Ghost shrimp.

[USMC4Life]

So I am looking to start breeding ghost shrimp in my refugium. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

 

[wkscott]

Ghost shrimp (unless you are talking about some other shrimp) are a freshwater species and will not live for very long in your saltwater refugium. Inverts like shrimp are very sensitive to salinity levels, and you won't be able to acclimate freshwater shrimp to a saltwater environment.

 

[USMC4Life]

Well that sucks lol.

 

[Hilltop Aquariums]

I have "ghost shrimp " in my fuge... at least that's what the lfs said they were.

 

[wkscott]

I have "ghost shrimp " in my fuge... at least that's what the lfs said they were.

The inverts originally called ghost shrimp (Paleomonetes sp.) are freshwater crustaceans. However it is (unfortunately) becoming more common in the industry to use the generic name ghost shrimp to describe any shrimp that is basically clear of color, saltwater and freshwater. Whenever possible, get the scientific name of the creatures you purchase to avoid confusion. I know that this is next to impossible at your LFS.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Ghost shrimp (unless you are talking about some other shrimp) are a freshwater species and will not live for very long in your saltwater refugium. Inverts like shrimp are very sensitive to salinity levels, and you won't be able to acclimate freshwater shrimp to a saltwater environment.

Actually, ghost shrimp, which is a Palaemonetes species, are often found in estuaries and are very tolerant of changes in salinity. I tested the water each time I collected them, which was once per week, and it's been as high as 50 ppt.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

USMC, no, you won't be able to breed/raise them in your fuge. You can get them to breed in there and have the larvae carried into the display for food, but you won't be able to raise them to adulthood.

 

[USMC4Life]

Well it's been some time and I have an update... it worked. Not as well as I wanted it to work but it did. They spawned and they're still alive.

 

[USMC4Life]

The algae is out of control. But it's doing its thing.

also anyone know what that white mass is ?

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

It looks like a sponge to me. They always show up in the weirdest places in my tank.

I had some "ghost shrimp" in my tank when I was a kid. I caught them in the intercoastal waterways on the side of a dock. I added them for food but several lived for a week without acclimating before they were finally eaten by something. Never did know what the water parameters were for the waterway. Only heard that it was brackish.

 

[USMC4Life]

At this point i'v had them for 6+ months. Found some small ones in the tank after a bit. Seen some females with eggs.

 

[clover128]

Yeah I was thinking of setting up a breeding tank for them as well. Purely to feed the reef tank fish. Just not sure if I would be able to raise enough of them to feed daily. I noticed in the YouTube videos of David Saxbys reef tank that he feeds these daily. Obviously he has killer filtration, But his fish are the healthiest and fattest I’ve ever seen in captivity or the wild. He feeds “live rivershrimp” @5:37 .... they look like ghost shrimp to me!!

 

[wsoldier]

@USMC4Life Curious if you have an update. How long did the shrimp last and did they continue to proliferate? What were your methods. Thanks.

 

[Antyama]

A hobby aquarist I know has tons and tons of palaemon elegans, talking like a hundred here, so I would guess they are easy to culture. They are also saltwater shrimp

 

[kenand]

Well that sucks lol.

Not related to fish. Thank you for your service.