Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Algae? 15 Things You Should Know

You can keep some algae eaters in your aquarium along with those steps to control algae. So  Ghost Shrimp is a good pick to Eat Algae. However, Algae growth in an aquarium is completely normal, but excessive algae are unpleasant for the eye.

Many aquarists take some steps to stop growing algae. One solution is to manage your nitrate levels and light exposure to the tank. Alternatively, you can change the water regularly and keep the tank out of sunlight to control algae growth in your tank.

Whether you change water to maintain the right water conditions or manage the light levels, you can’t completely stop algae growth in your tank. So let’s see if ghost shrimp can eat Algae.

What is Ghost Shrimp

Ghost shrimp, known as glass shrimp, is a freshwater shrimp that is easy to care for and very peaceful. This shrimp is popular with fish keepers of all experience levels. Ghost Shrimp can be kept in a tropical community aquarium containing small, non-aggressive fish. Sized at 1.5 inches at most, ghost shrimp will get to live for only one year time.

It is an omnivore shrimp found first in North America. They will fit in a tank with small peaceful fish. You cannot keep ghost shrimp in tanks with predator fishes as they will eat the shrimp. In an aquarium, ghost shrimp eats algae as well as any uneaten food. Ghost shrimp can keep algae levels down in a well-kept aquarium.

Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Algae?

Yes. Ghost shrimp eat algae. They are an omnivore species. So, they can eat both dead and alive algae. They have big appetites. A ghost shrimp’s diet is mainly made up of algae in the wild, which means that they will consume any algae that they can bring into their mouths, although they prefer hair algae.

They are mainly bottom feeders and prefer to remain in the substratum, so ghost shrimp will not remove any slime algae that grows on the walls of your tank or floats on the surface.

They also tend not to like black beard algae, which is prevalent for most bottom feeders and shrimp. Ghost shrimp can consume whatever material they can from plants or animals.

They are mostly scavengers, which suggests that they prefer rotting and dying food, such as plant parts and any fish that may have died and sunk to the tank’s bottom. This makes them perfect cleaners since they can remove all sorts of waste and junk you don’t want in your tank, in addition to cleaning out the algae.

Read more Do Amano Shrimp Eat Algae? 14 Things You Should Know

Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Hair Algae?

Yes. Ghost Shrimp eat hair algae. Though they prefer dead and decaying food like bits of plants and any fish that died and sunk to the bottom of the aquarium, they will happily eat hair algae as they grow in the bottom.

Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Algae Wafers?

Yes. Ghost shrimp love eating algae wafers. Other foods they love to eat are fish or shrimp pellets, fish flakes, and any uneaten food.

Do G Shrimp Eat Brown Algae

Yes. Ghost shrimp eat brown algae. Ghost shrimps are scavengers, so they eat pretty much whatever they find.

Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Black Beard Algae?

Yes. Ghost shrimp eat black beard algae. But, black beard algae is not one of their preferred food. So, some Ghost Shrimp may not eat them.

Do G Shrimp Eat Green Hair Algae?

Yes. Ghost Shrimp eat green hair algae. Green hair algae grow at the bottom of the tank. As ghost shrimps are bottom feeders, they will eat green hair algae without hesitating.

Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Blue-Green Algae?

No. Ghost shrimp will not eat alive blue-green algae. Blue-green algae are not algae, but bacteria called cyanobacteria.

It grows and floats on the water. As ghost shrimps are bottom feeders, they won’t go up to eat blue-green algae. You’ll have to use anti-bacterial such as erythromycin to get rid of cyanobacteria.

Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Green Algae?

Yes. G shrimp will eat green algae as long as they stay at the bottom. If they are built upon the wall of the tank, ghost shrimp will not eat it.

Does Ghost Shrimp Eat Brown Algae?

Yes. G shrimp eat brown algae. In fact, they eat pretty much anything that grows at the bottom of the tank.

What Algae Does Ghost Shrimp Eat?

G shrimp eat some forms of algae as others don’t grow at the bottom of the tank. Ghost shrimps are bottom feeders, which means that they will eat anything that falls under the tank. They will not go up to find any food; hence they will not eat some forms of algae that floats on the water or grow in the tank walls.

Will Ghost Shrimp Eat Algae Off Glass?

No. G shrimp won’t eat algae off the glass. They don’t go up in the water to find any food. They prefer to stay at the bottom.

Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Diatoms?

Yes. Ghost shrimp eat diatom blooms. Diatoms are actually brown algae that grow at the bottom of the tank. So, ghost shrimp can eat them as they are grown where shrimps live.

What Kind Of Shrimp Eat Algae?

Almost all freshwater aquarium shrimp are omnivorous that can eat nearly anything, including algae. Amano shrimp, Cherry Shrimp, Ghost Shrimp, and Cardinal Shrimp are known as good algae eaters.

Read more Amano shrimp vs. Ghost shrimp 7 Differences & Similarities

Will Ghost Shrimp Fit Into My Tank?

It depends on the fish type you already have in your tank. If you have aggressive fish larger than ghost shrimp, you shouldn’t add them to your tank as the fish may eat shrimps. If you have bottom feeders smaller than Ghost shrimp (like guppies), avoid adding shrimp as shrimp may eat them if they haven’t had enough to eat.

Otherwise, ghost shrimp are a peaceful species that can fit into any community tank. However, if they’re hungry enough ghost shrimp can consume live things too. This involves often small enough plants and fish, near enough to the tank floor. This is a warning that you need to put additional food in the tank to keep your shrimp satisfied if you begin to see damage to your plants.

This stops them from attacking the tank’s live inhabitants.

What other fish ear algae

There are fish algae eaters like twig catfish, Bristlenose Pelcos, and Siamese Flying fox. And there are snail algae eaters like Malaysian Trumpet Snail, Malaysian Trumpet Snail, and Nerite Snail. And also, shrimp algae eaters like Amano shrimp, cherry shrimp, and ghost shrimp.

Which algae eater should you choose? That’s depending on your tank size, fish community, and water condition.

Read more How often do ghost shrimp shed / molt? 10 things must know

Summary

Ghost shrimp is an excellent addition to your community tank, which has small, peaceful fish. They can control your tank’s algae growth and clean up dead fish, dead plants, and any other thing that sinks to the bottom.

However, you can’t wipe out algae infestation completely with ghost shrimp or any other algae eater. Algae grow due to a nutritional imbalance. If you want to wipe out algae, you have to determine the factors that cause algae growth.

Fixing lighting, growing specific plants, and changing water values are the best solutions for getting rid of algae. Even with a perfectly balanced aquarium, you can’t avoid algae infestation. In that case, algae eaters like ghost shrimp can help you with controlling algae growth.

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