How To Raise Ghost Shrimp

[attygarla]

I HAVE TROUBLE EVEN KEEPING THEM ALIVE IN A 5 GAL BUCKET WITH A BUBBLER AND 72' HEATER AND FEEDING FLAKE FOOD IS THERE A BETTER WAY TO PREVENT HUGE LOSSES ???

 

[JennyL]

If you are just tossing them in an uncycled container you are not going to have much luck raising them.

I have bred and raised many ghost and you need to treat them as you would any other live stock. Cycle the tank first, have some cover for the little ones if you are going to breed them.

A good flake food is fine. I prefer Spirolina.

 

[sunfishh]

I agree with JennyL. I would use an air driven sponge filter for biological filtration.

 

[lil_cheeks]

i tried about a year ago with no luck, although i didn't treat them as a normal livestock. When i purchased a couple from a local pet store they told me they can withstand anything....not true.

 

[sunfishh]

They are hardy but not that hardy.

 

[Marineaqua2036]

I just put mine in a 5 gallon tank I bought from walmart as a complete setup, I dont have a heater on them just a filter that came with it and feed them prime reef flake and i have not had any problems

 

[David123]

How many are you trying to keep in a 5 gall bucket, and do you have any substrate for them, or is it an empty bucket with water only.

Try a larger tank, and have some substrate for them to crawl on and around.

A biological filter is a must, no filter, death is the only end result.

 

[kenny77]

Put them in your fuge. If you don't have any natural predator they will reproduce easilly. be aware that they will prey on pods so if you keep a mandarin you will need to separte them in the fuge, so your pods have an area to reproduce without predators

 

[marblesojecki]

so you guys are talking about the marine ghost shrimp? If so where would one acquire these little guys? I have looked around me and even online and haven't found any yet.
thanks

 

[pledosophy]

Most of the time ghost shrimp are a fresh water species.

YOu can buy a fresh water shrimp and acclimate it over to salt water. They can live a couple years that way IME, but do have a 20 year or so IIRC lifespan in nature.

FWIW I kept a 100 ghost shrimp in a 10g tank with an airline, no heater, and never fed them. I'd feed them out to the seahorses in a week, then get another hundred. Did a water change on the tank every few months when it got to smelling bad. (back when I was single)

JME

 

[sunfishh]

Pledosophy were you getting your ghost shrimp online? If so where? Also do you have a pick of them in the display or your holding tank?

 

[CoMMaNdeR]

If I am not wrong ghost shrimp live in freshwater or brakish water right? So, I think they are not rich in nutrients as other marine shrimps to feed them to the seahorses?

 

[pledosophy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13531446#post13531446 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sunfishh
Pledosophy were you getting your ghost shrimp online? If so where? Also do you have a pick of them in the display or your holding tank?

Sorry I don't. It was before Digital camera's were affordable. I never wasted a medium format neg to shoot the dirty tank

I bought mine at a local LFS. 12 for a buck.

 

[pledosophy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14115316#post14115316 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CoMMaNdeR
If I am not wrong ghost shrimp live in freshwater or brakish water right? So, I think they are not rich in nutrients as other marine shrimps to feed them to the seahorses?

While they are not marine shrimp, they do make a complete food source IME.

I fed my WC's nothing but fresh water ghosts 99.9% of the time. The exception being out of town vacations where I would feed palestrina shrimp. I think twice in 5.5 years.