American Glass Shrimp (Ghost Shrimp)
 
Scientific Name
Palaemonetes paludosus
Other Scientific Names
N/A
Common Name: American
Glass Shrimp
Other Common Names: Ghost Shrimp, Glass Shrimp, American Freshwater Glass Shrimp.
Origin: North
America
Found in the wild: Yes
 
 
Ph Range 7.0 – 7.8 Ideal Ph 7.2
Temperature Range 70 – 78 F Ideal Temperature 75 F
Hardness Range 3-15 dkh Ideal Hardness 8 dkh
Life Span 1 – 2 years Size 1-2 inches
Gestation Period 30 days  Diet Omnivore
 
More Details
 
 
American Glass Shrimp History
The American Glass Shrimp has been in the aquarium hobby in The United States for as long as the hobby has been around.  The American Glass Shrimp is often found being sold as a feeder shrimp, to be fed to larger fish.  
 
American Glass Shrimp Care
Most American Glass Shrimp that are found in America are sold as feeder shrimp and will not have a long life span in the home aquarium due to the conditions they are shipped to the store in and kept in the store.  If the shrimp do survive, or if a captive raised stock is available, caring for the American Glass Shrimp is fairly easy.  A well established aquarium will support a fairly large population of American Glass Shrimp.
 
American Glass Shrimp Diet
American Glass Shrimp are very enthusiastic eaters, and will accept any food intended for aquarium fish or invertebrates including flake foods and sinking pellets.  The American Glass Shrimp has often been observed swimming upside down at
the surface of the aquarium to feed on flake foods.
 
American Glass Shrimp Breeding
Breeding American Glass Shrimp can be a little bit difficult in the home aquarium. American Glass Shrimp are difficult to determine sex and they are a low order shrimp (their eggs hatch as free floating larva, not miniature versions of their parents) so they are a little more difficult to raise. Once hatched the small larva will require powdered algae (Spirulina is a great algae for this) and should be in a separate aquarium to avoid predation. The larva will metamorphosis to miniature versions of the adults in about a week. Once the larva have reached metamorphosis, they will require no further special care.
 
American Glass Shrimp Behavior
The American Glass Shrimp is generally non-aggressive but there have been reports of a few individuals that can get a bit aggressive.  They can sometimes eat baby shrimp of any species or even fish fry.  They are always an active shrimp when there are no predators in the aquarium.
 
Special Notes
As with all aquatic invertebrates it is important to make sure copper does not get into the aquarium.  Copper is toxic to all Dwarf Shrimp.  Many medications contain elevated levels of copper, so it is recommended not to medicate an aquarium with Dwarf Shrimp in it.Many shrimp are labeled Ghost Shrimp that are not American Glass Shrimp.  These are often clear shrimp that look similar, but are not the same shrimp.