I've heard that CRS are great for keeping algae down. Is that true for most other types of shrimp?
I'd like to try a bunch of cheap ghost shrimp in my tank to check compatibility and if they are up to the task. They'll be replacing the clean up duties of a pleco. I just don't want to deal with the pleco eating/ digging up smaller fragile plants.
I have ghost shrimp (Palaemontes) although it's hard for me to tell their algae eating habits because I almost never see algae in the tank (which could be them doing their job- although I also have a pleco, RCS and 6 species of snail- so I think it's a team effort).
From what I've read of Palaemontes though, they will eat algae if hungry but much prefer fish/snail food. Amanos have the reputation of being the king of algae eating shrimp- but I think most species will eat some algae.
I think the ghosts eat whatever they can... they must have extraordinary sense of smell because they immediately hone in on food... if I put their favourite, freeze-dried gammarus in they all start swimming around franticly trying to locate it. They're always first to investigate any food of any kind I put in the tank (except floating food that the Danios get to first).
Back on topic- I think they'll help with algae- but there are species that do a better job.
I'll give a thumbs up for the ghost shrimp BTW... I love my ghosts... they're not the prettiest shrimp but they have fantastic personalities and are nowhere near as shy as some other species I've seen. (although they took a few weeks to come out of hiding when first introduced- now they're everywhere). They're worth getting even if they don't eat algae.
Amano are far superior for their algae eating capabilities, ghost shrimp are scavengers while amanos are algae eating species. Cherry shrimp (RCS) are ok at algae, though cannot tackle tougher/larger algaes very effectively because of the limits of their size. Also, be cautious housing ghost shrimp with other smaller/more peaceful species as tey have been known to predate as well.
On the predation thing... most people don't have the same experience as me, but my ghost shrimp eat small snails... (only the small snails- and I've only witnessed them go after bladder snails- although I suspect they eat ramshorns too due to my lack of baby ramshorns)- there are other people who have had this happen- it appears to be a learned behaviour in individual shrimp. I've only seen female shrimp eating snails in my tank- and I witness it only rarely... so it could be the same female who goes after the snails every time... most of them I can't tell apart- but from the ones I can I do notice they have unique behaviour patterns.
Still, if you have brigg hatchlings or some other special snail in the tank with them that is smaller than say half a cm in diameter there is a possibility they're dinner if you have a snailer amongst them.
I have had similiar experiences with ghost shrimp Wycco. The larger ones would eat some of the rams horns, even ones bigger than babies. They were...removed due to bad tempers towards other species in the tank. Lesson learned on my part. As far as amano, mine seem to be pretty good at cleaing up. The cherries try but are sooo tiny
Funny enough, I've seen this too. I just didn't know what happened. I added a few ramshorns to a tank and about a month later I added six ghost shrimp as an experiment. About two weeks later all three small to mid sized ramshorns were gone. I was left scratching my head. I never thought it could've been the ghost shrimp!
I've read several accounts online of people buying ghost shrimp from Walmart only for them to turn out to be Macrobrachium juveniles that turned out to be real beasts towards everything in the tank.
Palaemontes are not the wimpiest of dwarf shrimp- but from all I've read you really don't want macros in with dwarf shrimp or a small-fish peacefull commuity tank so you have to be carefull buying them.
I've not witnessed the shrimp going after anything but the smallest snails in my tank... not that they might not... but the poor bladders and rams that I used to have excess of and shipped to people are becoming very rare... I've got Spixis eating the big ones and ghost shrimp eating the eggs and little ones... only a matter of time before they're extinct in the community tank.
