What Are The Ideal Water Parameters For Ghost Shrimp?

Ideal Water Parameters For Ghost Shrimp

Ghost Shrimps are very sensitive species and without a proper environment, they cannot survive for too long. One of the main reasons why ghost shrimps die is the imbalance of the water parameters. Now, do you know what are the ideal water parameters for ghost shrimps? 

Ideal water parameters for ghost shrimps are:

ParameterOptimal RangeLimits
Temperature70-80 degrees Fahrenheit62-82 degrees Fahrenheit
pH6.5- 7.57-8
GH5-8 ppm3-15 ppm
KH5-8 ppm3-12 ppm
TDS150-200 ppm100-400 ppm

Let’s dig into this topic more to know details about the ideal water parameter ranges for ghost shrimps and what factors make the imbalance in the water parameters.  

Details About The Parameters

Temperature 

The optimal range of temperature for ghost shrimps is 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. And the limits are 62-82 degrees Fahrenheit. Ghost shrimps are seen the most active in the optimal range. So, it is better if you keep the optimal range, even if you can’t keep the optimal range make sure the limits do not cross. 

pH 

pH stands for potential of hydrogen. It measures how acidic or alkaline the water is. pH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14 and 7 means a neutral value. pH less than 7 indicates acidity and greater than 7 indicates a base. The ideal range for cherry shrimps is 6.5 to 7.5 and the limit range is 7-8. 

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!

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 (parts per million) to make the water suitable for ghost shrimps. And the limit range is 3-15ppm in which they can survive without any stress. 

See also  How To Take Care Of Ghost Shrimp Babies?

KH

KH stands for Carbonate Hardness. It indicates the stability of pH and how quickly it can drop.

5 ppm to 8 ppm (parts per million) range of KH is the ideal range for ghost Shrimps. However, the limit range is 3-12ppm for ghost shrimps where they can survive.

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!

TDS

TDS stands for total dissolved solids. It measures the total amount of substances dissolved in the water, except for the H20 molecules. A higher TDS value indicates that the shrimp tank needs a water change. The ideal range of TDS for ghost shrimps is 150-200 ppm and the limit range is 100-400ppm. 

What Factors Can Change The Water Parameters? 

Water parameters change rapidly for many factors which include uncycled tank, high bioload, species type you have in your tank, and many more. Let’s know in details about these factors to get detail idea: 

Uncycled tank:

nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen Cycle

An uncycled tank rapidly changes the water parameters as there is no bacterial colony to eat ammonia. Ammonia builds in the water from biological substances, waste, and poop of species.

Ammonia is the number one enemy of ghost shrimps. If the ammonia range gets too high other species also start to feel unhealthy and dies. 

The Bacterial colony eating ammonia and nitrite turns them into nitrate which is called the nitrogen cycle. However, an uncycled tank does not have a bacterial colony. Thus, the ammonia gets high day by day. This soon changes the other water parameters as well. 

High bioload: 

Bioload is the term used to generate the amount of existing life in a tank or specific place. There is a specific number of species you should keep in a tank depending on its size. 

High bioload means the number of existing species in the tank is higher than it should be. This reduces the oxygen in the water and also makes the water dirty too fast. These factors change the water parameters more often. 

The food you feed:

The food you feed to your ghost shrimps also makes waste in the water which turns to ammonia at some point.

See also  6 Common Ghost Shrimp Diseases & How To Treat Them

Foods that break down too easily turn into toxins. These gradually change the water parameters if there is no water change. 

Species type:

Some tank species creates a lot of waste. We already know ammonia builds from wastes in the water. 

Ammonia has a very big role in changing the water parameters in the water. So if you have species that make a lot of wastes your water parameters will change more often. 

No filtration: 

Every tank gets dirty and no matter what kind of tank you have, every tank needs a filter. 

Filters help to purify water and keep it away from getting dirty fast. If there is no filter in the tank the water keeps getting dirty and lastly it makes an imbalance of the water parameters.

Why Is The Balance Of Water Parameters So Important?

A good balance of water parameters is very important for every species. And if you keep ghost shrimps it is a must to keep the parameters in limits if you do not want to lose them. Other than their survival there are many more things that get hampered for the imbalance of water parameters. 

Survival 

The right balance of water parameters is very important for every species survival. And I already mentioned it is a must for ghost shrimps. 

If the parameter changes, they feel stressed and start to get sick day by day. If it stays the same ghost shrimps die.

A good balance of the water parameters keeps them healthy. Besides that, it also helps in their proper growth. They are seen most active when the water parameters are suitable. So, if you want your shrimps to live for a long time, you have to ensure a good balance of the water parameters. 

Proper Growth 

If the environment is suitable, every species feels comfortable in the tank. Thus, they live without any stress. They don’t get sick more often and get fewer diseases which ensures their proper growth. 

Ghost shrimps need a suitable environment for their proper growth with good tank mates and enough hiding places. If you ensure them all of these their growth fastens.

Besides that, molting is one of the most important steps that help in the growth of a ghost shrimp. However, for the imbalance of the water parameters the molting process also gets hampered thus they cannot have proper growth.  

See also  Will Ghost Shrimp Eat Your Fish?

Molting Process 

Molting is one of the important processes of a ghost shrimp life. When the inside body grows the outside exoskeleton does not grow thus shrimps put it off which is called the molting process. 

In this time if the environment does not seem comfortable to them, they get very stressed. For stress, they face problems in molting.

Moreover, if the water doesn’t contain proper parameters the inside skin does not grow properly and the outside exoskeleton doesn’t crack properly. This lastly leads the ghost shrimp to death. 

Breeding

When your ghost shrimps are breeding you need to take good care of them. If they get a little bit stressed or feel insecure it hampers the breeding process. And mostly they get stressed if there is an imbalance in the water parameters. 

Any imbalance of the parameters (mainly pH) while the female shrimps’ breed can lead them to sickness. But if the water parameters are in limits ghost shrimps will reproduce readily. 

How To Keep The Parameters In Balance? 

  • Change 30% of the water once a week using a tube or vacuum and put the same amount of freshwater in the tank
  • Buy a test kit from any local store and test the water parameters once a week to make sure it is on its limits
  • Never add too much species in your tank which crosses the bioload
  • Don’t keep too many species together that make too much waste
  • Use a filter for the tank as it purifies the water and reduces waste
  • Before buying any food for shrimps check details of what the food contains 
  • Never use any chemicals to clean or cycle the water
  • Keep some species that eat the wastes and help cleaning the tank
  • Keep a good amount of live plants in your tank 
  • If any parameter crosses its limit fix it as soon as you can

Different Shrimps & Their Ideal Water Parameters

different shrimps' ideal water parameters infographic

Want to get a printable version of this infographic? Click here! [If you want to use this infographic on your website, please link back to this post as the source!]

Conclusion 

A suitable environment is a must if you want your ghost shrimps to live longer. Now that you know what the ideal water parameters for ghost shrimps are, try to maintain it. Never let the parameters cross the limit range unless you want your ghost shrimps to get sick, or worse, die! 

Happy shrimp keeping! 

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Muntaseer Rahman

About Author

Hello, I’m Muntaseer Rahman, the owner of AcuarioPets.com. I’m passionate about aquarium pets like shrimps, snails, crabs, and crayfish. I’ve created this website to share my expertise and help you provide better care for these amazing pets.

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