Are Ghost Shrimps Good Cleaners?

You might have heard that ghost shrimp are similar to an excellent eating machine. Hence, these ghost shrimp have a unique reputation for cleaning the tank. For this reason, many shrimp hobbyists want to keep ghost shrimp as cleaners. So, you can also ask whether ghost shrimp are good cleaners or not.

Good shrimp are undoubtedly good cleaners. These shrimp keep the tank clean by consuming algae, leftover foods, dead plants, and other decaying organic matter. In this way, ghost shrimp do not let the tank water get foul as they eat the wastes before getting decomposed.

In this article, I’ve cleared up all of your confusion regarding the job of ghost shrimp as cleaners. You’ll get proof of how well ghost shrimp can clean the aquarium. So, stay tuned with us in this article to get more information.

Are Ghost Shrimp Good Clean-Up Crew?

If you want to bring some good cleaners in your tank, the name ghost shrimp will appear first as good clean-up crews.

Ghost shrimp are not only voracious eaters but also scavengers. So, these shrimp will eat anything that they find at the bottom of the tank.

When you keep aquatic pets in an aquarium, you must be worried about cleaning the leftovers, rotten plants, excess algae growth, etc. But, you need not worry about your extra chore of cleaning the aquarium when you have ghost shrimp. These shrimp also find the wastes of other living delicious.

Thus, there’ll be left no harmful bacteria in the tank. Because ghost shrimp will consume the debris and all decaying materials before these things get decomposed. So, won’t you call these ghost shrimp excellent clean-up crews?

Hungry for knowledge about Ghost Shrimp? We’ve got you covered in this article. What Are The Benefits Of Keeping Ghost Shrimps?

How Well Do Ghost Shrimp Clean A Tank?

Ghost shrimp clean a tank by consuming the waste products. If ghost shrimp do not eat those materials, you will have to remove those wastes to keep the tank clean. Besides, ghost shrimp do not produce much waste.

So, if you want to ascertain how well ghost shrimp clean tanks, you should check their list of waste consumption. Let’s see how good cleaners these ghost shrimp are!

1. Algae-Eating Shrimp: Are Ghost Shrimp Good For Algae?

You may find algae at the top of the food list of ghost shrimp, like any shrimp species. In the wild, algae are the prime food source for shrimp. It is the same for the shrimp in captivity too.

Algae grow as quickly as reaching at peak in only 3-4 days. These low-nutrient inputs reduce the aestheticism of the tank’s appearance. Moreover, algae will deprive the plants of the tank by taking the required nutrients.

Besides, dead algae increase the level of ammonia in the tank. So, it’s necessary to clean the algae community from the tank.

But, you need not worry much when you have a large community of ghost shrimp in the aquarium. When you see algae growing on the décor items, rocks, and glass of the tank, you can wait for your shrimp to clean up these parts of the aquarium. These clean-up crews keep the tank safe from excessive growth of algae.

For details, you can check this article.

2. Leftovers: Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Uneaten Food?

When you keep aquatic livings in an aquarium, you should remain concerned about keeping the water quality perfect. But, it becomes difficult due to the leftover foods of your pets.

The uneaten foods or leftovers create toxicity when these leftovers rot in the water. These will increase the concentration level of ammonia in the water. So, there is strict instruction for removing the leftovers to keep the water safe for your aquatic pets.

Your hassle of cleaning the aquarium manually can be reduced by your large colony of ghost shrimp. Being scavengers, ghost shrimp will eat almost anything that they find at the bottom of the tank. So, your pet ghost shrimp will finish the leftovers too.

Sometimes, hobbyists do not buy shrimp food when they keep shrimp together with fish. These shrimp tend to fulfill their hunger by eating leftover fish foods and algae. In this way, the tank gets cleaned by ghost shrimp.

Discover more cool facts about Ghost Shrimp with this detailed post! Do Ghost Shrimps Kill Each Other?

3. Fish Waste: Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Fish Poop?

When you add fish to the shrimp tank, there must be a fish waste too. These fish wastes add ammonia and harmful bacteria to the water of the tank. So, it becomes a regular job for the owners to clean the fish poop.

Although fish poop isn’t enlisted in the regular diet of shrimp, ghost shrimp consume fish poop. But, these shrimp consume fish poop in the form of biofilm. Sometimes, ghost shrimp may try to find undigested food in the fish wastes.

But, not all ghost shrimp show interest in consuming fish poop. You should observe whether your pet ghost shrimp eat fish waste or not.

However, consuming lots of fish poop can lead to ammonia poisoning in your ghost shrimp. You can only rely on ghost shrimp to clean fish poop when there’s a large colony of these shrimp.

4. Dead Plants: Will Ghost Shrimp Eat Dead Plants?

You might be aware of the toxic reaction of rotten plants and leaves. When leaves and plants are shed off, you should remove them as soon as possible.

Otherwise, these dead leaves and plants will add ammonia build-up. On the other hand, this ammonia will turn into nitrite that becomes toxic to your aquatic inhabitants.

When you have ghost shrimp in your tank, you need not worry about ammonia spikes. Ghost shrimp tend to consume such decaying or rotten plants.

5. Dead Shrimp: Will Ghost Shrimp Eat Dead Ghost Shrimp?

Although cannibalism is common among shrimp, ghost shrimp do not eat alive shrimp of their own or other species. But, ghost shrimp eat the body of dead ghost shrimp.

6. Dead Fish: Will Ghost Shrimp Eat Dead Fish?

You might know that the dead body of any aquatic living releases ammonia into the water. So, you should remove the dead inhabitants to keep the water quality ideal.

But, ghost shrimp will do your job of cleaning. If your fish dies in a cohabited tank, the ghost shrimp will eat the dead fish. As a result, there’ll be no ammonia spike.

Want the inside track on Ghost Shrimp? This post is your go-to guide. Why Do Ghost Shrimps Jump Out Of The Water?

Do Ghost Shrimp Produce A Lot Of Waste?

If you want to keep such a pet with a low ecological footprint, you can go for ghost shrimp. Ghost shrimp produce a little amount of waste. Rather, these shrimp remain busy consuming other wastes. So, keeping ghost shrimp isn’t hectic at all.

If you are still confused about the benefits of keeping ghost shrimp, you should go through this article.

Will Ghost Shrimp Clean My Tank?

Although ghost shrimp are good cleaners, you can’t entirely depend upon ghost shrimp to clean your tank. Your ghost shrimp will partially clean your tank. But, you should also take part in cleaning your tank regularly.

However, you can encourage your ghost shrimp to keep your tank clean by following a few methods. All you need to do is to motivate these shrimp to consume more waste and algae. For this, you should ensure to keep the tank environment alright.

If the water parameters aren’t ideal, ghost shrimp will lose their appetite. Hence, these shrimp may consume less waste. Thus, these shrimp will clean less than the usual time.

You can also apply a trick to keep the appetite of your ghost shrimp high. It is to continue the irregular feeding schedule.

Besides, you should add more ghost shrimp if you want your tank cleaned. The more the number of ghost shrimp, the more consumption of waste. But, you should keep the ratio of ghost shrimp and water ideal.

Final Words

Keeping ghost shrimp is not only fancier but also less hassling. Your pet will reduce your job to clean your tank regularly too. I hope this article helped you know why ghost shrimp are called good cleaners.