Ghost Shrimp Breeding 101 | Definitive Guide

Got some ghost shrimp for your aquarium and wondering if you can breed them? The answer is yes! Although it's slightly more complicated than raising your basic (Neo)caridina dwarf shrimp, ghost shrimp breeding is not that difficult and makes for a fun project even for beginning aquarists.

Below, find out everything you need to know about ghost shrimp breeding and how to successfully raise the fry to adulthood.

The brackish myth

One important point we'd like to get out of the way before we start: ghost shrimp don't require brackish (half fresh, half marine) water to reproduce. It's easy to see where the "brackish myth" came from, as there's a shrimp species that looks quite similar to ghost shrimp whose babies do need brackish water to survive.

The shrimp in question is the Amano shrimp, and breeding it is a challenge due to the salt requirements of the larvae. Luckily, it's different for ghosts! They make for an easier breeding project because they can stay in fresh water the whole time.

Now that we've got that out of the way...

What do you need for breeding ghost shrimp?

Ready to start breeding shrimp? You don't need much to get started. In fact, you can get reasonable survival rates in a heavily planted set-up without any intervention on your part. However, raising the larvae separately is ideal and will result in a significantly higher survival rate, as there's no risk of them being eaten by their parents.

So, for the purposes of breeding, we recommend two tanks. One can be a normal community aquarium or a ghost shrimp-only set-up, and you can do whatever you want with it. The other one, the rearing tank, can be as simple as a food-safe plastic tub. It doesn't have to be fancy (although it can be if you want!). In fact, since the larvae have such a low bioload, you probably won't even need a filter if you add lots of plants.

All you need for the rearing tank is:

• 5 or 10-gallon aquarium or plastic tub
• Plenty of aquatic plants, such as Java moss
• Air stone or sponge filter (set to the lowest possible flow level)

That's it! You don't even need a heater in most cases, as ghost shrimp larvae do just fine at room temperature.

It's best to give the rearing tank plenty of time to mature. The water parameters will be more stable this way, and plenty of biofilm will grow for the larvae to eat. Don't worry if it gets algae, that's just more food!

How do you tell the difference between male and female ghost shrimp?

In addition to the equipment, you'll need a few ghost shrimp to start your colony. If you get 6-10, you can be pretty sure there are both males and females in the batch. It can be difficult to tell the difference between them at first, especially if the females aren't carrying eggs yet, but you'll soon get a feel for it.

Female ghost shrimp are larger than males. They will have a colored fleck behind the head, called a saddle, which are eggs developing in the ovaries. Alternatively, they might carry fertilized eggs in their swimmerets.

How do ghost shrimp breed?

Most shrimp breed in a similar manner, and ghosts are no exception. Once the female is ready to mate, she'll molt and release pheromones that attract the males. You'll usually know this is happening because the entire tank seems to go a little crazy, with the shrimp zooming all over the place.

After mating, the female moves the fertilized eggs from her "saddle" (the colored patch behind the head) to her pleopods (back legs). She is now "berried". She'll keep the eggs in her pleopods, gently waving them for oxygenation and regularly cleaning her brood, for up to 2 weeks.

If you set up a separate rearing tank as we recommended, you can transfer the female at around the 1-week mark (don't do it after hatching, as the larvae are very difficult to catch). Move her back once she's dropped the eggs.

What do ghost shrimp eggs look like?

The eggs will be carried in the female's pleopods until they hatch. They're small, oval, and greenish to yellowish in color. When they're almost ready to hatch, you'll actually be able to see the tiny eyes of the larvae.

Raising ghost shrimp larvae

For the purposes of this section, we'll assume that you moved your berried shrimp to a separate tank. If you're trying your hand at ghost shrimp breeding in the main tank, then there really isn't much you need to do. The survival rate will be lower, but the larvae will feed on infusoria and biofilm, eventually metamorphizing and growing into adult ghost shrimp without intervention on your part.

There's not that much work to do if you keep the larvae in a separate rearing tank either, luckily. Just basic feeding and maintenance. If the tank in question is mature and heavily planted, they may be able to find food themselves, although we do still recommend supplementing a little just in case.

To feed the ghost shrimp larvae, you can mix some spirulina, powdered fry food, or infusoria (if you have a culture going) with a few teaspoons of water. If you can find them, which can sometimes be a little challenging in a planted tank, you can deposit the mixture near the larvae using a syringe or turkey baster.

It'll take up to 10 days for the larvae to metamorphose. You'll know it's done when you're able to see their eyes more clearly, they start to swim in a more controlled fashion, and they start showing that typical ghost shrimp back hump.

Once metamorphosis has happened, you can switch the baby ghosts to regular shrimp foods. Once they're about fingernail-sized, they're fine to go into the main tank with the adults. If you also keep fish and are worried they might eat the babies, you can leave them to grow a little longer before moving them.

What do ghost shrimp larvae look like?

It wasn't easy, but we managed to take a picture for you! According to research, the larvae (referred to as zoea) pass through three different stages of life, although the differences are subtle. Even in the third and last larval stage, the zoea don't surpass 0.15" (4 mm) in length.

Frequently asked questions