get the bug though !)

I’m not sure if where you live but maybe you could start with a cheap skittle ( mixed colour ) pack of neo’s off a local breeder on here or a local fish store if you don’t mind colours mixing. Or maybe someone’s culls , meaning the colours won’t be the brightest but no less healthy.

 

Knowing your tank parameters would help a lot. The gh and kh and really helpful to know with shrimp. Amanos are very forgiving as mentioned above but they are very differently behaved , in my opinion , to neos.

I’m sure , with a little research , you could make neos thrive

also some shrimp can go for $1,000 never mind $30 but that’s of no consequence to you right now ( maybe if you get the bug though !)

I’m not sure if where you live but maybe you could start with a cheap skittle ( mixed colour ) pack of neo’s off a local breeder on here or a local fish store if you don’t mind colours mixing. Or maybe someone’s culls , meaning the colours won’t be the brightest but no less healthy.

I'm not particular,

it's standard whatever parameters. pH is like 7.2, GH7/KH7. I'd have to double check on it, but that's what it always was and I do regular water changes.
Tanks been running on a sponge filter for a couple years and has biofilm, but is just bare glass and a couple pieces of slate. I wanted to go planted with it next, and kind of get a little crazy with it with plantings. and then put something small in there, sort of a nano ( well for freshwater nano would be smaller than 20g), but you know what I mean. I kind of want to try to do something out of my comfort zone, but don't want to necessarily kill animals and don't want to kill things I have to pay $5.00 or more for Small fish, small shrimp, maybe 6 ottos and 6 dwarf cory, some shrimps, and maybe a small tetra group. maybe two sponge filters in the back corners hidden by plants or hills, or structures. I don't have it all figured out yet, but I figure, snails are going to wind up coming as hitchikers eventually, also and other things. with the plants at some point most likely.
Shrimp of some sort is on my mind though, but I know I will be starting with substrate and plants, and most likely like ADA aquasoil. then some sort of low plnats that dont' get over 12" in sizes, down to moss and such. That's all a work in progress, the shrimp would be "later", but I'm think the ghost shrimp iscost effective, and well, I'm cheap!

That tank has a decent light for low lighting plants, and the 20G Long is shallow. which I think might help a bit also.

I'm in south florida. I can basically walk down the street to the canal and get guppies platys and swordtails, and mosquitofish and freshwater shrimp, crayfish, and like duckweeds, sago, bladderwort or coontail. can probably find some non-native plants out there also that shouldn't be there. been about 35 years since I went dip net and bucket exploring, but ya know, starting to sound like fun if it ever cools off!

 

Ghost shrimp care is different from cherries, in that ghosts are more scavengers/predators while cherries and amanos are primarily grazers. Amano shrimp would be a better introduction for cherry shrimp because they are much more hardy than the other two species and have similar care to cherries, you could just buy 1 or 2.

 

Then you have a decent knowledge of your water , that’s fine. You don’t have 0 gh/kh so neos should be okay if you acclimatise them for a while

you have an established mature tank which is amazing. You want to plant it, amazing also for shrimp. If you want fish with them provide lots of plants as planned and you’ll slowly see your colony grow. Feed some green veggies and you’re away.
Tetras will predate on the baby neo shrimp , with that planned stocking they’ll all want the same kind of food ish , you could leave the ottos maybe ?

try ghost shrimp if you like but just be aware they are weak stock bred for food usually. Amanos are brave and bigger so stand a better chance but will not reproduce. a skittle pack of neos are a better option as it doesn’t seem shrimp are the main stocking(?) . I’d lean towards skittle neos for the plan as amanos won’t breed , neos will. Get a cheap, healthy pack , let them start breeding with the plants and cover then add the fish. If you add the fish first, then the shrimp, they just look like food.

as long as you have cover neos will breed . Nano fish are usually okay ( with good cover / plants) with neos if your okay with some babies getting eaten. Cholla wood/ moss / plants all help. Oh , 18-22c is usually the recommended temp ish, they can do higher but will live shorter lives.

Something I’ve heard said ( I’m regurgitating , This isn’t my experience ) but if you have red cherry shrimp and get some red plants they’ll blend more and be less predated on. Again that’s not a fact

 

Then you have a decent knowledge of your water , that’s fine. You don’t have 0 gh/kh so neos should be okay if you acclimatise them for a while

you have an established mature tank which is amazing. You want to plant it, amazing also for shrimp. If you want fish with them provide lots of plants as planned and you’ll slowly see your colony grow. Feed some green veggies and you’re away.
Tetras will predate on the baby neo shrimp , with that planned stocking they’ll all want the same kind of food ish , you could leave the ottos maybe ?

try ghost shrimp if you like but just be aware they are weak stock bred for food usually. Amanos are brave and bigger so stand a better chance but will not reproduce. a skittle pack of neos are a better option as it doesn’t seem shrimp are the main stocking(?) . I’d lean towards skittle neos for the plan as amanos won’t breed , neos will. Get a cheap, healthy pack , let them start breeding with the plants and cover then add the fish. If you add the fish first, then the shrimp, they just look like food.

as long as you have cover neos will breed . Nano fish are usually okay ( with good cover / plants) with neos if your okay with some babies getting eaten. Cholla wood/ moss / plants all help. Oh , 18-22c is usually the recommended temp ish, they can do higher but will live shorter lives.

Something I’ve heard said ( I’m regurgitating , This isn’t my experience ) but if you have red cherry shrimp and get some red plants they’ll blend more and be less predated on. Again that’s not a fact

Well, to be honest, I want the neons or cardinals for my other aquarium in the long run if they don't work out with shrimps and it's not a good fit. I can move them over, just I want to get started on the planted tank part really, I've got a couple more months before my larger tank gets cut down to reasonable angelfish numbers and I have the group of them I want, just not sure what I do from there, but intend to keep some sort of shrimp in the 20g that winds up freed up when everyone shifts around again.