Ghost Shrimp
Palaemonetes paludosus compatibility profile. Plan freshwater shrimp and snail setups by troubleshooting community bioload and water parameter overlap.
Core facts & bioload scores
Typeshrimp
Adult size1.5"
Minimum tank5 gal
Temperamentpeaceful opportunistic
Group5+
- temperature65-80F
- pH7-8.2
- water hardnessGH 5-18 dGH | KH 3-10 dKH
- breedingpossible in freshwater
- plant safetysafe
- shrimp safetycaution
- community safetypeaceful opportunistic
- predator riskhigh
- cleanup rolenone
Community setups & swim zone pressure
Success with Ghost Shrimp requires troubleshooting community setups for predatory risks. Because they occupy the bottom/plants zone, ensure your filtration capacity is ready for their specific bioload score.
Compatibility caveats
- notesSmall scavenging shrimp for stable, predator-free community tanks; often fragile after shipping and not a substitute for maintenance.
- caveatStart with a group of at least 5 in a fully cycled tank; sudden ammonia, nitrite, or copper exposure kills shrimp quickly.
- caveatTreat shrimp safety as caution in mixed communities: many peaceful fish ignore adults but still eat shrimplets or stressed shrimp.
- caveatUse them as supplemental leftover-food pickers, not as a cleanup solution; uneaten food still needs to be controlled manually.
- caveatPrefer stable neutral-to-hard water with minerals for molting; repeated failed molts usually point to unstable GH/KH or poor nutrition.