My new Ghost shrimp!

[Maxkolbe]

Went to petco today and bought some NLS beta pellets (an upgrade from aqueon food) and... 5 ghost shrimp!

Having never kept shrimp before I have a few questions...

What do they eat? Will they be Ok on scavenging plant matter or should I feed them?

One of the females I bought is carrying eggs, what can I do to help the shrimplets survive?

I also have a funny story
I bought these knowing my beta could eat them so it was kind of a test before I got more. He has made a few nips but done no serious damage. Earlier I saw him moving in on the biggest shrimp like he was going to bite it. The shrimp whirled around to face the betta and "flared" out all it's feelers nearly scaring the fish to death. He quickly retreated to an upper corner of the tank. Makes me think these guys could hold there own.

 

[MABJ]

The shrimp will never hold their own versus a Betta if It strikes. Their teeth and jaws are comparable or stronger than sharks, when compared on a scale.

The shrimplets will not survive, most likely, but if you have any salt in your tank at all, even just from treating something/stabilizing a tank, you have a chance..

They have a small supply of food from birth, and a smaller supply in the water column. If you feed your Betta some kind of flake food, take a pestle and mortar and grind some up, the babes will be able to eat it and the adults will scavenge the uneaten food.

Ghost shrimp are good scavengers. You can ultimately tell when they're hungry because they have clear stomachs.

I purposefully fed them a pink/purple flake just to see their stomachs turn that color.

They will most likely feast off overkill from Betta feedings.

 

[Tetra1990]

I've also never kept shrimp. IMO, they should do ok just scavenging. But I would add a little extra food just to be safe. As for the baby shrimp, just like fry, the more cover, the better.

 

[Maxkolbe]

Wow that's interesting about their jaws, never would have thought that...

The betta eats pellets and I make sure he gets all of them so I'll probably try feeding them a bottom feeder disk every once in a while. The beta is really funny when I put anything new in his tank, these things seriously freak him out!

Thanks for the help, if it doesn't work maybe I'll get a snail or something. Fingers crossed that it does though.

 

[MABJ]

Hehe good luck.

If the beta eats a ghosting chances are he'd eat a snail no problem.

 

[Maxkolbe]

Quick question, will they eat dead leaves from the plants because they make the tank look rather messy and it would be nice if they did.

 

[Jill]

My betta lived peacefully with a ghost shrimp for about 4 weeks until this morning when I found it dead, and the betta happily eating it. I suspect foul play.

 

[Maxkolbe]

Yeah, he already knocked one off the top of a plant. Maybe It's just a phase...

 

[MABJ]

Well they may, but I suspect red cherry shrimp would be more into the leaf.

Cherries would look like candy to a kid who's mom just took a sucker away to the betta, however.

 

[Maxkolbe]

Here's an update... Left to go out of town over the weekend and when I got back all shrimp were still alive.
They were also all out and moving around instead of hiding which leads me to believe that they weren't terrorized by the beta while I was gone.
This may work out... But I'll still keep an eye on them.

 

[hcourts]

Congrats on your betta not taking them out!! My betta knocked off one of mine the first day I brought them home but now he just likes to stalk them. I haven't seen him nip any since the first one plus he lives with three apple snails glad your betta is leaving them alone

 

[Maxkolbe]

Scratch that, just saw him with half a ghost shrimp in his mouth. (knew that if I posted success I'd jinx myself)

Should I leave them In and hope it was an abnormal event or move the shrimp to the 5 gallon tank currently housing 1 mbuna fry. He is fairly small so I don't think he'd hurt them but I would be afraid of what the ghosts might do to him. What do you think?

 

[hcourts]

I would watch him for a while. Mine left them alone after the first one good luck