Ghost shrimp, also commonly called glass shrimp, are small transparent shrimp that are commonly sold as pets in aquariums or fish food. While several types of shrimp are also known by the same name, they can all be bred in the same basic way. When these shrimp are kept in a comfortable environment without predators, they can reproduce quickly.
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Part 1 of 4: Setting Up a Good Breeding Environment
Step 1. Buy a large fish tank
Your fish tank should contain 4 liters of water for each shrimp. No matter how many shrimp you have, ghost shrimp will be most comfortable in at least 40 liters of water.
If you must keep shrimp in a tank smaller than 40 liters, use 6 liters or more of water for each shrimp to take advantage of the small space
Step 2. Purchase a second tank for breeding
The most difficult part of breeding ghost shrimp is keeping the tiny shrimp alive. If you let the eggs hatch in the same tank as the adult shrimp, the small shrimp can be eaten by the adults. This second tank doesn't need to be as big as the first, but a larger tank will give the little shrimp a great chance to survive.
Step 3. Use any filter for the main tank, and a sponge filter for the breeding tank
A filter is needed to keep the aquarium water clean. Most filters suck in water to clean the water, but can kill small shrimp. Use a sponge filter to avoid this possibility.
- If your tank is larger than 40 liters and is filled with fish other than shrimp, you should use a hanging filter or small can to provide better cleaning. Do not use other than sponge filters for breeding tanks.
- If you don't want to buy a sponge filter, you can cover the suction portion of the filter with a sponge or a piece of nylon stocking. Alternatively, if the suction of your filter is too weak to suck in the adult shrimp, you can turn off the filter before the shrimp hatch and change 10% of the tank water daily until the prawns are mature and you can turn the filter back on.
Step 4. Install an air pump for each tank
Like most aquarium pets, ghost shrimp need air pumped into the water in order to breathe. Without an air pump, the water would run out of oxygen and the shrimp would run out of breath.
Step 5. Fill the bottom of each tank with sand or gravel
Light sand or gravel will keep the shrimp transparent, while dark gravel will cause the shrimp to have small spots and make them more visible. Choose any color and type that you like.
For additional details on setting up a freshwater aquarium, read this article
Step 6. Fill the tank with suitable water
Many treat tap water with chlorine, so treat it with a dechlorinator, which is a chloramine removal tool to make the water safe for animals. At the very least, let it sit for 24 hours before adding the shrimp to allow the chlorine to evaporate.
Step 7. Keep the water temperature at 18-28º C
This wide temperature range is a comfortable temperature for ghost shrimp, but many people prefer to keep the temperature near the middle of this range. Place a thermometer in the tank to check the water temperature, and use a tank heater to keep the shrimp in a cool room.
Step 8. Add live plants and hiding places
Ghost shrimp eat from debris that falls from plants, but you can nurture them with store-bought food if you prefer not to use plants. Aquarium plants that can be used are those with fine, thin leaves, such as hornwort, cabomba, and milfoil. If kept in a tank with other fish, small flower pots or other containers should be placed upside down to provide a hiding place for the shrimp to enter.
- For best results, allow about a month for the plant to stabilize chemical levels in the tank. Sudden changes in nitrogen or other chemical levels can kill ghost shrimp.
- See this article for instructions for growing aquarium plants.
- Adding plants to the breeding tank early is highly recommended, as plant debris is one of the few foods small enough for small shrimp to eat. Many people use Java moss (moss) in their breeding tanks, which can hold food debris to help small shrimp eat.
Part 2 of 4: Raising Adult Shrimp
Step 1. Buy high-quality shrimp for pets, and shrimp for food if you keep them as pet food
"Food prawns" are reared to produce many young, but tend to be fragile and have shorter life spans. Ghost shrimp that are properly cared for can live for several years, and will be easier to care for and breed.
The seller knows the type of ghost shrimp you are selling. You can also guess from their living conditions: if a shrimp is kept in a tight space without a lot of plants, it's probably a food shrimp
Step 2. Introduce the shrimp to the new water slowly
Float a bag of water with shrimp in it on the surface of the tank water. Every 20 minutes, remove of the water from the bag, and replace it with water from the tank. After three or four times, pour the bag of contents into the tank. This step accustoms the shrimp to changes in temperature and chemical content slowly.
Step 3. Feed the shrimp a very small amount of fish meal
Shrimp are active scavengers, but while they can live on algae and plant debris when needed, you should encourage reproduction by feeding them a small amount of fish food each day. One crushed pellet can feed six adult shrimp in a day.
If you keep other fish in the same tank, use sinkable pellets, as the shrimp won't be able to compete with the larger animals for floating food
Step 4. Change the water once every week or two
Even if the water looks clear, chemicals can build up that prevents the shrimp from thriving. Change 20-30% weekly for best results. Make sure the temperature of the old and new water is the same to avoid stressing the aquarium occupants.
A 40-50% water change every two weeks is also good, especially if the tank doesn't contain a lot of fish or shrimp
Step 5. Carefully add fish to the tank
Most medium or large fish will eat the shrimp, or at least scare the shrimp making breeding difficult. If you want a more varied tank, add only snails and small fish.
If you decide not to use a breeding tank, don't put any fish in one tank at all. Adult shrimp alone will eat a lot of prawns; with additional predators, not many small shrimp survive to adulthood
Part 3 of 4: Raising Eggs and Feeding Small Shrimp
Step 1. Check if you have a male and a female
Adult female shrimp tend to be larger than males. The size changes are significant, so you can easily see the difference when your shrimp are mature.
You don't need the same number of females and males. One male for every two females is sufficient
Step 2. Find a female that contains eggs
If you keep the shrimp properly, the female will produce at least every few weeks. 20-30 very small green-grey eggs attached to the legs of the female. These legs, or "swimmerets", are short limbs that attach to the female's lower body, so they may look like eggs attached to the female's abdomen.
Look from the side of the tank for the best view, and someone with a keen eye can help you if the babies hatch before seeing the eggs
Step 3. After a few days, transfer the female containing the eggs to the breeding tank
Give the male a chance to fertilize the egg, then remove the female. Use the net to catch the female and quickly transfer her into the breeding tank without shrimp or other fish. Move the breeding tank near the main tank and move it as quickly as possible; Females are known to drop eggs when stressed, so don't move too long.
Step 4. Wait 21-24 days for the eggs to hatch
Keep checking the female to monitor egg development. Near the end of the process, you'll see a small black dot inside each egg: it's a baby prawn spy! When the eggs finally hatch, the female will swim up and snap the chicks on her legs several times.
Do not disturb the female if and see the female snapping the chicks, as they need to be removed within an hour to then be fed. It may take the female a long time, because in the wild, the chicks have a better level of safety if the female releases the chicks in several places
Step 5. Return the female back to the main tank
Since she has finished depositing the chicks, return the female shrimp to another tank. Parents are no longer needed in the life of the prawns, they will even try to eat their own children.
Once the prawns are alone and start to move around on their own, you may not be able to see them, as they are very small when they hatch. Continue adding food to the breeding tank for three weeks even if you can't see them
Step 6. Feed the prawns a very small amount of special food
For the next week or two, these shrimp will float in the larval stage, and have very small mouthparts. Your breeding tank should be full of plants and algae, which produce debris small enough for them to eat, called "infusoria." You still need to add the following additional food, but remember that shrimp only need a small amount:
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Store-bought "rotifers", baby brine shrimp, silk worms and spirulina algae powder are all great for small ghost shrimp.
Breed Ghost Shrimp Step 19Bullet1 - You can buy "small fish food" that's meant for chicks, but make sure it's a powder that's suitable for animals the size of an "egg layer."
- Strain the yolks through a fine-mesh sieve if you don't want to use store-bought foods.
- Java moss can retain food for young shrimp, but do not add or remove plants while the larvae are still in the tank, as this can upset the chemical balance in the water.
Step 7. Feed them food for the prawns once the prawns have legs
The larvae that survive will enter the juvenile phase, and look exactly like miniature adult shrimp. At this point, you can give them the same food, although you can crush the pellets and the bigger food helps them.
Step 8. Transfer the shrimp back to the tank once they are fully grown
Shrimp legs will grow and develop into miniature versions of adult shrimp after 1 to 2 weeks of age. After 5 weeks, they will be fully grown and can be returned to another tank.
If you have a batch of younger eggs or larvae in the breeding tank, move the larger shrimp for up to 3 to 4 weeks
Part 4 of 4: Troubleshooting
Step 1. Do not move the female if it causes the egg-laying process to fail
Transferring females to breeding tanks can stress them out and affect the growth of adults and their eggs. If the female drops eggs or dies after being moved, change your main tank to a tank for keeping small shrimp:
- Remove fish from main tank if any. Since you won't be using a breeding tank, you can move the fish into the tank, changing the plant composition if needed to suit the type of fish.
- Turn off or close the filter. If your filter has a water suction pipe, it will suck in and kill the small shrimp. Close filters. Cover the water suction with a sponge or a piece of nylon stocking, or turn off and clean the water manually by changing the water 10% daily until the shrimp are large.
- Be aware that small shrimp will be eaten by adult shrimp. You can reduce this from happening by using a large tank, but this is hard to avoid.
Step 2. Keep a close eye if the small shrimp won't eat
Floating larvae may not eat much when they have just hatched. If they continue to ignore food the next day, you should try something new quickly, as they can quickly starve.
Step 3. If all the prawns die after being placed in the tank, use a different water or introduce them to the prawns more slowly
You may need to use tap water treated with a dechlorinator, or even bottled water. Do not use rainwater or local river water, except for ghost shrimp that you take live in the river.
- You should never pour a bag of water with shrimp directly into the tank. See the Growing Adult Shrimp instructions for instructions on introducing your shrimp.
- You can also purchase an aquarium tester to test the characteristics of your water. Look in the Tips section below for pH, dH and chemical levels for ghost shrimp.
Tips
- If you keep your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels, keep them as close to zero as possible for better breeding.
- If you maintain your pH or acidity level, keep it between 6.3 and 7.5. dH, the hardness of water should be between 3 and 10.
