# 1 ghost shrimp in a 2.5?



## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

I have a 2.5 gallon tank that my betta is in, and I was curious about getting a ghost shrimp? I used the Aquadvisor fish stocking thing and it said my tank would be 103% stocked with 1 male betta and 1 ghost shrimp. Is that over stocking, or is just a little over ok? Does any have a ghost shrimp in a small tank?

I don't want to crowd my betta and I want to make sure that a shrimp would be comfortable before I buy one.

Oh, and do ghost shrimp need a tank with a filter?? My tank is uncycled. I just keep my tank heated and just change the water every 2 to 3 days.


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

The problem you're going to run into with the shrimp is going to be that bettas see the shrimp as prey animals--it is almost inevitable that the shrimp will eventually be eaten by the betta. Even larger ones will be pecked at until they're torn up enough for the betta to eat them.

The other problem you're going to run into is the fact that uncycled, unfiltered tanks need frequent 100% water changes--catching a tiny shrimp every time you need to do a water change is going to be a big pain in the butt.

If you don't mind these two things, though, you could add one or two shrimp.


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## TigerLily (Sep 17, 2009)

It's also worth noting that shrimp are rather sensitive animals when it comes to the water they are kept in. I wouldn't recommend keeping one in an uncycled tank.


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks for the advice! So I would have to be really careful about water quality... I already do 100% changes every 2 to 3 days. Would I need to get a water test kit?

Also, would a snail be a better choice? My betta just poos a lot and I feed him flakes, so I thought a shrimp would keep the water cleaner.


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## TigerLily (Sep 17, 2009)

I haven't kept snails with my fish before, but from what I understand, snails are little poo machines. If you add one you'll have to really stay on top of the cleaning. Shrimp don't seem to be as bad in that respect, though I'm not sure which of the two is hardier.


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## carpenter547 (Sep 18, 2010)

*shrimp in uncycled tank*

if you keep up on the maintenance and you use ghost shrimps i can personally state they will survive the cycle. this is MY method that works for ME and I take no responsability if YOU don't have any success with MY suggestions  *disclamer for sake of argument*

i would stock 2 SMALL ghost shrimps in there
1 betta only *don't over stock*
feed the betta 3 of them hikari betta pellets *the little baby ones* 2 x a day
feed the shrimp either 1 soaked sinking shrimp pellet or 2 tropical fish flakes every 2 days.
do a 10% water change every 3 day - 5 days.
fast your betta 1 day a week.
*i recomend testing for amonia, nitrItes, nitrAtes. amonia every other day till it drops. nitrItes from day 4 -5 until it drops. nitrAtes after day 6.*

bettas are not big waste producers so the water stays relativaly clean. the ghost shrimps are cheap and disposable so to speak. they will eat the bettas poop and that helps a bit with waste build up.

you can use betta flakes instead of pellets if you do don't feed your shrimp the flakes that get missed by the betta will be enough for them. i recommended the pellets cuz it is easier to under feed / feed with no waste. after your tank is cycled it is easier to feed the betta flakes as this also feed the shrimp with the messyness but for cycling i prefer the pellets.


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

carpenter547 said:


> if you keep up on the maintenance and you use ghost shrimps i can personally state they will survive the cycle. this is MY method that works for ME and I take no responsability if YOU don't have any success with MY suggestions  *disclamer for sake of argument*
> 
> i would stock 2 SMALL ghost shrimps in there
> 1 betta only *don't over stock*
> ...


So is this what I would do if I bought a filter for my tank?? Thanks for the advice by the way


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## carpenter547 (Sep 18, 2010)

what you do is up to you me i love my ghost shrimps i look at them as pets but they have several traits that make them more than just that.

1 they are cheap
2 they are short lived
3 they are always in stock
4 they are junk eaters.

firstly: on a new tank with out attachments they are disposable to me. i buy them on day one i leave them in the bag w/ bubble stone on day two i feed them peas on day 3 i feed them peas on day for i add them to the tank. 

*the reason is depending on shipping handeling storage and your handleing ghosties have a high mortality rate in 24 hours so if they make it through day one they are healthy enough to add to tank.
then the peas are good food for them and if they are eaten in the tank at least they are "gut loaded" with good stuff for your fish. the reason you don't feed on day one is so that on day 2 and 3 they will eat more.*

on day 3 you add them to the tank and if your fish is gonna eat them he will. i recomend feeding just prior to introducing the shrimp into the tank that way he is full *if you are trying to stack odds in your favor*

secondly: yes they are very hardy and can be used in a cycling tank without too much of a maintenance adjustment but they are more sensative to poor water conditions than your fish is. so one use i use them for is to keep an eye on toxic water conditions if the shrimp die you need to get up off the butt and fix the water quality cuz the fish is next . if you are on a tight budget they remove the need for using up alot of test strips cuz if they are still kicking then the fish is more than happy. this also works for those who are new to the hobby or those who are helping those who are new to the hobby.

thirdly: they are short lived 1-2 years and cheap .25 cents per down here. so even if you cut thier lives in half it isn't much of a loss and they are so cheap that your wallet never gets hurt if you make a mistake and wipe them all out.

fourthly: they are wild caught most of them *to my knowledge* and in the wild they are a prey animal. so don't worry statistically they are walking dead any way. that kinda frees up your ethical problems *this is not a blank check for abuse i still advocate the correct keeping of them but it does clear the consience a bit for mistakes*

so with every thing above being stated i say feel free to try it any way you want but i do again state that IT WORKED FOR ME AND MABEY NO ONE ELSE EVER SO IT IS UP TO YOU AND YOUR JUDGEMENT *in caps for ease of reading not yelling*


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

+1 for Adastra and Carpenter!

You can do it, but like adastra said, catching them is a pain in the a$$. I have 3, and so far I haven't had to do a complete 100% change (my tank is cycled) hopefully I never will have to, because those little buggers are so difficult to catch. 

Sometimes shrimps eat bettas poo (mine only do occasionall), but you'll want to sink some sort of food for the shrimp every 2-3 days (I prefer doing so daily) to make sure he/she has enough food and won't be hungry enough to attack your betta (it has happened to people before).

They live a while, however the first two weeks, expect them to drop like flies. I first bought 6 shrimps to go in my 10 gallon, and less than a month later, all but one had died (he's still with me) 

- to avoid so many deaths right away, ask how long they've had their shrimps, and try to get ones that are active. If they are easy to catch and look sick when you see them in the baggie or breeder cup, ask for different ones.


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## carpenter547 (Sep 18, 2010)

once i bought about 10 ghosts for my 10 gallon tank. 
i put them in and that day all died. checked water all was good cycled tank so that wasn't it.
took out took back dead ones 48 hour life guarentee. got 10 new ones. put them in tank all died. took them back got 10 more guarentee again.
put them in they died gave up. couple of years latter the dwarf gourami died finally 3 years old plus about 1 1/2 - 2 years in wally *was so old didn't even have a upc for him so we used another fish of equal price weirdest looking pleco ever * any way he died and i bought a "dragon fish" really a violet goby. found out all info on his card was wrong *trust me i have a tye in for the story* in the process of making the tank a sandy bottom brackish tank it was gravel and fresh guess what i found?

9 cents my darn kids had hidden 9 pennies under the gravel so deep that they never showed up while i was vacuming. the shrimp were dying from copper exposure pennies were all green on one side and shinny on the other.


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

ouch that sucks carpenter :/

Actually, make my 3 shrimps 2. I recently (4 days ago) got 2 more to go with my lonely shrimp, and apparently a new one died 

When you ask to see how long the petstore has had the shrimps, you want them to have been there a while, that way the really weak ones have already died (... wow, that sounds cold O_O) Also, be sure to slowly acclimate them to your water if possible.


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

Wow, thanks for all of the great advice!! :-D 

I might try to get a few, cause well.... Even if they don't make it, tank life has to be better than Walmart life :-? I just won't get any more if it doesn't work out. Cause I will probably get really attached to the little things and I'll feel bad if they keep dying!

I think I'll just get one to start out and see how my fish reacts to it. Thank you!


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## Ajones108 (Jul 7, 2010)

I can tell you how this ends up.

1. Ghost shrimp don't do well in uncycled water.
2. 2.5 gallons for 1 betta is maximum capacity. Remember 1 gallon per 1 inch of fish.
3. Adding shrimp = territorial betta = dead shrimp.


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

I haven't bought a shrimp yet because I'm still concerned the little guy will end up dead.... I've thought on it for a week now, and having the little guy die on me would be really crushing. You could say I've had a change of heart about buying a shrimp for my tank...


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

Even though shrimp are sorta "disposable" (at least as far as animals go), I'm too much of a softy to see how my betta gets along with them! Don't want my betta or a shrimp getting hurt!


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