Ghost Shrimps Vs Amano Shrimp: Which One Is Ideal For You?

Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps both are freshwater shrimps and very similar. Many people who are new to this hobby cannot differentiate these two and think they are the same type of shrimp. But these two are not the same and have some differences. 

Amano shrimps are generally bigger than ghost shrimps. They live much longer too. However, Ghost shrimps are much cheaper compared to Amano shrimps. Also, Ghost shrimps have a full transparent body whereas Amano shrimps have circular markings on their transparent body.

Knowing the difference between Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps is important because only then you will be able to know which one can be beneficial and ideal for your tank type. Even though Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps are very small species, these can be beneficial for your tank if you choose the right one. 

Aspects	Amano Shrimp	Ghost Shrimp
Size	Can grow up to 2 inches	Can grow up to 1.5 inches
Lifespan (at optimal environment)	About 2-3 years	About 1 year
Appearance	Transparent body with circular markings	Clear transparent body
Cost	$2 to $5 per piece	$1 to $3 per piece
Algae Eating Capability	Better algae eater	Not as good as Amano
Hardiness	Can withstand a wide range of parameters and alkaline water	Not as hardy as Amano shrimps

Below I am going to compare Ghost shrimps with Amano shrimps in detail so that you can easily understand the differences. Also going through my article, you will be easily able to understand which shrimp will be ideal for your tank.

So, without any further ado let’s jump into the details: 

The Main Differences & How To Tell Them Apart? 

Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps have many similarities. They are almost the same in size and peaceful in nature. But as I already mentioned, they do have similarities but they are not the same type. Let’s see how can we tell them apart and what are the differences:  

• Ghost shrimps can grow up to 1.5 inches if kept in a healthy and suitable environment. On the contrary, Amano shrimps can grow up to 2 inches. The female shrimps get bigger in size than the male ones. 
• Amano shrimps can live up to 2-3 years if kept in a healthy and suitable environment. But, Ghost shrimps have a very short lifespan and they only live for about a year. 
• Amano shrimps have a transparent grey body with small circular markings or dots on both sides. On the other hand, Ghost shrimps are transparent. Though they can change the color during their molting process or if you keep them in brackish water however, Ghost shrimps’ actual body is transparent and they don’t usually have any freckles in their body. 

Which One Is Cheaper? 

Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimp both are cheaper than the other available shrimps in the market. However, if we compare the price of only Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps, Ghost shrimps are way cheaper. 

Ghost shrimps can cost you around $1-$3 per piece. On the contrary, Amano shrimps can cost you around $2-$5 per piece. The price actually varies in many aspects but wherever you go, you will find Ghost shrimps at a cheaper price than Amano shrimps. 

One main reason why Ghost shrimp are so cheap is that Ghost shrimps are very easy to take care and their survival rate is low. However, you can easily raise Ghost shrimps in your tank if you maintain some basic maintenance. 

So, if you have a low budget but you are looking for some shrimps for your tank, you can easily buy a group of Ghost shrimps. The maintenance will also not cost you a big amount. However, if you are not tight on your budget you can get Amano shrimps for your tank. They are excellent at eating algae and keeping your tank clean.

For good quality Amano Shrimp at a cheap price tag, check Flip Aquatics.

Which One Is Better Algae Eaters? 

Amano shrimps are the most popular in terms of eating algae. They will be seen gazing around and eating algae continuously. Ghost shrimps also love to eat algae and they also gaze around algae most of the time and keep themselves busy. But, Amano shrimps are better algae eaters than Ghost shrimps. 

If your tank is having too many algae and you want to get rid of it or lower down the algae level, Amano shrimps are highly recommended. A group of 8-10 or more than that (only if you have a big tank) is good enough to lower down the algae level. 

But, if your tank has fewer algae and you want to keep some shrimps, in this case, Ghost shrimps are great. Algae naturally grow in the tank and Ghost shrimps can be fed only on algae. Thus, a shrimp tank should contain a good amount of algae.

However, we all know if there get too many algae the environment gets unsuitable. So, for controlling it you can keep some Ghost shrimps. But if you are facing problems with algae and immediately have to lower down the level then Amano shrimps are the best for this purpose. 

Which Type Of Environment Do They Need?

Ghost shrimps can live both in freshwater and in brackish water but it is not recommended to keep them in brackish water as they can’t survive there properly and they don’t get the proper growth. 

Amano shrimps are also freshwater shrimps but they can live in brackish water too though it is not recommended. Amano shrimps can tolerate changes in the aquarium and withstand in alkaline water. But Ghost shrimps die quickly in alkaline water. 

Ghost shrimps start to stress out very fast if there are any changes or imbalance in the tank environment. But, Amano shrimps react a little bit slower than Ghost shrimps. 

So, if you maintain your tank well you can choose Ghost shrimps for your tank. But if you have more like alkaline tank water, you should go for Amano shrimps. 

Which One Is Easily Maintainable? 

Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps both are very easy to take care of and they don’t need any kind of special maintenance. If you follow some basic maintenance of the tank, you can keep these two species happy and they will survive for a long time. 

You need to maintain the tank environment, water parameters properly to keep these species alive. Any imbalance can give them stress. Ghost shrimps react fast in any kind of sudden change in the tank environment than Amano shrimps. 

Besides maintaining the tank environment, you also have to feed some good food for their proper growth. Both of these species can live on algae. But for their proper growth shrimp pellets are recommended to feed. You just have to feed them twice a week. 

So, by far, I guess you came to know how easy the maintenance of both Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps are. You literally don’t have to worry about anything else if you maintain the basic things properly that I mentioned. 

Still Confused? Go Through The Table:

Aspects	Ghost shrimps	Amano shrimps
Which is cheaper?	✔
Which is more peaceful?	✔	✔
Which is easily maintainable?		✔
Which is better algae eater?		✔
Which is more available?	✔

Basic Care Guides For Ghost Shrimps And Amano Shrimps

No matter which shrimp you choose for your tank I would like to talk about some basic maintenance of both of the shrimps. If you maintain these properly your shrimps will live the fullest and be very active. They will have their proper growth, they will breed properly and have a very healthy life.

Keep The Tank Water Clean:

Change 30% of the water once a week and add the same amount of fresh water in the tank. This helps cycle the water and grow beneficial bacteria which helps to kill ammonia and turn it to nitrate. If you don’t know let me tell you ammonia is very harmful to shrimps. So, the presence of ammonia can affect the survival rate of the shrimps. And ammonia can be killed by beneficial bacteria that grow while cycling the water.

Don’t keep the tank water dirty for too long and use a good filter for your tank as it helps to keep the water clean and purified. For a shrimp tank, a good filter is a must. If you have a good filter keeping the water clean and balancing the water parameters get very easy.

Maintain The Water Parameters:

Maintaining the water parameters is very important for a shrimp tank because shrimps are very sensitive and they start to stress out if they are not kept in a suitable environment. Any imbalance in the water parameters can give your shrimps unwanted diseases and in extreme cases, you can see them dying one by one.

So, maintaining the parameters is very important. Now let’s see what are the ideal water parameters for Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps!

Ideal Water Parameters For Ghost Shrimps:

Parameter	Optimal Range	Limits
Temperature	70-80 degrees Fahrenheit	62-82 degrees Fahrenheit
pH	6.5- 7.5	7-8
GH (general hardness)	5-8 ppm	3-15 ppm
KH (Carbonate Hardness)	5-8 ppm	3-12 ppm
TDS (total dissolved solids)	150-200 ppm	100-400 ppm

Ideal Water Parameters For Amano Shrimps:

Parameter	Optimal Range	Limits
Temperature	70-75 degrees Fahrenheit	64-80 degrees Fahrenheit
pH	7-7.4	6.5- 8
GH (general hardness)	7 – 8 ppm	5-15 ppm
KH (Carbonate Hardness)	2 – 4 ppm	1-8 ppm
TDS (total dissolved solids)	150 – 200 ppm	100-400 ppm

If you need a test kit for measuring the pH, I’ll recommend API Master Test Kit. With this master test kit, you can measure ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and many other water parameters. It is certainly a worthwhile investment for any shrimp keeper!

With this GH & KH Test Kit, you can measure both the GH & KH of your shrimp tank water. There is no need to buy two separate test kits. Certainly a handy test kit that will help you a long way!

If you are not able to control the optimal ranges, strictly try to control the limit ranges. Else the shrimps will get stressed and they will face problems in surviving. You cannot ensure their proper growth and healthy life without keeping the water parameters in balance. Shrimps are seen the most active when the water parameters are properly balanced.

Feed A Balanced Diet:

As I already mentioned, both Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps are algae eaters and they can live eating algae if your tank has a good amount of it. But, for their proper growth besides algae or other natural foods they get from the tank, a good shrimp food that contains necessary vitamins and nutrients is recommended to feed the shrimps.

You will be finding a lot of shrimp foods or pellets in the market. All these foods will promise you that it will ensure the proper growth and increase the survival rate of your Ghost shrimps. But not every shrimp food will keep the promise so, before buying one make sure you research well on the food.

I love Bacter AE for my shrimps. The good thing about this food is, it comes in a powdered form. So, even the baby shrimps get the chance to enjoy the food. My shrimps get crazy over it too!

Besides shrimp pellets you can feed them uneaten food bits, vegetables as well and the shrimps will love to eat these. Making a good combination of the foods feed them twice a week. Do not overfeed your shrimps as overfeeding can be harmful to their health.

Ensure Good Tank Mates:

Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps both are peaceful and small species. As they are small, they can be easily eaten by big fishes, thus fishes that are aggressive and have a big mouth are not recommended to keep with these shrimps.

The big fishes try to attack and chase the shrimps most of the time which gives the shrimps stress. And if shrimps get stressed the environment starts unsuitable for them. So, ensuring good tank mates is important for the shrimp’s survival.

Below I am mentioning some good and bad tank mates for both Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps one by one in different tables:

Good Vs Bad Tank Mates For Ghost Shrimps:

Good Tank Mates	Bad Tank Mates
Other shrimp species	Any fish that are aggressive such as Barbs, Mollies, Serpea Tetra, Betta, etc.
Dwarf suckers	Cichlids
Small rasboras	Discus
Small Tetras	Angelfish
Snails	Fishes with a large mouth to gulp the shrimp in a single instance

Good Vs Bad Tank Mates For Amano Shrimps:

Good Tank Mates	Bad Tank Mates
Other shrimp species	Any fish that are aggressive
Guppies	Neon tetras
Mollies	swordtails
Cory catfish	Angelfish
Snails	Fishes with a large mouth to gulp the shrimp in a single instance

Conclusion

I hope this article helped you to figure out the difference between Ghost shrimps and Amano shrimps. As I compared the shrimps, I think you can easily understand which one is better for you in terms of the costing, maintenance, or tank environment. Now that you know everything, I hope you will be able to find out the ideal shrimp for your tank.

Additionally, I included the basic care guides as well because if you are willing to buy some you need to know how to take care of them. If you ensure them the right environment with good care only then they will survive for a long time in your tank. If you have any other queries do not hesitate to ask!

Happy shrimp keeping!

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