# Ghost Shrimp vs Ramshorn Snails



## jcruse (Sep 7, 2009)

Ghost Shrimp Win!

I’ve done some research online and most everything I find says that Shrimp are scavengers. They eat algae and decaying corpses. I added 2 Ramshorn snails and came home to one of the shrimp eating a snail alive. He little head was all black (normally green or brown). I realized our two new additions were responsible for the color change. I moved the snails out and somehow they are recovering in the smaller tank by themselves.

It was only one of the shrimp (I could tell by the color change in the head). He or she is the more aggressive of the two. He comes out when we feed the fish and steels the food from them. He doesn’t move when the betas get nippy towards him.

I did come across a couple folks saying that they would crush snails in the tank to control the population and the shrimp would clean up the mess. Then after a while the shrimp wouldn’t wait for the snails to be crushed and started eating them alive. I also came across postings saying the prawns are sometimes sold as ghost fish but he doesn’t have the front clippers like the prawns and looks exactly like the pictures I have found online of the ghost shrimp.

I’m wondering if anyone has any good information about Ghost Shrimp? I’m also curious if there is any type of snail I could add to the tank? Do I need to worry about any other species being abused by my shrimp?
Thanks!
~Jess

10 Gallon
3 female betas
2 ghost shrimp
1 plecostomus
1 dwarf African clawed frog

2 Gallon
2 ramshorn snails


----------



## Sea-Agg2009 (Aug 2, 2008)

Shrimp will pick at pretty much anything. Honestly, ramhorns are one of those snails that should be avioided, because they asexually reproduce, and can quickly take over a tank. Ghost shrimp are not as bad, and their larva is usually picked up by the filter, or eaten by your betta's. If you have a pleco in your 10 gallon tank, your shrimp are probably pretty hungry, which is why they are attacking anything. I would say find a place for the pleco, but that may be too much. I would supplement the algae in your tank with some algae waffers or some other vegetation.


----------



## jcruse (Sep 7, 2009)

We’ve been dropping frozen zucchini slices for the pleco. Do you think I should do wafers too? 
We are probably going to get a 55 gallon to help accommodate the growth of the pleco. He is only about 1.5 inches right now. I was going to move the whole community over. Do you think it would make more sense to leave the shrimp and move everyone else?


----------

