Cherry Shrimp vs Ghost Shrimp
Many people often get confused between ghost shrimp and cherry shrimp. They can't figure out which one to get. So, in this article, I will provide a detailed comparison between the two, so you can find out which one is right for you.
If you are looking for decorative and colorful shrimp, then cherry shrimp will be perfect. On the other hand, ghost shrimp are the ideal choice if you are looking for algae eaters and cleaning equipment.
There are many more differences between these two species of shrimp. However, they are also similar in many ways. Let us go to the detailed comparison between cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp.
Cherry Shrimp vs. Ghost Shrimp
Let's take a short look at the difference between cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp:
| cherry shrimp | ghost shrimp |
|---|---|
| decorative and colorful | not so colorful |
| Smaller size. Therefore, you can keep a larger number of them in your tank. | Larger in size. You can only keep half the amount of cherry shrimp in the tank |
| relatively peaceful | Can be aggressive towards smaller species |
| Easier to breed | Breeding can be difficult |
| may cost more | Generally, not expensive like cherry shrimp |
| Mainly kept for decoration purposes | Mainly kept to clean algae in the tank |
Now that we have a general idea about the differences between these two types of shrimp, it is time to take a deeper look at some of the aspects:
cherry shrimp
Cherry shrimp are the most popular dwarf shrimp among shrimp keepers. Both beginners and experienced shrimp keepers love them. Also, they are adored by shrimp farmers for their easy breeding ability. If you want lots and lots of shrimp in a short amount of time, then cherry shrimp will be the perfect choice.
Let's talk about colour. The color of red cherry shrimp can range from light pink to deep blood red. The color depends on the grade of the shrimp. Lower grades like Cherry Red Shrimp have a soft pink color, while higher grades like Painted Fire Red have a solid red color to their bodies.
Cherry shrimp are not so picky about water parameters. They are very forgiving. That's why cherry shrimp are great for beginners.
If you want to raise cherry shrimp, then I would definitely recommend a shrimp-only tank. However, you can also keep them with a few other tank mates. However, you need to be very careful when choosing tank mates for cherry shrimp.
Cherry Shrimp need plenty of hiding places, plants, and moss in the tank to thrive properly. These are also essential in keeping the shrimp safe from other potential threats.
ghost shrimp
Ghost shrimp are generally not chosen for shrimp keeping. This is because they do not look as attractive as cherry shrimp. Ghost Shrimp are mainly used as live food for other larger fish like Arowana, Oscar etc.
Since the last decade, aquaarchists have started using ghost shrimp for their ability to eat algae. Ghost Shrimp are highly effective at eating algae. They are also used as a cleaning crew for the tank.
Ghost Shrimp also make a great beginner pet for someone just beginning their shrimp keeping journey. They are extremely hardy, even tougher than cherry shrimp. They can thrive in a wide range of water parameters.
If you want to buy ghost shrimp, you have to be careful. Today, many vendors are selling aggressive river prawns under the name of ghost shrimp. The true ghost shrimp used for aquariums is called Palaemonetes paludosus. These are the ones you should try to get.
Ghost Shrimp can live well with a large number of tank mates. However, don't keep anything in the tank that can swallow ghost shrimp whole in one instance. Also, Ghost Shrimp can be pretty mean to other shrimp and try to eat them.
One last thing, Ghost Shrimp can be very difficult to breed. Their breeding process is not as simple as cherry shrimp. Therefore, if you have plans to farm shrimp, ghost shrimp might not be the ideal choice.
Now that we have a good idea of these shrimp and their requirement, it is time to take a deeper look at their differences:
Appearance
cherry shrimp
Let's start with the size. Female cherry shrimp are generally about 1.5 inches long in size. I have written a whole article where you can find more about the size of cherry shrimp. Their male counterparts generally grow much smaller.
The most attractive aspect of cherry shrimp appearance is the color. Depending on the grade, their body color can range from a shade of pink to a deep red solid color.
Lower grades like red cherry shrimp have a pinkish color with lots of transparent patches all over the body. Higher grades like the painted fiery red have a solid red color on their body.
Cherry shrimp are always more colorful and attractive than the males. Also, when sexually mature, females will grow a saddle on their stomachs. The saddle is used to hold the eggs before they are fertilized. The saddle is usually orangutan colored.
ghost shrimp
Ghost shrimp have a transparent body. This helps them hide from prey effectively. Ghost shrimp are so transparent that you can even see the internal body functions, such as the digestion of food. This is what makes them so popular in the fishing world.
The average size of ghost shrimp is about 1.6 inches. Females can be larger than males.
Here's an interesting fact regarding the appearance of ghost shrimp: they have two antennae. One is longer than the other. Ghost Shrimp use these antennae to sense what is going on around them. The antenna can collect chemical information about the water, as well as check if there is any surrounding food.
Some biologists also think that the antenna helps ghost shrimp to be more social with their counterparts. However, it is not yet tested.
In terms of appearance, if you are looking for something colorful, then cherry shrimp win out over ghost shrimp.
water parameter
cherry shrimp
There are the ideal ranges of water parameters to keep cherry shrimp:
| Temperature | 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit |
| pH | 6.5 to 7.5 |
| gh | 6-8ppm |
| Kh | 1-4ppm |
| tds | 150-250ppm |
Let's explain each of the parameters briefly:
Ph: pH stands for Potential Hydrogen. It measures how acidic or alkaline the water is. pH is measured on a scale of 0 to 14. 0 means completely acidic and 14 means completely alkaline.
Gh : GH stands for General Hardness. It measures the amount of calcium and magnesium in the water.
Kh: KH refers to carbonate hardness. Indicates the stability of the pH in the water.
Tds: TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. It measures all the dissolved solid in the water except the H20 molecules.
ghost shrimp
For ghost shrimp, the ideal water parameter range is mentioned below:
| Temperature | 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit |
| pH | 7.00 to 8.00 |
| gh | 4-14 |
| Kh | 0-10 |
| tds | 80-400 |
In terms of water quality, ghost shrimp are much more forgiving.
Feeding
cherry shrimp
Cherry shrimp mainly live on 3 types of food: algae and biofilm, commercial food, and blanched vegetables as a treat.
Algae and biofilm are the main food source for cherry shrimp. If your tank has enough plants then the tank will automatically grow algae and biofilm. There is no need to provide anything extra. If there is not enough algae in the tank, you can provide algae wafers.
There are hundreds of commercial shrimp available on the market. Get a confidence and feed your shrimp on a regular basis. For my shrimp, I like Bacter AE Y Sinking Aquatic Gear Pellets. They are both great and my cherry shrimp go crazy over them. You can choose either one.
For blanched vegetables, you can provide cucumber, spinach, zucchini, lettuce, etc. Remember to provide these only as a gift. I feed my cherry shrimp blanched vegetable once a week.
ghost shrimp
You usually don't have to think about providing additional food for the ghost shrimp. They are great algae eaters and scavengers. Ghost shrimp are like eating machines. They constantly crawl through the substrate and eat any leftover food, detritus, plant matter, etc.
However, for proper shell growth, the ghost shrimp needs calcium. Therefore, you can provide them with some calcium shrimp feeds on a weekly basis. Additionally, Ghost Shrimp will eat on dead tankmates, fallen shrimp bodies, etc.
So, in terms of feeding, ghost shrimp are less picky eaters.
Breeding
cherry shrimp
Cherry shrimp give birth to babies directly, just like the miniature version of themselves. There is no larval stage involved with the rearing process. Baby shrimp can eat on their own.
At this stage, Indian almond leaves or cholla wood in the tank helps the shrimp a lot. Shrimp fishermen require lots of plants, moss, hiding places in the tank. It helps keep them safer from tank mates and other potential threats.
ghost shrimp
In the case of ghost shrimp, the rearing process is not that simple. Ghost shrimp have eggs. From the eggs, the larvae produce. The larvae take 4 to 5 days to develop into shrimp.
Shrimp require about 2 weeks to swim freely in the tank. Between the larvae and the shrimp, there is another stage called the Zoey. Zoeys live off bacteria until they turn to shrimp.
The worms are also a good food source for shrimp. Frozen blood worms are also a good option.
Therefore, based on the complexity of farming, cherry shrimp are the clear winner here.
tank mates
In case of compatibility, both cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp have almost similar requirements. You cannot keep any fish in the tank that is large enough to swallow the entire shrimp in one instance.
Also, any aggressive, temperamental and territorial fish is a big NO.
Snails, otocinlcus, corydoras catfish, bristlenose plecos, etc. they can be a good choice of tank mates for both shrimp.
Algae feeding capacity
cherry shrimp
Cherry shrimp are decent algae eaters. They do a good job of cleaning up soft algae around the tank. Cherry shrimp also eat biofilm from the tank.
However, compared to ghost shrimp they are not as effective algae eaters. Cherry shrimp avoid hard knit algae, hair and thread algae.
ghost shrimp
Ghost shrimp are like an algae eating machine. Many people actually keep ghost shrimp for their ability to eat algae. They are not picky like cherry shrimp. However hairy or tough the algae may be, the ghost shrimp will clean that up.
So, if your tank is suffering from algae bloom, Ghost Shrimp will be a very good option to reduce the amount of algae.
In terms of algae-eating ability, ghost shrimp are the clear winner.
survival rate
Cherry shrimp are not as hardy as ghost shrimp. Although they are not very demanding like cardina shrimp, they do require their water parameters to be in a specific range.
On the other hand, ghost shrimp can do well in a wide range of water parameters. They are very durable and can withstand many harsh environments.
Also, ghost shrimp can be larger than cherry shrimp. So they are less intimidated by other tankmates.
So in terms of survival rate, ghost shrimp surely beat cherry shrimp. But, ghost shrimp farming is much more difficult than cherry shrimp.
Can cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp live together?
Well, there is no definitive YES or NO answer. It's more like a gray line. Some people prefer to keep them both in the same tank. On the other hand, some shrimp keepers do not recommend it at all.
If you ask me, I will answer that it depends on the following factors:
- If the tank is big enough for a large colony of shrimp, then you can keep both. But if the tank is small, the ghost shrimp can be territorial and intimidate the cherry shrimp.
- Ghost shrimp can be mean to shrimp. They also sometimes try to eat them. So, if your tank has enough hiding places, plants, and moss, only then keep the two shrimp together. Otherwise, you could lose a lot of cherry shrimp.
conclusion
At the end of the day, it all comes down to your personal preference. Both cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp make great pets. If you are looking for something decorative and colorful, choose cherry shrimp.
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