Macrobrachium or ghost shrimp?

[KaylNeko]

Hi guys. So...I ran across a thread where it looked like someone had gotten a baby macrobrachium rather than a ghost shrimp that was apparently responsible for some tetra deaths. I haven't lost any fish, but surveying one of my favorite ghost shrimp in the 55 gallon, I'm starting to get a little worried she's not a ghost shrimp. She doesn't act like the female ghost shrimp in the ten gallon (she does a lot more swimming in the water column), and she doesn't have any eggs, which the females in the other had almost immediately, and she's bigger than they are. She could just be a large female, but I figured I'd ask. *lol*

 

[BrackAttack]

im pretty sure ghost shrimp isnt a species its just a general name for the look of many species of shrimp.

 

[KaylNeko]

True. Most ghost shrimp are a Paleomonetes species. A lot of the Macrobrachium species are almost indistinguishable from the Paleomonetes species when young. Unfortunately, some do grow up to prey on your fish, so finding out I had one (probably two, if these guys aren't ghost shrimp, since they're both the same size) would be less than helpful. Further research is indicating that I just have large Paleomonetes, though, going by the "arms". The two large ones I'm concerned/curious about are about the same length as the Sterba's and the Black Neons, which are somewhere between 1.5 and 2 inches. Hopefully someone more familiar with them than I can weigh in, though, and confirm or disagree.

 

[Cleggat]

The arms look like a ghost shrimps. Beware though even some ghosts will eat your fish, I had one which ate 5 of my pygmy cordoras, I didn't have a clue who was eating them until I caught it in the act.

 

[KaylNeko]

Ok. Thanks. And yeah, I read that while looking up the macrobrachiums. Hopefully everything's too fast or too big for them to go after, but with what's in the tank, they'd be the first suspects *lol*

^_^

 

[Cleggat]

Macro's are real nasty, but awesome pets. I thought I had a glass that turned out the be a macro, killed my lovely frogs but he's a cool pet when kept on his own.. even though he attacks me when I go in his tank!