# How Many Ghost shrimp in 5g tank



## NEWBEE FISH (Sep 4, 2010)

Hello all... How many ghost shrimp can i have or is best for a 5 gallon tank with one betta male... i have 3 already and my betta really pays no attention to them unless there kinda in the open.. i was thinking about getting 2 more?
any opinion :dunno:


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## carpenter547 (Sep 18, 2010)

*one dwarf shrimp per gallon*

one dwarf shrimp per gallon is a safe bet to start with if you have alot of decorations or plants more would work just remember they get to be about 1 1/2 inch general full grown and have just as much wiskers as lenght so all told they take up about 3 inches floor space.


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## NEWBEE FISH (Sep 4, 2010)

Okay... cause i have one that is just huge and two little ones... i think i will probably get one small one if i c one at the store next time i go... thanks for the input...


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## carpenter547 (Sep 18, 2010)

generally the younger the shrimp the smaller they are. so at the stores i normally wait to buy till they get a shipment of smaller ones in.

the way i logic it the younger they are the less time being mishandled they have had to endure the better shape they are going to be in the longer they will live.

lotta thinking for a 20cent pet huh?


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## Alex09 (Aug 9, 2010)

The smaller they are the more likely a betta will eat them... So not too small


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## NEWBEE FISH (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks all.... any of you know if the skin of a ghost shrimp skin is bad if not taken out the tank right after they shed..... notice one in the tank had to do something.. came back and one shrimp was eating it... my betta wont try to eat it will he


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## NEWBEE FISH (Sep 4, 2010)

and your right alot of thinking and planning for a 20cent pet... LOL


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## CjRager89 (Aug 12, 2010)

Anyone have experience with red cherry shrimp in their tanks??

Dont mean to highjack, just curious :/


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## JorgeBurrito (Sep 2, 2010)

Leave the skins in, after molting the shrimp will often eat the shells to regain some of the minerals they lost when they ditched their undersized shell. Never seen my betta eat any of the shells, but it won't hurt him if he does.

Red Cherry Shrimp can do fine with Bettas. They run smaller than ghost shrimp, so beware they make a more tempting snack for your Betta. In a tank that is well planted with lots of hiding places (I reccomend a moss of some kind at the least) they will do OK though. It also will depend on the temperament of your Betta. My Betta loves to chase my RCS (as a result I don't see them much in the day time), but he is half moon with some serious finnage and never seems to be able to get enough speed going to catch them (the adults at least). RCS will predominately chow down on algae which is a nice bonus in a planted tank, and something that Ghost Shrimp will rarely eat.


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## NEWBEE FISH (Sep 4, 2010)

so ghost shrimp dont eat algae?


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## JorgeBurrito (Sep 2, 2010)

NEWBEE FISH said:


> so ghost shrimp dont eat algae?


They will, but only if there is no other food available. It is their last choice option. They do much better on just a normal sinking fish food.


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## NEWBEE FISH (Sep 4, 2010)

OK... do u know if u can inter-mix the two types of shrimp? since you said the red cherry shrimp eat more algae...


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## carpenter547 (Sep 18, 2010)

ghost shrimps will fight with your cherry shrimp durring feeding mating and molting times. if you already have ghost shrimps stick with them especially with a small tank.

no ghost shrimp are not an algae remover they are more of an algae preventer.
they eat big poop and make little poop. they eat every thing that falls to the ground and some things that float.

i over feed my fish so i grow the whitish fuzzy hydra *i have been told that is what they are* and my ghost shrimp will eat those alot.

but no unless you drop them into a fuzzy green tank and then don't feed them they will not eat algae.


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## NEWBEE FISH (Sep 4, 2010)

[QUOTE=
no ghost shrimp are not an algae remover they are more of an algae preventer.

i think thats what i wanted to hear and know.. about the algae prenventing


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## Posaune (Sep 17, 2010)

So, if I have a ten gallon, with one betta and 5 ghost shrimp, I can get 5 more shrimp and still be ok?


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## carpenter547 (Sep 18, 2010)

*most likely.*



Posaune said:


> So, if I have a ten gallon, with one betta and 5 ghost shrimp, I can get 5 more shrimp and still be ok?


the real anser is mabey it all depends. 1 shrimp per gallon is about the same as one inch per gallon.

if you are filtered and your tank has the floor space of a normal 10 gallon standard then you can put about 10 full grown female ghost shrimps in it most likely *if you get agressive macros weed them out* if you have decorations you can get away with almost 20 of them full grown *depending on size of decoration etc.*

ghost shrimp aren't like fish they don't need alot of room if you stock slowly as opposed to just walking down to walmart and saying gimme 20 *like i did* then you will be able to find your and thier own personal balance.

for example with my tank. i looked at my violet goby and saw that 3 ghosts weren't handling his left overs as fast as i wanted. so i looked at the floor space and said "wow i got room for like 20" so i went to walmart saw a fresh shipment of young ones looked at the guy working there and the conversation went like this no joke.
me: hi i would like 20 ghost shrimps please.
him: ? que honda?
me: grrrr... baennte camarons porfavor sinor
him: f*** ju wan twenty chrimps man?
me: yup :lol:. mushas grasias sinor.
....
after about 3- 5 minutes of catching and trying to count the right number of shrimps we both looked at each other started laughing and agreed 15 was a good number and the lady at the cash register could count them out if she didn't believe. 

there were 23 in the bag.

*all spanish is spelled phonetically for those who can't handle that tuff i learned to speak it not spell it.*


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## NEWBEE FISH (Sep 4, 2010)

so all your shrimp are still alive?


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## CjRager89 (Aug 12, 2010)

i just picked up some ghosties for my 10 gal today. 8 for $1....yea, im there lol


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## carpenter547 (Sep 18, 2010)

yeah all of them are alive. minus one who was attacked by either other shrimps or got attacked by the mollies in the tank right after a molt.

in the last month i have had 4 females get berried so far none of the first ones litter survived  i think the second female in the tank 2.5 hospital ate them or a lack of food starved them. since then i have been adding very small amounts of super crushed flake as i have read that works for them. any way experimenting on how to get thier young to live. i have a small journal going on at aquariacentral.


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## NEWBEE FISH (Sep 4, 2010)

i read somewhere they like java moss....


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## carpenter547 (Sep 18, 2010)

all fry universally like moss and the like.
some go for grasses and others like floating plants.

when i find an in person provider for java fern java moss and any other mid level brackish tollerant plants. i would prefer to find the seeds or bulbs so i don't have to spend that much time acclimating them but at least getting some already used to the brackish enviroment instead of buying half dead used to fresh water plants.


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