Care
What to Feed Ghost Shrimp
6 min read · Updated November 2026
Feeding · Ships Mon-Wed from Florida · Live arrival guaranteed
Shop the Clean-Up CrewGhost shrimp are scavengers with a strong preference for anything soft, decaying and covered in biofilm. In an established planted tank they are close to self-feeding. In a bare or new tank they need real meals.
The core diet
- Biofilm and soft algae, their natural staple
- Blanched zucchini, cucumber, spinach, green beans and carrot
- Sinking shrimp pellets and algae wafers
- Indian almond leaves and oak leaf litter as a slow-release food source
- Frozen bloodworms, daphnia or brine shrimp once a week
How to blanch vegetables
Slice thin, boil for two to three minutes until soft, cool in cold water, and sink the piece with a fork or a plant weight. Remove anything left after four to six hours, vegetables rot fast and foul water faster.
How much and how often
Two to three feedings a week is plenty for a mature tank. Feed an amount the group can finish in two hours. The single most common mistake new shrimp keepers make is feeding a fish-sized portion to animals that each eat a crumb.
Gut-loading feeder shrimp
If you are using ghost shrimp as feeders, what they eat becomes what your fish eats. Hold them in a cycled tank for 24–48 hours and feed a high-quality pellet, spirulina, or a calcium-rich prepared food before offering them. A gut-loaded shrimp delivers meaningfully better nutrition than one pulled straight from a bag.
From order to tank
- 1Order your pack. Orders placed before noon Eastern on Wednesday will most likely ship that same week.
- 2We ship Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, so boxes do not sit over a weekend.
- 3Open the box on arrival, float the bag to match temperature, then drip acclimate.
- 4Net the shrimp into a cycled tank with cover. Never pour shipping water into the aquarium.
Frequently asked questions
They are omnivores and graze biofilm and algae and eat prepared foods.
Go deeper
Are Ghost Shrimp Good Cleaners? Ghost Shrimp as a Clean-Up Crew
