Ghost shrimp breeding

Is it possible for a ghost shrimp to breed without a male? I have had one lonely ghost shrimp for a long time, I noticed today that she/he has what looks like eggs on it's underside - the eggs are kind of a pink or beige. Is this possible?

 

Unsure. Inverts are often capable of "cheating" when it comes to breeding.
It's also possible that she's creating eggs that won't be fertilized. It happens with some creatures.

 

I don't know? If she was carrying the eggs when you got her, then they are probably fertilized.

 

I've had her since last summer so she couldn't have been carrying the eggs since then. Anyhow, I'll never know if the eggs were fertile or not, the mystery will not be solved--she died after I put her into a new tank. I'm kicking myself--I hate being responsible for something dying.
Thank you for your replies, I appreciate it.

 

Don't beat yourself up there life expectancy is only a year or two. It happens that's life.

 

Thanks for the help. I'm disappointed that we were unable to find out what would happen.

 

Yeah, that's too bad.

 

Does any one have any tips on ghost shrimp breeding? Including tank size, supplies, length of time, how many shrimp are needed, how big they have to be and any other advice. I do have some expierience breeding so I'm not a complete newbie when it comes to fish breeding

 

Breeding ghost shrimp is tricky at best, and impossible at worst :/ Not only does this freshwater shrimp require brackish water in its larval stage (which means you have to catch the berried shrimp and transfer it to a brackish tank just before the eggs hatch without her dropping the eggs from stress), the adult shrimp, if left in the tank for any amount of time after hatching their eggs, will eat the larvae and shrimplets.

I've never seen the point in breeding them when I can get 15 of them for 2 bucks at the pet store.

 

I agree. The effort required to successfully breed them is not worth the return on your investment (both financially and in regards to time spent on the project).

What is your overall goal in breeding them? Do you need hundreds of shrimp to use as feeders? In that case I'd go with something simple like low grade cherry shrimp. Much easier and you'll end up with more in a far shorter time frame. If its to sell them then I'd scrap the idea here and now. You'll probably only get a few cents for them.

 

I have personally seen ghost shrimp shrimp-lets pass the larva stage in fresh water. So you don't need brackish water.

 

I have personally seen ghost shrimp shrimp-lets pass the larva stage in fresh water. So you don't need brackish water.

Possibly they were an alternate species? There are several species sold as ghost shrimp (I got a ghost shrimp once that was solid white with brown tiger stripes), but I do know the one most commonly found in stores, the ones that are truly see-through as opposed to solid colored with transparent spots, do require brackish water. I've had several females get berried in my freshwater tanks, but the larvae never survive.

 

Ok thanks for the info I just like breeding fish as a hobby, not really as a money source and I have been thinking about what to breed next (most of my sword tail fry are at one inch and I am going to sell them soon.) I think I will try something else, do any of you have other suggestions on a fun fish to breed?

 

Junebug, I think you've been misled. I've seen a lot of sites that state the whole brackish thing is a myth... take this one for example:

Many sites do say that raising the larvae to adulthood is difficult; it may be that your baby shrimp died for reasons unknown.

 

Junebug, I think you've been misled. I've seen a lot of sites that state the whole brackish thing is a myth... take this one for example:

Many sites do say that raising the larvae to adulthood is difficult; it may be that your baby shrimp died for reasons unknown.

Hmm possibly. I read it several places though and I'd find it curious that not a single larvae survived. (I wasn't trying to breed them, I've just ended up with several berried females over the years. never seen any babies though)

gothic, are you wanting to breed shrimp or fish? If shrimp, neocaridina sp. are the easiest, I'd say. Though there are several brackish and saltwater shrimp that are really pretty and fun as well. If you'd rather breed fish, we'd have to know what kind of setup you have before we could suggest a species for you

One day, if and when I have the capacity to breed shrimp on a larger scale, I want to have a Halocaridina rubra tank (hawaiian volcano shrimp). They're a brackish water shrimp, but really really pretty and when I've seen them at my LFS, they are so much fun to watch.

 

Ghost shrimp do not require brackish water for breeding. This is a myth. The reason they are hard to breed is mainly 2 reasons, predation from parents or other fish, and providing suitable food that is easily found by the larvae.

The predation part is easily enough fixed. Remove the parents after the larvae are released into the water. Be sure to not have other fish in the tank either. They can't swim well, they basically float in the water column, so they are easy targets for others to eat.

The feeding part is a little more tricky. The problem with the larvae is that they have to have readily available food as soon as they are hatched. They cannot eat small bits of regular fish or shrimp food. They need microscopic food like infusoria or green water culture. Most of us keep our tanks clean which means that neither of these are very present. The larvae can't swim well, they swim upside down with tail pointed upward, and need to be able to find food right next to them, they can't swim to other side of the tank to find something. Many people over come this by growing green water cultures in mason jars in a sunny window sill. You can google "green water culture" for a variety of methods to do this. If you can provide the food they need, you can get them through the tough larval stage and then they become minI shrimp which can fend for themselves.

Now with this said, they aren't too tough to breed. I regularly see ghost shrimp babies in my community tank with neon tetras, dwarf gourami, ghost and cherry shrimp. I don't separate the babies or anything like that. I don't see tons of the babies, just a few here and there, which leads me to believe that a few ,1-5 out of each batch, of babies found enough food and found a good hiding spot to make it through the larval stages and into their "teenage" years, haha. I have a lot of plants in the tank, including 2 large mounds of java moss, which is supposed to harbor infusoria well. I have the regular ghost shrimp that are sold at petsmart and petco etc. They are sometimes confused with a larger shrimp, macro something or another, that has larger claws and is a predator in the tank, able to catch small fish and fry easily with their large claws. I'm not sure about breeding those, but if you have the regular ghost shrimp they are perfectly capable of breeding in fresh water. You just need to look out for ways to combat the 2 major pitfalls of their breeding, predation and feeding the larvae.

Junebug, as for your colorations you mentioned, it is quite common for ghost shrimp to be a variety of colors and shades. I have a few in my tank now that have turned a dark greenish brown color over time. I assume this is due to their diet and aging. I have some with the tiger stripes you mention as well. Some almost look like chocolate neo shrimp. Wild cherry shrimp start out clearish-brown colored as well, and can develop many different shades through diet, and more commonly through breeding. So I assume the ghost shrimp is somewhat similar. It would be interesting for someone to selectively breed ghost shrimp into some color variations like the neocardinia shrimp have been.

Hope this info helps, also for the OP, I wrote an article here on fishlore about freshwater shrimp keeping, and it mainly focuses on ghost and cherry shrimp. May have some good info for you.....

Freshwater Shrimp Keeping

Also like aylad linked, planet inverts is a great shrimp website with lots of info. A quick google of "breeding ghost shrimp" will also turn up a lot of results with how others have had success.

 

I have a freshwater setup, are there any ornamental shrimp I could breed?

 

I have seen three distinct species of "ghost shrimp" at my local store just this year. Differences are not only in color, but in body form and size. Further research has confirmed that while some species of Palaemonetes are adapted to breed in freshwater, others will not survive the larval stage in fresh water and do in fact require brackish. All of them that are bred in captivity are sold as ghost shrimp.

They seem to be related the way that crystal red shrimp are related to RCS. Very very close cousins that look similar but not the same. If I'm not mistaken, CRS require brackish water in their larval stage as well (did not research this fully as I don't keep nor plan to keep any CRS), while RCS don't even have a larval stage.

By far, the easiest shrimp to keep and breed in freshwater environments is the Red Cherry shrimp. They'll be available at any fish store (not a big box store, like a real fish store) or online for a reasonable price. I personally like the red fire color variety best. Fire Engine shrimp! loll! They're very pretty and reasonably hardy as shrimp go.

If you really want to breed them, a species only tank is your best bet, as fish are likely to eat the babies (and even the adults) if kept in the same tank. You'll want some live plants and plenty of hiding places to make them feel secure. I like sand substrate in my shrimp tank (though I had to take it out, sadly) but most planted tank substrates will work just as well.

 

I have also done extensive research on breeding shrimp including Ghost shrimp. I have never found a reputable source of info that claims ghost shimp to need brackish water to survive. I agree they are times mislabeled, but usually the ones labeled as ghost shrimp are the freshwater breeding kind. They hail from all over the southeastern U.S. and have spread from there. There are many species of Palemonetes shrimp and some are brackish, but very few of these are found in pet stores being sold as ghost shrimp. The only places I have found info that says they need brackish is from forum posts or other unreliable sources. Please post links to any of your research that shows differently as I'm very interested in reading about shrimp breeding. I myself have bred them in freshwater as well as another poster in this post, as well as many others I have read. I would estimate that more often than not, "ghost shrimp" would breed in fresh water provided the right habitat and conditions. I have purchased "ghost shrimp" 2 times in my shrimp keeping days. First time was over 10 years ago from a small locally owned pet store in Ga. Second time was more recently a year ago or so from Petsmart in Al. I'm pretty sure they have different sources for ghost shrimp, and both times they reproduced in fresh water. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I assume that most of the time they are the freshwater variety.

Also, CRS (Crystal Red Shrimp) do not need brackish water to breed either. They breed very similar to cherry shrimp, except they are very delicate due to years of inbreeding to get certain grades of CRS. They main difference is that they need acidic water to thrive and breed.

I agree the easiest shrimp to breed and keep is probably the Red Cherry Shrimp. They are very hardy and are easily found. Check out planet inverts for good info on keeping and breeding cherry shrimp as well as almost any other shrimp you can think of.

 

Actually, ghost shrimp are not hard to breed at all. keeping the fry alive is the thing that's hard to do.

 

Okay, so I want some ghost shrimp, both for my 20 gallon community and 3 gallon betta tank. But I have some questions, as I'm a newbie to invertebrates.

What do they eat? And how much?
How many do you think I could have per tank?
Will it cause an ammonia spike if they die?
How long does one typically live for from Petsmart?
Is there any need to quarantine them before adding them to my tanks?
Are they any diseases they can catch from the fish or pass on to my fish?
Will the filter current be too strong for them?
How much of a bioload do they have?
Will they bother any of my other fish?
If my other fish kills one, will it be harmful to the fish if it eats it?

That's all I can think of for now. Also, I'd prefer not to spend any more money than what they cost at Petsmart. Thanks!

 

Based on my experience:

What do they eat? And how much?
I feed mine a combo of herbivore wafers, carnivore pellets, and flake food. They don't eat much at all - I feed them very small bits every other day or so.

How many do you think I could have per tank?
For your 3 gal, maybe 5? And your 20 gal, 10-15 would be fine. These numbers are very adjustable.

Will it cause an ammonia spike if they die?
I've had a few die on me, and no spikes. They're small, but I usually notice them dead and remove them within 24 hours.

How long does one typically live for from Petsmart?
I have 6 still going from the 10 I bought from Petsmart in early August.

Is there any need to quarantine them before adding them to my tank?
I added mine to shrimp only tank, but I wouldn't quarantine them if I were to get more. Maybe others will disagree?

Are they any diseases they can catch from the fish or pass on to my fish?
Not to my knowledge.

Will the filter current be too strong for them?
They aren't bothered by my HOB filter in my 10 gal.

How much of a bioload do they have?
Not much of one at all! Very small.

Will they bother any of my other fish?
If your fish are sickly, maybe, but mine never bothered healthy fish (or sick ones, they've been with only healthy fish so far).

If my other fish kills one, will it be harmful to the fish if it eats it?
Nope! A nice snack

 

What do they eat? And how much?
---Mine eat the left overs from what I feed the fish. They are scavengers, so they won't be picky. But they will swim to the top to steal blood worms when they can.


How many do you think I could have per tank?
--- I'd say up to 3 per gallon. That's what I had for my Betta and they all did great.


Will it cause an ammonia spike if they die?
--- Not really.



How long does one typically live for from Petsmart?
--- So long as they don't get eaten, a year to two I'd say



Is there any need to quarantine them before adding them to my tanks?
----I've never needed to.



Are they any diseases they can catch from the fish or pass on to my fish?
----Not that I know of.


Will the filter current be too strong for them?
---- They can deal with a little bit a of current. Internal and HOB or canister (I've had them in all) so long as its appropriate for the tank size, it should be fine.


How much of a bioload do they have?
--- Very very little



Will they bother any of my other fish?
----Only if they are technically Macro Shrimp. Ghost shrimp is actually a kinda broad term. Macro's can be sold be accident and have been known to attack slow moving fish with large fins.



If my other fish kills one, will it be harmful to the fish if it eats it?
--- They are often times used as live food for some fish. Shouldn't be an issue.

 

Okay, so I want some ghost shrimp, both for my 20 gallon community and 3 gallon betta tank. But I have some questions, as I'm a newbie to invertebrates.

What do they eat? And how much?
***They eat leftovers and whatever they scavenge. I've even seen mine on the sides of the tank eating algae. You'll know they're eating enough if you see food in their stomachs.


How many do you think I could have per tank?
***I honestly wwould have 2 in the 3 gallon and 10 in the 20g. It seems to me that it gets kinda crowded with them swimming around everywhere.


Will it cause an ammonia spike if they die?
***They might. Some are tougher that others.


How long does one typically live for from Petsmart?
***a year or two. Buy the smallest ones possible. These are most likely the youngest ones.


Is there any need to quarantine them before adding them to my tanks?
***Don't think so.


Are they any diseases they can catch from the fish or pass on to my fish?
***don't think so.


Will the filter current be too strong for them?
**don't think so.


How much of a bioload do they have?
**very little.


Will they bother any of my other fish?
***not necessarily, provided they're actual ghost shrimp. You might get an oddball that likes to eat snails, though.


If my other fish kills one, will it be harmful to the fish if it eats it?
***nope.


That's all I can think of for now. Also, I'd prefer not to spend any more money than what they cost at Petsmart. Thanks!

answers with ***

 

Wow, thanks so much, guys! I'm thinking I might get some ghost shrimp for at least my betta tank when I go Petsmart. I'm thinking about three.

 

Happy to help =)

Good luck with your little ghosties =D

 

I had ghost shrimp in a betta tank once. Horrible idea. They destroyed my poor betta's fins, even though I made sure they had plenty to eat. I tossed a few of them in my semi-aggressive 29gal that I had (tiger barbs, opaline gourami and SA bumblebee catfish) and they got munched on right away. Tossed the rest in my tropical 55gal and they lived for quite a while. I have some pretty cool pics of them in the 55gal.

 

Hmm, yeah, I've heard that that can happen. Do you think most people have success with keeping ghost shrimp with bettas? Also, sorry about your betta's fins. :/

 

Ill just add that even though they can't be infected by most fish diseases they can be a carrier for some. Ich is a main one.

There is also a shrimp that looks somilar to ghosties but is quite aggressive but I can't think of the name at the moment

 

Ill just add that even though they can't be infected by most fish diseases they can be a carrier for some. Ich is a main one.

There is also a shrimp that looks somilar to ghosties but is quite aggressive but I can't think of the name at the moment

Do you think I should QT to protect against any possible diseases?

Whisker shrimp, maybe?

 

Hmm, yeah, I've heard that that can happen. Do you think most people have success with keeping ghost shrimp with bettas? Also, sorry about your betta's fins. :/

I kept ghost shrimp with my betta, they were fine together , (until the shrimp mysteriously disappeared ) But they never hurt my betta.

 

There is also a shrimp that looks somilar to ghosties but is quite aggressive but I can't think of the name at the moment

Those would be the macro shrimp I mentioned. The ideal ghost shrimp won't attack, but macros will

 

Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes sp.) shouldn't be aggressive.
Whisker shrimp, which have long, skinny arms (ghosts don't) are aggressive. Macrobrachium sp.

 

Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes sp.) shouldn't be aggressive.
Whisker shrimp, which have long, skinny arms (ghosts don't) are aggressive. Macrobrachium sp.

What exactly is meant by 'long, skinny arms'? Is this relative to the size of the shrimp, or something that can be quickly determined by looking? I have several 'ghost shrimp' that are fairly large, and have long skinny arms. They look proportional to their size compared to the smaller shrimps, but I have had my concerns as to whether all of the shrimp I have are actually ghost shrimp, or whether some of them might be whisker shrimps. So far, so good in my betta tank, but I'm wary.....

Pretty much all of my shrimps have long skinny arms, but the ones with claws are the same circumference as all the other legs. I've been looking up pictures, and most of them show the claw legs as being a lot thicker. Except for that last link you posted up...I thought I was sure I had regular ghost shrimp until I saw that one. Not I'm not so sure anymore.

 

That last one is an Indian whisker shrimp. Macrobrachium sp.

 

Okay, so I want some ghost shrimp, both for my 20 gallon community and 3 gallon betta tank. But I have some questions, as I'm a newbie to invertebrates.

What do they eat? And how much?
How many do you think I could have per tank?
Will it cause an ammonia spike if they die?
How long does one typically live for from Petsmart?
Is there any need to quarantine them before adding them to my tanks?
Are they any diseases they can catch from the fish or pass on to my fish?
Will the filter current be too strong for them?
How much of a bioload do they have?
Will they bother any of my other fish?
If my other fish kills one, will it be harmful to the fish if it eats it?

That's all I can think of for now. Also, I'd prefer not to spend any more money than what they cost at Petsmart. Thanks!

First, don't be discouraged if some die. They are often bred as feeder "fish" so life span isn't always important to the breeders. Sometimes they just can't take the shock of the different water. I expected mine to die when I got it from Petsmart. Several months later he is the most active little critter in my tank. The other one I got from Petco. He prefers to hide.

As for diet, I feed mine two pellets of specially formulated HikarI Tropical Crab Cuisine. It looks expensive for a small bag, but there are so many pellets that I've only gotten halfway through the bag at most. Probably closer to 1/3. They love the stuff. If the active one senses one is near, he swims over to it and eats it with gusto. With two pellets/shrimp I never find any leftovers. Other than that, they'll go around the tank searching for morsels of chow. They're scavengers that will eat just about anything. When they molt, they eat the old shell for the nutrients. I thought mine had died and fished the shell out then realized he was quite well so I dropped it back in.

As for the filter, I don't think so. Some other owners have said the shrimp like to swim into the air bubble stream and ride it for amusement, so I don't think a filter current will pose any harm. They're pretty good swimmers.

Only caution I would give is not to put them with aggressive or semi-aggressive fish as they will get eaten. Have fun in the bold, new shrimp world!

 

Gamow do I breed them and will fish eat them

 

It depends on the size of the fish, but yes, they can end up food if a fish can get its mouth around it.

There are several recent threads about trying to raise ghost shrimp. It's not nearly as easy as raising cherry shrimp because of the needs of the shrimplets. If you have a separate tank and a supply of green water, you may be able to sucessfully do it, but most people aren't that lucky.

 

For shrimp to mate you need to meet their conditions:

At least 1 male and 1 female
Faster breeding under ideal temps
Need a good ph to successfully moult
Need hardwater to keep a good shell and successfully moult
Hiding places for them to hide after a moult

You can add a piece of natural cuddle bone to help give them calcium.

For babies to survive you'll need lots of cover and places to hide! It all depends on the tank mates if they will get eaten or not.
They also need a lot of biofilm to eat. This grows in established tanks, however, I just ordered a product called bacter-ae which helps create biofilm for shrimp to graze on. A member on here recommended it with great success.

 

Everything I need to know about ghost shrimp

Thinking of getting some