# Ghost shrimp in a 5 gallon



## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

Okay here's the thing can I have the 2 ghost shrimp with a betta in an unfiltered 5g tank?

I had the shrimp in qt in a 1 gallon, and I'm thinking it will be soon time to have them join a betta.

I'm just worried that I never overfeed betta to the point that food fall on the bottom, I scoop them up, and I know ghost shrimp are cleaners and scavangers and I was wondering if I should feed them seperately, or distract the betta and let a flake fall onto the bottom for the shrimp.

Also stupid question, will the shrimp find the food  cause my gravel is big and colorful and I'm afraid it might get lost between gravel XD


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

I think you need a filter because the ghost shrimp will produce a lot of waste.
I think the ghost shrimp will not mistaken the gravel for food.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

Fabian said:


> I think you need a filter because the ghost shrimp will produce a lot of waste.
> I think the ghost shrimp will not mistaken the gravel for food.


No no, i mean the food getting stuff and hidden in the gravel. Will they find it regardless?

I thought shrimps had a very small bioload. At least compared to a snail, with proper water changes I do not think it will be an issue.

Also someone please answer about the feeding the shrimp question I put in the first post  thanks!


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## Chuckee (Nov 17, 2012)

The shrimp will be fine, until the betta decides to break them; make sure you have hiding places for them. Also, they bounce when chased, so put something over your bowl/tank
You could change the gravel if you're worried about it. Honestly, you shouldn't have rock or large gravel as a betta substrate anyway... They like to patrol the bottom occasionally.


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## Chuckee (Nov 17, 2012)

asukabetta said:


> No no, i mean the food getting stuff and hidden in the gravel. Will they find it regardless?
> 
> I thought shrimps had a very small bioload. At least compared to a snail, with proper water changes I do not think it will be an issue.
> 
> Also someone please answer about the feeding the shrimp question I put in the first post  thanks!


If you have live plants, you don't need to worry too much. And you'll have to decide whether or not to feed them extra once you observe the situation. If they are placidly wandering the bottom with they're little feeder arms working, they're good. If they're moving about more frantically or erratically, then they'll need supplementing, and if they sit in one spot, not feeding for an extended period of time, then they're probably overly stressed and should be removed from the tank.

Definitely keep in mind that the more live plants you have, the better for your shrimp. I personally can't keep a shrimp alive in an un-planted tank...
But the ones that live in my plant tank never need extra feed, while the ones in my filtered tank do.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I would recommend a filter doge filters are best.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

Chuckee said:


> The shrimp will be fine, until the betta decides to break them; make sure you have hiding places for them. Also, they bounce when chased, so put something over your bowl/tank
> You could change the gravel if you're worried about it. Honestly, you shouldn't have rock or large gravel as a betta substrate anyway... They like to patrol the bottom occasionally.



they aren't THAT big, they are like smooth round-oval like


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

Chuckee said:


> If you have live plants, you don't need to worry too much. And you'll have to decide whether or not to feed them extra once you observe the situation. If they are placidly wandering the bottom with they're little feeder arms working, they're good. If they're moving about more frantically or erratically, then they'll need supplementing, and if they sit in one spot, not feeding for an extended period of time, then they're probably overly stressed and should be removed from the tank.
> 
> Definitely keep in mind that the more live plants you have, the better for your shrimp. I personally can't keep a shrimp alive in an un-planted tank...
> But the ones that live in my plant tank never need extra feed, while the ones in my filtered tank do.



working on getting live plants, however I am trying to figure out their care and such, I-- I don't have a green thumb so even cactuses die on me :/ ... and I follow exact instructions lol. Perhaps I'm too methodic. I'm trying to safe for a moss ball  they look nice, fun for bettas and shrimp. Also driftwood. Cause... it's not live LOL.

Also I'm starting to wonder if I indeed have ghost shrimp or amano shrimp lol


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

An inch but I would reccomend a sponge flter because invertabrates are not very tolerant of bad water quality.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> An inch but I would reccomend a sponge flter because invertabrates are not very tolerant of bad water quality.



I just made a filter baffler and so far so good. XD


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## meiperfectneina19 (Aug 15, 2012)

I wouldn't worry about they finding the food on the colorful gravel. They are pretty good at finding, smelling and tracking any flakes or food.


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

Fabian said:


> I think you need a filter because the ghost shrimp will produce a lot of waste.
> I think the ghost shrimp will not mistaken the gravel for food.


*gost shrimp have little to NO bioload AT ALL. 
I wuld say go for it! Keep up on your water changes, as they can be sensitive!*


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I still say filters will help they are very sensative to ammonia and Nitrite.


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## Chuckee (Nov 17, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> I still say filters will help they are very sensative to ammonia and Nitrite.


I agree about the sensitivity to water quality; however, I have personally had the best luck in my unfiltered plant growing tank. I do regular water changes, but they aren't very big.
The shrimp in the filtered tank aren't as happy... they don't seem to like the current at all (I always turn the filter off at feeding time, and that's when they and my albino cory and a red wag platy get moving), and I've lost four already. I haven't lost a single one of the others. And, as I previously mentioned, none survived without the live plants.
I've also found that three is the best number for 10 gallons... that's just my opinion, though.


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## Chuckee (Nov 17, 2012)

asukabetta said:


> working on getting live plants, however I am trying to figure out their care and such, I-- I don't have a green thumb so even cactuses die on me :/ ... and I follow exact instructions lol. Perhaps I'm too methodic. I'm trying to safe for a moss ball  they look nice, fun for bettas and shrimp. Also driftwood. Cause... it's not live LOL.
> 
> Also I'm starting to wonder if I indeed have ghost shrimp or amano shrimp lol


J_ava fern_. Seriously hardy. (Cactuses, surprisingly, are *not*, though)
Moss balls are good, too. _Marimo _for shrimp and _java_ for the betta.
_Egeria Densa_ and _Anacharis _are also easy choices.
Personally, I just toss 'em in and fertilize once a week. If they don't grow for me, they don't join the family. No more logical to try to keep a plant or animal that's incompatible with you than to try to keep an incompatible lover.

If you feel like your rocks are large enough for food to get stuck in, then they probably are. My shrimp have a mixed substrate of sand, pea gravel, peat and river rock, and they seem to spend the most time on the sandier patches. I've also switched a couple of my bettas to sand from river rock and they seem less paranoid than before... the male used to always hover an inch above the bottom, and the female used to hang head down and peer into every gap in the rocks, constantly, as if she were sure there was some delicious morsel hiding there. I have a male HMPK who acts the same way, but not so obsessively... just an occasional turn around the bottom. He's my shrimp smasher. Beautiful but mean as a demon

Keep in mind that my advice is based on my successes and failures with Ghost Shrimps. I can't actually tell you anything about Amanos, as I've never been able to get my hands on them, although I do assume, from what I've read, that there isn't a -huge- difference


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

Chuckee said:


> J_ava fern_. Seriously hardy. (Cactuses, surprisingly, are *not*, though)
> Moss balls are good, too. _Marimo _for shrimp and _java_ for the betta.
> _Egeria Densa_ and _Anacharis _are also easy choices.
> Personally, I just toss 'em in and fertilize once a week. If they don't grow for me, they don't join the family. No more logical to try to keep a plant or animal that's incompatible with you than to try to keep an incompatible lover.
> ...


I'm thinking about changing my substrate to sand. but it makes me angry cause I just wasted 30E that I could have spent on sand had I known better sooner. Sigh...

They do not have java in the store but they do have anarchis and marimo moss balls !!! 

Time to save up lol. My wallet... poor thing.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Is the Marimo in your area expensive mine was 10.00$.


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## Chuckee (Nov 17, 2012)

asukabetta said:


> I'm thinking about changing my substrate to sand. but it makes me angry cause I just wasted 30E that I could have spent on sand had I known better sooner. Sigh...
> 
> They do not have java in the store but they do have anarchis and marimo moss balls !!!
> 
> Time to save up lol. My wallet... poor thing.


Don't worry. That's how it happened for me, too. I was actually -informed- that they don't like sand, which I should have known was dumb, but I wasn't thinking when I brought home the first two. It was the end of their shelf life and that was all I knew.


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## carbonxxkidd (Oct 30, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> Is the Marimo in your area expensive mine was 10.00$.


I just bought one at Petsmart for $7.99 tonight.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

They are 8e I got one just now its pretty much 10,2 dollars but they gave me a big one that i can divide. I bought sand, a filter for my pther betta and anubias + another plant i cant remeber their name. I found someone on the net willing to meet with me to sell me java moss in exchange of my nerite snails :3


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Hornwort is great.


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## Chuckee (Nov 17, 2012)

Chuckee said:


> J_ava fern_. Seriously hardy. (Cactuses, surprisingly, are *not*, though)
> Moss balls are good, too. _Marimo _for shrimp and _java_ for the betta.
> _Egeria Densa_ and _*Anubias* _are also easy choices.


(didn't mean _Anacharis_, always mix up those names!)


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Crypt Wendettia is a great option.


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