I've got several ghost shrimp in my 36 gallon. I had bought 10 and don't know how many are left. I'm guessing 4 or 5. Recently I noticed 2 of the smaller ones bodies are turning white. Is this a sign of some sort of sickness or stress? I thought maybe they were dying but have been this way for about a week now since I noticed them. Used to my shrimp would scurry to the front of the tank during feeding but they don't do it as much anymore. I still see a few in the tank if I look real hard (heavily planted 1/4 cylinder) and a couple will usually come out of hiding when I feed but they're not as active as they used to. thanks, Kyle
Ghost shrimp turning white???
- Thread starter snakeskinner
- Start date
usually they turn white and die, yes. i have one maverick ghost shrimp who had been pretty white-colored for WEEKS. so i guess it's not always a slam dunk, sure thing death. i stopped putting them in my 50g half-planted, because they're impossible to spot...and they become food in a couple days anyway!
IME, white body means death is imminent. It may take a week or two but he'll go.
I've stopped buying these guys I know they don't have long lifespans to start with and in reality they are brackish but I can't get them to last longer than a month or so.
I'm hoping the amanos I got will be better.
I've stopped buying these guys I know they don't have long lifespans to start with and in reality they are brackish but I can't get them to last longer than a month or so.
I'm hoping the amanos I got will be better.
I actually bought them thinking I was going to add some cichlids and they'd be established food but I ended up with danio's and barbs so they have survived longer than I intended and are an interesting addition to the tank as well as a small cleanup crew. Also, I noticed a couple months ago that two of the larger ones had large packets of green "balls" hanging underneath their bellies. I thought maybe they were eggs of some sort but have not seen them in a while. Any ideas on these? KYle
The whitening is usually a sign that the shrimp is going to molt soon. Frequently, they become an easy snack while they are soft after the molt.
The green balls are eggs. The babies are quickly eaten up by just about all fish, so seldom result in more shrimp in a community setup.
The green balls are eggs. The babies are quickly eaten up by just about all fish, so seldom result in more shrimp in a community setup.
These ghost shrimps aren't really durable in FW tank IMO. Back where I came from, LFS sells these for $2 (less than $0.30 USD) for a bag of maybe 100 or so (LFS don't count them, just take a bowl-load of it), for the sole purpose as fish candy. I bought them a few times to keep for fun but they always just turned white and died after awhile. Usually a few may survive for a few months, but then may get big and attack the small fish like cory and other things. I once had some tapoid(sp?) (a frog's fishy-state be4 growing up legs and lung) and had seen the ghost shrimp caught and ate them. Somewhat an ugly sceen
But sooner or later (not that late) the ghost shrimps still died or get eaten... go go pleco!!
But sooner or later (not that late) the ghost shrimps still died or get eaten... go go pleco!!
Some folks feel that adding a tad bit of iodine (and I'm talking .2cc or so) to freshwater tanks after each water change willl help the ghost shrimp survival rate. I believe (but am not certain) that it helps them harden up after a molt, and that their inability to do so is what causes most of the losses to occur.
Since I have been doing this I have more ghost shrimp than ever, and it may be my imagination but I do believe that they are larger and more pigmented than ever- like a thicker skin?
Works for me!
Edit: I neglected to mention that I meant .2cc of Kent Iodine marine tank supplement- not regular iodine!
Since I have been doing this I have more ghost shrimp than ever, and it may be my imagination but I do believe that they are larger and more pigmented than ever- like a thicker skin?
Works for me!
Edit: I neglected to mention that I meant .2cc of Kent Iodine marine tank supplement- not regular iodine!
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Actually, there is no proof that iodine helps crustaceans molt. Mogurnda spent some time trying to track down where this claim even started, and the closest he could find was that iodine forces chickens to molt. Hmmm. It's a prevelant myth for all crustaceans.
I think slightly harder water is helpful, but I keep ghosts alive in my planted tank with no problem. The amanos also do well for me. My water is a bit on the hard side, but nothing dramatic.
I think slightly harder water is helpful, but I keep ghosts alive in my planted tank with no problem. The amanos also do well for me. My water is a bit on the hard side, but nothing dramatic.
Interesting, so harder water may be the trick. I finally got a kh test kit and realized my water is a lot softer than I thought. Something like 20 ppm I think.
I may try adding a small bit of crushed coral to the filter to harden it up just a bit. Maybe that will help.
I may try adding a small bit of crushed coral to the filter to harden it up just a bit. Maybe that will help.