Ghost shrimp are small, see-through freshwater shrimp from the southeastern United States. They grow to about 1 to 1.5 inches, live around a year, cost very little and spend their days picking leftovers, algae and biofilm off every surface in the tank. They’re one of the easiest invertebrates you can keep, with a tank of 5 gallons or more, water at 65 to 82 F and a pH around 7 to 8. The catch is that most ghost shrimp are sold as cheap feeder animals, so many arrive stressed, and a few may even be a different, aggressive species called whisker shrimp. Buy carefully, acclimate slowly and keep copper out of the tank, and ghost shrimp are tough, entertaining and genuinely useful cleaners.
This guide covers everything you need to keep them well: what ghost shrimp are, how to tell them from whisker shrimp, tank setup and water, feeding, molting, tank mates, breeding, health problems, why they die and what they cost.
Ghost shrimp at a glance
| Detail | Ghost shrimp |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Palaemonetes paludosus (sometimes placed in Palaemon) |
| Other names | Glass shrimp, eastern glass shrimp, grass shrimp |
| Origin | Freshwater lakes, ponds and slow rivers of the southeastern US |
| Adult size | About 1 to 1.5 in (2.5 to 4 cm). Females can reach 2 in |
| Lifespan | About 1 year, sometimes up to 1.5 to 2 years |
| Temperature | 65 to 82 F (18 to 28 C) |
| pH | 7.0 to 8.0 |
| Hardness | About 5 to 15 dGH, 3 to 10 dKH |
| Minimum tank | 5 gal (19 L). 10 gal is easier to keep stable |
| Group size | At least 5 or 6. About 1 to 2 shrimp per gallon is a safe stocking level |
| Temperament | Peaceful, but may eat very small fry and baby shrimp |
| Diet | Scavenger. Algae, biofilm, leftovers, sinking pellets, blanched vegetables |
| Breeding | Easy in freshwater. Tiny larvae need a separate tank to survive |
| Price | About $0.50 to $3 each in the US |
| Care level | Easy |
What are ghost shrimp?
Ghost shrimp are small freshwater shrimp in the family Palaemonidae. In the wild they live in clear, slow-moving water across the southeastern United States, from the Atlantic coast to the Gulf states, hiding among water plants and leaf litter in ponds, lakes, ditches and quiet stretches of river. There they eat algae, detritus and tiny animals, and in turn feed fish, birds and frogs.
That role as food is why ghost shrimp are so cheap and so easy to find. They’re bred and collected in huge numbers as feeder animals for larger fish and turtles. Many hobbyists, though, keep them as pets in their own right. They’re active, fun to watch and almost completely transparent, so you can see their food moving through their body after a meal.
“Ghost shrimp” is a trade name rather than a guarantee of one species. Most of what you buy is Palaemonetes paludosus, but batches can include other look-alike shrimp. The most important one to know about is the whisker shrimp.
Ghost shrimp vs whisker shrimp vs Amano vs cherry shrimp
These shrimp often sit next to each other in stores, and the first two can arrive in the same bag. Here’s how to tell them apart.
| Feature | Ghost shrimp | Whisker shrimp | Amano shrimp | Cherry shrimp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Palaemonetes paludosus | Macrobrachium species | Caridina multidentata | Neocaridina davidi |
| Body | Clear, sometimes with tiny dots | Clear to brownish | Clear gray with dots or dashes | Red (or other colors) |
| Front claws | Small, thin, short | Long front arms, often with orange or blue bands at the joints | Small feeding fans | Small feeding fans |
| Size | 1 to 1.5 in | 2 to 3 in or more | 1.5 to 2 in | About 1 in |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Aggressive, can catch small fish and shrimp | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Breeding | Larvae, freshwater | Varies by species | Larvae need brackish water | Fully formed babies, easy |
| Best use | Cheap cleanup crew | Species-only or large fish tanks | Algae control | Colorful breeding colonies |
Here’s the honest part most ghost shrimp guides skip. If small fish in your tank start disappearing overnight after you add “ghost shrimp”, check the shrimp’s front legs. True ghost shrimp have short, thin claws. Whisker shrimp have noticeably longer front arms, often with colored bands at the joints, and they will hunt sleeping fish and other shrimp. They look similar enough that even stores mix them up. If you find one, move it to its own tank or return it.
For more on the other two, see our Amano shrimp guide and cherry shrimp guide.
Appearance, size and lifespan
Appearance. Ghost shrimp are almost completely transparent, with a faint tint and sometimes small orange, green or brown dots along the body. Many have a small orange spot near the tail. You can see their internal organs, and after eating, the food shows as a darker line through the body. Females often carry a green patch of developing eggs near the head before they lay.
Size. Adults usually reach about 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 4 cm). Females are larger and can approach 2 inches, while males often stay around 1 inch. Store shrimp are often young and smaller.
Lifespan. Expect about a year. With stable water and good food, some live 1.5 to 2 years. Because they’re often sold as feeders and you rarely know their age, some die sooner simply because they were already old when you bought them.
Males vs females. Females are bigger, with a deeper, rounder underside where they carry eggs, and they may show a green saddle of eggs behind the head. Males are smaller and slimmer.
Behavior and temperament
Ghost shrimp are busy, curious and mostly peaceful. They spend the day walking over plants, rocks and substrate, picking at everything with their small claws. They also swim in short bursts through open water, which makes them more visible than many shrimp.
Group living. They do better in groups of at least 5 or 6. In a group they’re bolder and spend more time out in the open.
Occasional squabbles. They can scuffle over food or space, especially in a crowded tank. Give them plants and hiding places and keep the stocking reasonable, around 1 to 2 shrimp per gallon.
Not completely harmless. Ghost shrimp are omnivores. They don’t hunt healthy fish, but they will eat fish eggs, tiny fry, baby shrimp and anything that dies in the tank.
Ghost shrimp tank setup
Tank size. A 5 gallon tank can hold a small group, but a 10 gallon or larger tank is much easier because the water stays stable. See our 10 gallon fish tank guide for setup ideas.
Cycle first. Shrimp are very sensitive to ammonia and nitrite. Make sure the tank is fully cycled before adding them. Our how to cycle a fish tank guide explains how.
Filter. A sponge filter is ideal. It gives gentle flow, can’t suck shrimp in, and grows biofilm that shrimp graze on. If you use a hang-on-back or canister filter, cover the intake with a sponge or fine mesh.
Substrate. Sand or fine gravel works well. Dark or black gravel is the best choice if you want to actually see your shrimp. Against a dark background, the tiny specks and markings on their bodies darken and stand out, so they look less like ghosts and more like little glass sculptures.
Plants and cover. Live plants give shelter during molting, grow biofilm and help keep the water clean. Fine-leaved plants are their favorite hiding spots, including hornwort, cabomba and water milfoil. Mosses like java moss and flame moss, hornwort, anubias and floating plants are all good choices. Our low light aquarium plants list has more.
Lighting. Normal aquarium lighting for 6 to 8 hours a day is fine. Ghost shrimp don’t need anything special.
Lid. Shrimp sometimes climb out, especially if the water quality is poor. A lid with no large gaps prevents losses.
Heater. They handle a wide temperature range, so many people keep them without a heater. A heater still helps in rooms that get cold or swing a lot between day and night.
Water parameters
| Parameter | Ideal range |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 65 to 82 F (18 to 28 C), about 72 to 78 F is ideal |
| pH | 7.0 to 8.0 |
| General hardness (GH) | 5 to 15 dGH |
| Carbonate hardness (KH) | 3 to 10 dKH |
| Ammonia and nitrite | 0 ppm |
| Nitrate | Under 20 ppm |
| Copper | None. Copper is toxic to shrimp |
Stable water matters more than hitting exact numbers. Do a 10 to 20 percent water change each week rather than big, sudden changes, and always match the new water’s temperature. Use a water conditioner to remove chlorine and chloramine, and check that any fertilizer or medication is labeled shrimp safe, since many contain copper.
What do ghost shrimp eat?
Ghost shrimp are scavengers that eat almost anything they can find. In an established tank, much of their food comes from algae, biofilm and leftover fish food. You’ll still need to feed them directly, especially in a tank with few fish.
- Staples: sinking shrimp pellets, algae wafers and small sinking pellets
- Vegetables: blanched zucchini, spinach or cucumber, in small pieces
- Protein treats: frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp or daphnia once or twice a week
- Calcium: a small piece of cuttlebone or calcium-rich shrimp food, especially in soft water
- Natural food: algae and biofilm on plants, wood and glass. Many keepers report ghost shrimp picking at brush algae too, a type most algae eaters ignore, though they won’t clear a real black beard algae outbreak on their own
Where they feed. Ghost shrimp aren’t only bottom feeders. They climb plants and decorations looking for food and are strong enough swimmers to grab floating flakes at the surface, so they compete well for food in a community tank.
How much and how often. Feed a small amount the shrimp finish in a few hours, every day or every other day. Remove uneaten food after a few hours so it doesn’t foul the water. Overfeeding is a common cause of shrimp deaths and pest outbreaks like planaria and detritus worms.
Do ghost shrimp shed their skin?
Yes. Like all shrimp, ghost shrimp molt, shedding their hard outer shell (exoskeleton) so they can grow. Young shrimp molt often, sometimes every week or two, while adults molt every few weeks.
Molt or dead shrimp? A molt looks like a whole, empty, see-through shrimp, often split behind the head. A dead shrimp usually turns white, pink or orange and doesn’t move at all. If you see what looks like a dead shrimp but count all your shrimp alive, it was a molt.
Leave the molt in the tank. Shrimp often eat their old shell to recover calcium and minerals.
Right after molting. A freshly molted shrimp is soft and vulnerable for several hours and often hides. That’s why plants and cover matter.
Molting problems. A shrimp stuck in its old shell, sometimes called the “white ring of death” because of the white band that shows between the head and body, usually has a water or mineral problem. Low GH, big water changes and poor diet are the main causes. Our shrimp molting guide explains it in detail.
Ghost shrimp tank mates
Ghost shrimp get along with small, peaceful fish and other invertebrates. Any fish big enough to fit a shrimp in its mouth will eat them, which is exactly why they’re sold as feeders.
| Good tank mates | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Small schooling fish like neon tetras and galaxy rasboras | Cichlids, including small ones |
| Pygmy corydoras and panda corys | Goldfish |
| Otocinclus and small plecos like the bristlenose pleco | Large barbs and fin nippers like tiger barbs |
| Snails like nerites and mystery snails | Gouramis, except calm small species like the honey gourami |
| Amano shrimp and bamboo shrimp | Loaches that hunt shrimp, like clown loaches |
| Kuhli loaches | Whisker shrimp |
Can ghost shrimp live with bettas? Sometimes. Some bettas ignore them, and many hunt them. In a planted 10 gallon or larger tank, ghost shrimp are a cheap way to test your betta’s temperament before you try more expensive shrimp.
Can ghost shrimp live with cherry shrimp? Yes, but adult ghost shrimp may eat baby cherry shrimp. If you want a cherry shrimp colony to grow, keep them apart or provide lots of moss.
Breeding ghost shrimp
Ghost shrimp breed readily in freshwater, and you’ll often see berried (egg-carrying) females in a healthy tank. Raising the babies is the harder part, because the young hatch as tiny larvae that most tanks can’t feed and that adults and filters remove quickly.
Mating. A mature female develops green eggs inside her body, visible near the head. After she molts, a male fertilizes the eggs and she moves them under her tail, where she fans them constantly.
Eggs. She carries roughly 20 to 30 small green or gray eggs, sometimes more, for about 3 weeks. Move her to a separate breeding tank before they hatch.
Breeding tank. A 5 to 10 gallon tank with an air-driven sponge filter, matching water, some moss or plants and no other animals. Return the female once the eggs hatch, or she may eat the larvae. Never use a power filter in a fry tank, because the larvae are so small they get sucked straight in.
Larvae. The eggs hatch into free-swimming larvae that are barely visible. Feed them infusoria, green water, rotifers, powdered egg-layer fry food or a tiny amount of strained hard-boiled egg yolk for about the first week. Once they settle as tiny shrimp, microworms and vinegar eels make good next foods. Unlike Amano shrimp, ghost shrimp larvae don’t need brackish water.
Growing up. After about 1 to 2 weeks, the larvae molt into tiny shrimp that look like adults and start walking on surfaces. Move them to crushed pellets and powdered foods, and keep them separate until they’re too big to be eaten, around 4 to 5 weeks.
Ghost shrimp health problems
Turning white or milky. Often a sign of serious stress, poor water or bacterial infection. Test the water, do a gentle water change and remove the shrimp if it dies.
Vorticella. Fuzzy white growth on the head or shell, caused by tiny organisms that grow on shrimp in dirty water. Improve water quality. Shrimp often shed it with their next molt.
Pink or red spots. Usually a bacterial infection, which is often fatal. Remove the affected shrimp to protect the others.
Failed molts. Low GH, sudden water changes or poor diet. Keep water stable and offer calcium.
Copper poisoning. Sudden deaths after using a fish medication, plant fertilizer or new decoration. Copper is deadly to shrimp even in small amounts.
Why are my ghost shrimp dying?
Losing a few ghost shrimp in the first week is very common, and it usually isn’t your fault. Here are the main causes, from most to least likely:
- Stress from the store. Feeder shrimp are often kept in crowded, dirty tanks and shipped in bulk. Some are already weak or old when you buy them.
- Poor acclimation. A sudden change in temperature, pH or hardness can kill shrimp within hours.
- An uncycled tank. Ammonia and nitrite are deadly to shrimp.
- Copper or chemicals. From medications, fertilizers, sprays near the tank or old metal decorations.
- Big water changes. Large swings in water chemistry can trigger failed molts.
- Predators. Fish that pick at them, or a whisker shrimp hiding in the group.
How to acclimate ghost shrimp
- Float the bag in the tank for 15 to 20 minutes to match the temperature.
- Pour the shrimp and their water into a clean bowl or container.
- Drip tank water into the container slowly using airline tubing with a knot to slow the flow, about 2 to 4 drops a second, for 1 to 2 hours, until the water volume has roughly tripled.
- Net the shrimp into the tank. Don’t add the store water.
- Keep the lights low for the rest of the day, and wait a day before feeding.
Ghost shrimp price and where to buy
In the US, ghost shrimp usually cost about $0.50 to $3 each, which makes them one of the cheapest aquarium animals you can buy. Big chain pet stores often sell them as feeders. Local fish stores and online shrimp sellers usually charge a little more, but their shrimp tend to be healthier.
What to check before you buy. Look for clear, active shrimp that are eating and walking on surfaces. Avoid tanks with milky white or dead shrimp. Check the front legs, and skip any shrimp with long arms or colored bands at the claw joints, which are likely whisker shrimp. Buy a few more than you need, since a couple may not survive the first week.
Are ghost shrimp right for your tank?
Ghost shrimp are a great choice if you want a cheap, hardy cleanup crew, a fun nano tank you can see through, or a safe test before keeping pricier shrimp. They’re also good in community tanks with small, peaceful fish.
They’re not a good fit for tanks with large or aggressive fish, which will treat them as food. They also won’t control algae as well as Amano shrimp or the fish in our algae eater fish guide. If you want a colorful colony that breeds easily, cherry shrimp are a better pick.
Common ghost shrimp problems
Several shrimp died in the first few days. Usually store stress or fast acclimation. Drip acclimate next time and buy from a better source.
Fish disappearing at night. Check for whisker shrimp with long front arms, and remove them.
Shrimp climbing out of the water. Usually poor water quality. Test the water and do a water change.
Shrimp hiding all the time. New shrimp, a recent molt or fish that pick at them. Add plants and cover.
Babies never survive. Normal in a community tank. Move berried females to a separate tank before the eggs hatch.
White band behind the head. A molting problem. Check GH, keep water changes small and offer calcium.
FAQ
Do ghost shrimp shed their skin?
Yes. They molt their exoskeleton every few weeks to grow, and young shrimp molt more often. Leave the empty shell in the tank, as shrimp eat it for minerals.
How long do ghost shrimp live?
About a year on average, and sometimes 1.5 to 2 years with stable water and good food.
How big do ghost shrimp get?
About 1 to 1.5 inches. Females are larger and can reach close to 2 inches.
How many ghost shrimp per gallon?
About 1 to 2 shrimp per gallon is a safe level. Keep a group of at least 5 or 6.
Do ghost shrimp need a heater?
Not always. They handle 65 to 82 F, so many live fine without one in a heated home. A heater helps if the room gets cold.
Do ghost shrimp eat algae?
Yes, they eat soft algae and biofilm, but they’re not as effective as Amano shrimp or otocinclus for real algae control.
Can ghost shrimp live with bettas?
Sometimes. Many bettas eat them, and some ignore them. They’re a cheap way to test your betta before adding expensive shrimp.
Why are my ghost shrimp dying?
Usually stress from the store, fast acclimation, an uncycled tank or copper in the water. Some losses in the first week are common.
Do ghost shrimp need saltwater to breed?
No. Ghost shrimp breed and their larvae grow in freshwater, though the larvae need tiny foods and a separate tank to survive.
Are ghost shrimp the same as glass shrimp?
Yes. “Glass shrimp” and “ghost shrimp” are common names for the same see-through freshwater shrimp, Palaemonetes paludosus.
Final thoughts on ghost shrimp
Ghost shrimp are cheap, hardy and surprisingly entertaining for such a tiny, see-through animal. Give them a cycled tank of 5 gallons or more, gentle filtration, plants to hide in, stable water with no copper and a little food every day. Buy from a healthy tank, check for long-armed whisker shrimp and drip acclimate them, and you’ll have a busy cleanup crew that keeps your tank tidy for a year or more.
