Comparison
Ghost Shrimp vs Cherry Shrimp: Which Should You Keep?
6 min read · Updated November 2026
Ghost vs cherry shrimp · Ships Mon-Wed from Florida · Live arrival guaranteed
Shop the 25-packThese are the two shrimp new keepers choose between, and the advice online treats them as near-equivalents. They are not. The differences in breeding biology and temperament should drive the decision.
At a glance
- Species
- Palaemonetes paludosus vs Neocaridina davidi
- Appearance
- Transparent with speckles vs solid red (and other colors)
- Adult size
- 1–1.5" vs 1–1.2"
- Breeding in freshwater
- Larvae rarely survive vs colonizes readily
- Water hardness
- Prefers harder water vs tolerant, prefers moderate
- Temperament
- Opportunistic, occasionally scrappy vs entirely peaceful
- Cost per shrimp
- Low vs moderate to high
- As feeders
- Excellent vs wasteful
Choose ghost shrimp if
- You want an affordable, effective cleanup crew
- You need feeders for larger fish, axolotls or turtles
- You keep hard tap water and do not want to remineralize
- You find transparent anatomy genuinely interesting to watch
- You want live bait for freshwater fishing
Choose cherry shrimp if
- You want visible color in a planted display tank
- You want a self-sustaining colony that breeds without intervention
- Your tank has small, timid fish or none at all
- You are happy paying more per animal for looks
Can they live together?
Yes, in a well-planted tank with enough food. Ghost shrimp are larger and will occasionally harass a freshly molted cherry, but in practice mixed tanks work fine when there is cover and no food competition. Note that they do not interbreed, different genera entirely.
Quick compare
| Ghost shrimp | Cherry shrimp | Amano shrimp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Look | Clear body | Red or colored | Clear to brown |
| Breeds in a home tank | Rarely, larvae need special care | Yes, babies look like adults | No, larvae need brackish water |
| Hair algae | Soft algae and biofilm | Soft algae and biofilm | Better at tougher algae |
| Common use | Cleanup and live food | Colony display | Algae control |
Frequently asked questions
No. They are different genera.
Go deeper
Ghost Shrimp vs Amano Shrimp
