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Description
The ghost shrimp is almost transparent: you can see its stomach full of whatever it last ate and little else. It is a cheap, hardy shrimp sold mainly as live food for large fish, and for that very reason its quality in shops is very uneven.
It is a palaemonid, not a dwarf shrimp: it has real claws and a more opportunistic nature than a Neocaridina. It leaves healthy fish alone, but eats shrimplets, fry and small snails if it can reach them. It grows to about 4 cm.
In exchange it is a tireless scavenger of leftover food and copes with a wide range of water, including the cool water of an unheated tank.
Habitat
It comes from the fresh waters of the southeastern United States: lakes, ponds and slow streams with plenty of vegetation, temperate water that cools in winter.
In the aquarium, plants, hiding places and medium-hard water are enough. No heater is needed in a temperate home. Breeding is possible in fresh water, but the adults eat the larvae.
Habitats
🌊 Water parameters
What about your tank?
Enter your tank's values to see only the compatible species that fit them. Litres apply to fish.
Compatible fish
General guidance based on water parameters, behaviour and known exceptions; always review the individual animals' and aquarium's specific needs.
They share water: pH 7 and 24–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 20–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7 and 23–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 26–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7 and 24–27 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 21–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 20–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 20–25 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 18–24 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 18–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 25–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7 and 24–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7.5–8 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5–8 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7 and 20–26 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.2 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 20–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 18–22 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7 and 23–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 21–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 20–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 18–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7 and 26–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7 and 22–26 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7 and 23–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 23–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 20–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 23–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
Compatible invertebrates
General guidance based on water parameters, behaviour and known exceptions; always review the individual animals' and aquarium's specific needs.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 20–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 18–25 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5–8 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5–8 and 26–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 20–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 20–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 18–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5–8 and 27–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5–8 and 27–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 20–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 18–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 18–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 18–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 18–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 18–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 18–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 18–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 18–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–8 and 18–28 °C.
Sources
- GBIFGBIF Secretariat (2026). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei. Consultado vía GBIF.org, 2026-08. Palaemon paludosus.
It is sold as Palaemonetes paludosus; GBIF accepts Palaemon paludosus.
The care values (pH, temperature and hardness) have no citable source: none of the accepted sources publishes invertebrate profiles. Seriously Fish has none and PlanetCatfish does not respond. A source for invertebrates is still to be agreed.