ghost shrimp guide

[Sgooosh]

hello, there are some cheap ghost shrimp at the lfs, and im wondering how i can breed them and what common types there are

i'm aware that there are many types of ghost shrimp, but what are the most common feeder types?

do they birth live young like other shrimps?

 

[GaryE]

They breed like other small shrimp.

During a trip to Florida, I went fishing for aquarium species, and caught huge numbers of these creatures. Every net that had one fish had 10 or 20 ghost shrimp. They were living in the vegetation at the stream edges, with Heterandria formosa livebearers, Gambusia affinis, mollies (Poecilia latipinna) and beautiful pygmy sunfish. The water was cool, as it was colder in Florida than it had been in Montreal a day or two earlier. Go figure - my cursed vacations. I have notes somewhere, but the water was under 10c/50f. The overnight air temps were close to freezing, in a atypical March cold snap there.

When I see them in stores here, they are usually in feeder tanks and are in very bad shape.

 

[Sgooosh]

They breed like other small shrimp.

During a trip to Florida, I went fishing for aquarium species, and caught huge numbers of these creatures. Every net that had one fish had 10 or 20 ghost shrimp. They were living in the vegetation at the stream edges, with Heterandria formosa livebearers, Gambusia affinis, mollies (Poecilia latipinna) and beautiful pygmy sunfish. The water was cool, as it was colder in Florida than it had been in Montreal a day or two earlier. Go figure - my cursed vacations. I have notes somewhere, but the water was under 10c/50f. The overnight air temps were close to freezing, in a atypical March cold snap there.

When I see them in stores here, they are usually in feeder tanks and are in very bad shape.

thanks, so no need to separate berried from the others?
i've never kept shrimp before, only took care of one hitchiker baby fire red named fred

 

[Sgooosh]

They breed like other small shrimp.

During a trip to Florida, I went fishing for aquarium species, and caught huge numbers of these creatures. Every net that had one fish had 10 or 20 ghost shrimp. They were living in the vegetation at the stream edges, with Heterandria formosa livebearers, Gambusia affinis, mollies (Poecilia latipinna) and beautiful pygmy sunfish. The water was cool, as it was colder in Florida than it had been in Montreal a day or two earlier. Go figure - my cursed vacations. I have notes somewhere, but the water was under 10c/50f. The overnight air temps were close to freezing, in a atypical March cold snap there.

When I see them in stores here, they are usually in feeder tanks and are in very bad shape.

also, it's cool to see so much diversity in a stream! i usually net along the side of a medium river that normally has larger fish like suckers and stuff

would you say that there will be more species in a tiny stream?

 

[GaryE]

Usually, wherever I have gone fishing (I only fish for aquarium fish) smaller streams have been pretty good for small fish. Fewer predators.

 

[Sgooosh]

Usually, wherever I have gone fishing (I only fish for aquarium fish) smaller streams have been pretty good for small fish. Fewer predators.

i see, i will try to find some

 

[Colin_T]

Glass/ ghost shrimp are small clear shrimp found in freshwater creeks, lakes and rivers all around the world. They breed in spring and summer when the water warms up. The females carry clusters of eggs under their tail and the eggs hatch after about 1 month. If conditions are good, females can have several batches per year.

The babies feed on micro-organisms in the water and among plants. If you have a heavily planted tank with no fish, just a shrimp only tank, they breed prolifically during the warmer weather.

All shrimp have a high metabolism and need feeding 2-3 times a day if you want them to breed.

 

[Sgooosh]

Glass/ ghost shrimp are small clear shrimp found in freshwater creeks, lakes and rivers all around the world. They breed in spring and summer when the water warms up. The females carry clusters of eggs under their tail and the eggs hatch after about 1 month. If conditions are good, females can have several batches per year.

The babies feed on micro-organisms in the water and among plants. If you have a heavily planted tank with no fish, just a shrimp only tank, they breed prolifically during the warmer weather.

All shrimp have a high metabolism and need feeding 2-3 times a day if you want them to breed.

thanks for the info.
will they be able to live with neos?
i've never seen any where I live, but pet stores around me have them

 

[Colin_T]

whats a neo?

if you want glass shrimp, go to a local creek and drag a net through the grass in the water.

 

[Sgooosh]

whats a neo?

if you want glass shrimp, go to a local creek and drag a net through the grass in the water.

neocaridinia
i've never caught any type of shrimp in the creeks here before however

 

[WhistlingBadger]

They don't live everywhere. More in warm-temperate climates. We don't have any here in Wyoming, though scuds are common.

 

[Sgooosh]

They don't live everywhere. More in warm-temperate climates. We don't have any here in Wyoming, though scuds are common.

id say its pretty warm enough to keep them here, but perhaps they aren't native here
i saw some at hawaii though (it was brackish so perhaps different type)

 

[Sgooosh]

Usually, wherever I have gone fishing (I only fish for aquarium fish) smaller streams have been pretty good for small fish. Fewer predators.

I have a question, how do you find small streams?
are they in a park or something? or just by the road

 

[GaryE]

I have a question, how do you find small streams?
are they in a park or something? or just by the road

Where i live, there are streams galore, but because of my being north, small fish are 4 inches plus. For aquarium fish I would have to travel south. I've caught darters in streams I could access from the road, and in Florida looked around in parks and other public access points. In Honduras and Guatemala it was a matter of finding streams flowing to the sea, but too elevated to be be tidal.

In a couple of months I should be in west central Africa specifically looking for fish, and there, you drive til you see a likely stream, and explore it. You also speak with local people and get permissions, and often guidance to good spots. I like killies, barbs and dwarf Cichlids, so a lot of the streams I'll see will be fairly small. Just like here, some of the best ones will come out of tunnels of plants.

 

[Sgooosh]

Where i live, there are streams galore, but because of my being north, small fish are 4 inches plus. For aquarium fish I would have to travel south. I've caught darters in streams I could access from the road, and in Florida looked around in parks and other public access points. In Honduras and Guatemala it was a matter of finding streams flowing to the sea, but too elevated to be be tidal.

In a couple of months I should be in west central Africa specifically looking for fish, and there, you drive til you see a likely stream, and explore it. You also speak with local people and get permissions, and often guidance to good spots. I like killies, barbs and dwarf Cichlids, so a lot of the streams I'll see will be fairly small. Just like here, some of the best ones will come out of tunnels of plants.

we have many tiny fish here like gambusia and some ones that i cannot find the name of, they hide in the places where there's lots of water weeds

and the wet and dry seasons here are so different that most streams are "hibernal" which makes them hard to find