Are you having trouble with too much algae in your tank? Algae makes your tank look bad, it can take up oxygen, and it is downright frustrating to clean up.
You might be wondering then, do ghost shrimp eat algae? They could make a nice addition to your tank as part of your clean-up crew.
Keep reading to find out what all ghost shrimp eat.
Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Algae?
Yes, ghost shrimp do eat algae, so they make a good clean-up crew for your tank.
They are not picky about their food and will eat almost any kind of algae. But, there are a few exceptions. Ghost shrimp will not eat black beard algae or film algae.
Still, how efficient are they at cleaning algae? Do they clean anything else? Are they actually worth keeping in your tank?
How Efficient Are Ghost Shrimp At Cleaning Algae?
Not only do ghost shrimp eat algae, but they’re quite efficient at it. They have voracious appetites and will constantly eat.
Keep in mind that ghost shrimp are small critters! If your aquarium has a ton of algae, one or two ghost shrimp aren’t likely to cut it. The bigger your tank, and the more algae growing in your tank, the more ghost shrimp you’ll need.
One thing you need to be cautious about is providing them with too much food. Obviously, you don’t want to starve them, but if you give them too much food, they’re not likely to eat the algae.
If you already have a lot of algae in the tank, then you probably don’t need to give them any supplemental food. They will work furiously away at the algae, and they’ll be happy to do it.
But, if you have lots of algae and feed them shrimp food, they’ll go straight for the shrimp food and ignore the algae.
What Else Do Ghost Shrimp Eat?
Algae isn’t the only thing that your ghost shrimp will eat. They eat a host of other things, making them one of the best aquarium cleaners you can keep.
Besides algae, ghost shrimp will eat just about anything they can find.
Is there leftover fish food collecting in the gravel? Your ghost shrimp will eat that. Are some of the leaves of your aquatic plant dying? Your ghost shrimp will eat that, too.
The fact that they eat so many different things makes them very popular pets in the aquarium trade. It’s always helpful to have a critter that aids in the daily cleaning of the tank. After all, it makes your job easier!
The one thing that ghost shrimp won’t eat is fish poop. That can be disappointing to some aquarium keepers. It would be nice if they ate the poop because it would make cleaning the tank faster and easier. But, fish poop does not contain enough nutrients, so shrimp don’t receive any benefits from eating it.
Conclusion
Ghost shrimp love algae and will eat it frequently. So, they make a good addition to most tanks. Just keep in mind, that they might not be able to take care of a large number of algae. The more algae you have, the more ghost shrimp you’ll need.
Still, you can’t go wrong with ghost shrimp. Not only do they clean algae, but they’ll clean leftover fish food, dying plant matter, and detritus, too.