How Big Do Ghost Shrimps Get?

Have you ever wondered how big a ghost Shrimp can get? I was curious and did some research on my own. Here’s what I found:

Ghost Shrimps generally grow to be around 1.5 inches (3.8cm) long.

The size of Ghost Shrimps varies by their age. But there are other factors too that contribute to their faster growth. Let’s discuss in detail in the rest of the article for better understanding.

How fast do Ghost Shrimps Grow?

The growth of a Ghost Shrimp happens with the increase of their age. But there has been no scientific research done on the growth rate with the age of a ghost shrimp.

However, if you ensure the proper environment for them, they grow pretty fast. But if the environment is not suitable their growth will be relatively less than normal. 

Now you can ask how to make the environment suitable for them! To ensure a suitable environment you have to balance the temperature, pH, and other parameters of the water.

Furthermore, you have the clean 30% of the water once a week and make sure the water doesn’t get dirty fast because shrimps cannot survive in dirty water for too long. 

Ideal water parameter ranges:

Temperature	68-82 degrees
pH	7-8
GH	5-8 ppm
KH	5-8 ppm
TDS	150-200 ppm

• Temperature: The suitable temperature for Ghost Shrimps is 68-82 degrees Fahrenheit. But they are seen most active when kept in 70-80 Degrees.
• pH: pH is the measure of acidic/basic water. pH less than 7 indicates acidity and Greater than 7 indicates a base. The suitable pH range for Ghost Shrimps is 7-8. If you don’t have any test kit yet, get API Master Test Kit right now! It will be the most valuable thing in your arsenal for keeping shrimps. With this test kit, you can measure nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, pH, and many other water parameters.
• GH: GH stands for general hardness and it indicates the level of calcium and magnesium in the water. The GH range should be 5-8 ppm to make the water suitable for Ghost Shrimps. 
• KH: KH is the abbreviation of Carbonate Hardness. This indicates how quickly the pH can drop or change. 5 ppm to 8 ppm range of KH is suitable for Ghost Shrimps. You will need a test kit for measuring both GH and KH. I like GH & KH Test Kit the most. With this one test kit, you can measure both the GH & KH of the tank water.
• TDS: TDS stands for total dissolved solids. The range of TDS suitable for Ghost Shrimps is 150-200 ppm. This is a good TDS meter at a cheaper price range.

Expand your understanding of Ghost Shrimp—click here to uncover more! Are Ghost Shrimps Good Cleaners?

Factors that help increase Ghost Shrimps Growth fast

Proper feeding 

Feeding your Shrimp properly helps a lot in their growth. Try to Feed them the best quality food and maintain a proper diet.

Their foods can include algae, detritus, blanched vegetables, and uneaten bits of food. Ghost Shrimps love Shrimp pellets and fish flakes. They also eat almost everything from the tank as shrimps are great pickers. 

Algae: 

Algae is the most natural food for Ghost Shrimps and if you have a good amount of Shrimp together, Algae will naturally grow in the tank. But if they naturally don’t grow you can buy some algae wafer from the local fish store. Then give these two times a week and they will enjoy eating algae.

Shrimp Pellets:

Shrimp Pellets are also recommended for Ghost shrimps. You can find a variety of pellets in the market but those that don’t break down too easily are preferable.

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!

You can simply make a combination of these and feed them twice a week. Feed foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals for faster growth.

Tips: Never feed the Ghost Shrimps more than two days a week thinking it will be good for their growth. 

As ghost shrimps find food for themselves from the tank, feeding too much can be unhealthy for the Ghost Shrimps. If you observe them for a while you will see them picking bits of food out of the water. So, feeding too much won’t help in their fast growth. 

Tank size and species number 

If you keep too many Shrimps and other species in the same tank the water will get dirty very fast. Besides that, the pH and other parameters of the water will change so rapidly. 

In this condition, Ghost Shrimps can get unhealthy and die one by one. So, the tank size and species number need to be balanced. 

You should keep 3-4 Ghost Shrimps per gallon to keep the water suitable. But if you have any other species in the tank keep them in mind too before adding ghost shrimps.

Get the full scoop on Ghost Shrimp—check out this must-read article! Ghost Shrimp Diet & Feeding Guide For Beginners

Size Difference Between Male and Female Ghost Shrimps

Generally, female ghost shrimps get larger in size than the male ghost shrimps. But the difference can be less than an inch or maximum an inch between them.

Female shrimps carry eggs in their belly. This is why most female ghost shrimps get bigger in size than males ones. In optimum condition, they can grow 1.5 inches. The most adult male ghost shrimp can be smaller in size than the adult female ghost shrimp in your tank.

Final words

Going through this article I hope you got clear on how big a ghost Shrimp can get. In addition to that, I also tried to cover the other factors that help them grow in a proper way. 

Maintaining all these you can give your Ghost Shrimps a suitable environment that will help in their faster growth.

Happy Shrimp keeping!