# Will cherry shrimp and/or ghost shrimp eat algea?



## FieldsOfGreenSeaTurtles (May 3, 2011)

Like the title says, I'm thinking about getting some cherry shrimp and/or ghost shrimp but I want to know if they will eat algae. You see I have some driftwood in my tank that has some lovely green algae on it and I don't want the shrimp to eat it. You read that right, I like my algae. So I don't want to get anything that would take it away.

Also, what about bamboo shrimp, the ones that eat stuff in the water column with fans?


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

All shrimp eat green algae. Even the fan shrimps, although they probably won't ruin your algae coating when you feed them enough plankton(like) food.


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## FieldsOfGreenSeaTurtles (May 3, 2011)

Yo-han said:


> All shrimp eat green algae. Even the fan shrimps, although they probably won't ruin your algae coating when you feed them enough plankton(like) food.


thank you for the reply.

what are some examples plankton(like) foods?


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## AbsolutTalent (Jan 27, 2014)

I have some ghost shrimp and Neo Heteropoda (wild type of cherry) in my tanks, and none of them have been eating any green tufts of algae in my tanks. 

Not to say they wont, but I see them go after other stuff instead.


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

You can use frozen plankton, or grind some flakes, or use food with very tiny granules, baby food or something.


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## FieldsOfGreenSeaTurtles (May 3, 2011)

AbsolutTalent said:


> I have some ghost shrimp and Neo Heteropoda (wild type of cherry) in my tanks, and none of them have been eating any green tufts of algae in my tanks.
> 
> Not to say they wont, but I see them go after other stuff instead.


What do you feed them?


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## barakainus (Jun 11, 2009)

The picture is too small to see what kind of algae you have but my RCS or amanos don't touch any green algae, like Cladophora and alike. In fact, I've never seen eating any algae including black and red.


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## apistomaster (May 24, 2008)

I never found Cherry Shrimp or Ghost Shrimp to eat enough algae to notice.
Breeding Ghost Shrimp in aquariums is very different from Cherry or Crystal Red Shrimp as they hatch into minute larvae.
I use a densely planted tank where I place gravid females in a large net with coarse mesh.
In concept, much like a Guppy breeding trap. I'd place 3 or 4 gravid females inside the mesh then remove each one after her eggs have hatched.


I've bred both in the 1000's.
I fed mine primarily earth worm sticks and Artemia nauplii.


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