Family: Palaemonidae
Ghost Shrimp — the transparent Palaemonetes paludosus from the southeastern USA. Reaches 3-5 cm, very hardy at 18-28 °C, a bold algae eater whose organs and eggs are visible through the glass-clear body.
Ghost Shrimp is the glass-clear Palaemonetes paludosus from the southeastern United States, sold everywhere as an inexpensive 'glass shrimp' for algae duty — and frequently underestimated. Its body is almost entirely transparent, organs, gut contents and even a clutch of green eggs visible as if through a window, which makes it a living anatomy lesson and a fascinating algae eater at the same time. It grows to 3-5 cm, tolerates 18-28 °C across a wide pH range, and handles conditions that kill fancier shrimp, though it appreciates the same clean, stable water as any invertebrate. In the aquarium it is an active, bold forager that picks food from plants, glass and gravel, and it swims openly even in bright light. Breeding is possible in freshwater: the female carries 20-30 eggs that hatch as tiny larvae needing microscopic food — most clutches vanish into filters or get eaten, but occasional juveniles appear in dense plantings. Peaceful with everything too small to eat it, and best kept in groups of five or more.
Beginner-friendly. Peaceful but opportunistic; groups of 3 or more.
Hold 18–28 °C and keep it stable — 18–28 °C stable range. Stable 18–28 °C; very tolerant.
Expect 3–5 cm as an adult, living bottom — transparent ghost cruising plants. A 30 L tank or larger gives it room.
Omnivore-scavenger; accepts all foods, including detritus. Vary the menu — quality flakes or pellets plus frozen or live foods.
Yes, with care. Peaceful but opportunistic — pair it with Virtually any peaceful community fish — Hardy enough for beginner community tanks, Other shrimp species — No aggression between shrimp, Snails and peaceful bottom fish — Shares the cleanup crew and skip Copper-based medications — Lethal to all invertebrates, Large predators — Even ghost shrimp are eaten by big fish, Anabantoid bettas with attitude — May harass or nip at molting shrimp.
Native to North America — southeastern United States, where it lives in warm springs, swamps and slow streams with vegetation. Still to gentle current; Moderate oxygen.
It can jump when startled — keep the tank tightly covered, especially at night and during maintenance.
In the aquarium: breeds in freshwater but the eggs hatch as free-swimming larvae needing infusoria or powdered foods; survival in a planted tank is occasional rather than guaranteed. Females carry 20-30 green eggs visibly through the transparent abdomen.. Females are larger and deeper-bodied with a visible green egg mass; males slimmer and smaller..