Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

Can you please tell me if it is safe to have cherry shrimplets in the same tank as adult ghost shrimp? I have a pregnant cherry shrimp and I wanted to know if I should move her or the ghost shrimp before the shrimplets arrive.

Thank you.

My experience has been negative as I've seen them attack and eat what appeared to be a heathy baby RCS. I also saw them attack and eat a juvenile bumblebee shrimp. Others have not observed this behavior and consider these shrimp to be very safe.

I personally would not keep them together.

I agree with badflash, although I must admit I am not a very experienced aquarist.

Recently I set up one tank in my classroom that had only plants, snails and ghost shrimp, and another tank with only snails, cyclops and daphnia. During boom times for the daphnia, I would transfer them to the shrimp tank. Some of the shrimp were remarkably good at eating daphnia. The currents in the tank would cause daphnia to become concentrated in certain corners. The shrimp would hang out in these corners and gobble any daphnia that touched their claws.

The ghosties would eat anything they could grab with their grubby little claws, and that probably includes tiny shrimplets.

The largest shrimp in the tank (probably not a macrobrachium, because she at two inches she was already carrying green eggs) developed a taste for her freshly molted tankmates. I was wondering why some mornings I would look into the tank, and see a molted exoskeleton and a dead legless shrimp. Eventually I caught her in the act. She picked off most of the other shrimp in the tank, and I eventually sent her to the big fishtank in the sky.

I have heard that cannibalism in ghosties means that they are missing something in their diet or water. When the ghosties all died, I kept the water, snails and plants, stocked the tank with red cherries, and the new residents seem to be doing just fine. So I guess it's not the water.

Thanks for the information, so do you think I should move the pregnant RCS or move the ghost shrimp? I also have amanos in the tank do they pose a threat?

I would move the ghosts and not risk moving the cherries with eggs.

I will take your advice and move the ghost shrimp.

Thanks

I have one 2.5 inch ghost shrimp in a tank with 40+ red cherry shrimp of all sizes. I have not seen the GS eat any RCS but that does not mean it does not occur. I keep them (all shrimp) well fed so I don't think it happens much.

There must be some differences in temperment. My ghost were well fed too. They killed for sport.

badflash wrote:There must be some differences in temperment. My ghost were well fed too. They killed for sport.

The impression I came away with from my ghost shrimp, was that sometimes they just felt like tasting a little fresh meat, but not if there was a chance that the "fresh meat" might fight back.

What baby cherry shrimp could ever fight back? This is a basic preditor vs. prey game. Can it hurt me? No? Does it take a lot of energy to get it? NO? Kill it!

I guess that means they eat their own larva? because what would be easier to catch then baby shrimp... baby shrimp with no mobility.

I would not be surprised if they did. That is why I removed the mother after the hatch & provided lots of cover for the larva. They eat daphnia, so I see no reason they would not eat their own.