# Ghost Shrimp: Basic Care



## Pucky21811 (Jul 31, 2011)

I may be looking in the wrong spot, but I can't seem to find a place about care for Ghost Shrimp.

My friends and I are going through a rough patch, but we're healing together. Yesterday I convinced one of my girlfriends to buy a betta (a beautiful mustard gas from WAL MART!) I would get one myself to help cope but I really can't fit more than two in my dorm room right now.

Anyway, he stayed overnight in one of my QT 1 gal, and today we went to Petsmart and got him a 2.5 gal tank and he's much happier there. I spontaneously bought two ghost shrimp. 

I bought a ghost shrimp a few weeks ago after my baby boy Puck passed away. Petsmart was already closed when I got home and I needed something right away, so I got a shrimp at Wal Mart. He didn't last 12 hours, so I didn't know what I did wrong. Wal mart though, you never know.


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## Pucky21811 (Jul 31, 2011)

Okay back story over:
-Right now two ghost shrimp are in a 1 gal bowl with a plastic plant. I put some betta pellets in, they sink, and both shrimps have started eating them.

-Is it okay that I used betta water conditioner for the water?

-Is it okay that they're eating the betta pellets only?

-Is it too crowded to have 2 in a one gal bowl?

-Could I put one, or both, into my female's betta tank (2.5gal) tomorrow?

-I guess what I'm asking is what is the minimum gal. requirements? 

-If two shrimpies and a female betta make it a crowd, then I could put the other one in my male betta's tank (2 gal kritter keeper) but I don't know if he'd make a snack out of them. A hit and miss I hear, but do I have a better chance of them not being eaten by Winnipeg (my female) than Zambo (my male) ? Then again, Zamboni has a spine injury and swims a "little derpy," as my friend calls it. He may find no energy or interest in harming the shrimp.

Thanks everyone for the tips


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## Mo (Mar 15, 2012)

Pucky21811 said:


> Okay back story over:
> -Right now two ghost shrimp are in a 1 gal bowl with a plastic plant. I put some betta pellets in, they sink, and both shrimps have started eating them.
> 
> -Is it okay that I used betta water conditioner for the water?
> ...


Good Luck!


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

The biggest tip for success in shrimp keeping? Live plants.  Heaps of them. Java moss for the bottom of the bowl, java fern for the middle, would be my suggestions. You wouldn't have to do 100% changes that way because the shrimp make so little waste that the plants would suck most of it up. Partial weekly changes would be fine. 
In a one gallon planted bowl I would have 5.


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## Pucky21811 (Jul 31, 2011)

Okay, so I put one shrimp in each of my betta tanks, and both my betta tried to attack them right away! My injured male AND my female. I'm attatched to these shrimp so I saved them and they are both back in their 1 gal tank together. Is this okay? They both seemed SO happy starting to eat and clean the betta slime but I couldn't stand to watch the betta eat them. Did I do the right thing? Or do they just need time?


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## Mandy Pandy (Mar 17, 2012)

I'm a newb but from what I've been reading it may help to take your betta out, rearrange their homes, put the shrimp in first then reintroduce the betta. That way the betta think they're in a new place and won't be so territorial.


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

Nah, most Bettas find shrimps as tasty little snacks. 

:l So yeah, just keep them in their 1 gallon bowl.


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## Pucky21811 (Jul 31, 2011)

I had them in the bowl for a while; but they're so cold they were barely moving. I remembered that Winnipeg's 2.5 gal tank came with a divider (I wasn't going to use it). So I put the divider in 1/3 of the way, with the little gravel on their side and a plastic plant. Winnipeg is pissed and confused about the downsize, but she'll survive.

I also went out and bought a Java Moss Ball from Petsmart today cause they're so cute! That's in Winnipeg's tank, on her side, for now. Should I put that on the shrimpie side? I was thinking of alternating: one week in Winnipeg's tank, one week in Zamboni's tank, cause it was kind of expensive I couldn't afford two. 

Thanks for the tips!


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

WHOOPSIES. Nevermind.

Anyway, 1/3 of a 2.5 gallon tank for the two shrimps could work.

Just give them the java moss so they can feel more safe in it. Also moving the shrimps back and forth for no reason isn't a really good idea.


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## Pucky21811 (Jul 31, 2011)

Oh no I would alternate with the Java Moss Ball- not the shrimp! They're staying where they are


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

A lot of bettas do like to snack on shrimp, but the shrimp learn pretty quickly to move out of the way and go into hiding. You just need to make sure that the cover is dense enough for them to have hiding spots. Little caves that a betta can't get into, heaps of java moss, live plants etc are all really good for shrimp to hide in.


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## Pucky21811 (Jul 31, 2011)

Alrighty thanks everybody: well I came back from job training and the shrimpies had found their way through the divider in the tank into Winnipeg's side. They squeezed through a shrimp-sized spot on either side. I spotted only one of my two shrimp when I first came in the room, and now I see neither. Hopefully they're hiding. Winnipeg didn't seem to notice the one I did see as curiously as she noticed him when I popped them in this morning. I'll leave the divided side there in case they are survivors and can be a refuge. Whoops...


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