Care
Ghost Shrimp Water Parameters Explained
7 min read · Updated November 2026
Water parameters · Ships Mon-Wed from Florida · Live arrival guaranteed
Shop the 25-packGhost shrimp are hard-water animals from the southeastern United States. They tolerate a wider chemistry range than almost any ornamental shrimp, which means the goal is not chasing an ideal number, it is preventing swings.
Target ranges
- Temperature
- 65–80 °F, ideally 72–78 °F
- pH
- 7.0–8.0
- GH (general hardness)
- 6–15 dGH
- KH (carbonate hardness)
- 4–10 dKH
- TDS
- 150–400 ppm
- Ammonia
- 0 ppm
- Nitrite
- 0 ppm
- Nitrate
- Under 20 ppm
Why GH matters most
General hardness measures calcium and magnesium, the raw material for a shrimp's exoskeleton. Below about 6 dGH, molts start failing: the shrimp cannot build a strong enough new shell, gets stuck halfway out of the old one, and dies. If you are on RO or very soft well water, remineralize to a GH of 8 or higher before adding shrimp.
Why KH matters second
Carbonate hardness buffers pH. A tank with a KH near zero can swing two full pH points overnight as CO2 rises and falls, and pH swings stress invertebrates badly. Keeping KH between 4 and 10 makes pH essentially self-correcting.
Testing routine
- Liquid test kits, not strips, strips drift badly with age
- Ammonia and nitrite weekly for the first month, then monthly
- GH and KH monthly, and after any water source change
- Temperature daily by glance; a stuck heater is a same-day emergency
Water changes without shocking them
Change 10–20% weekly with dechlorinated water matched to tank temperature. Large, infrequent changes are worse than small, regular ones, a 50% change with cooler, harder tap water can trigger a mass molt, and mass molts in a stressed colony mean deaths.
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
65 to 80 °F (18 to 27 °C).
More shrimp guides
In-depth guides on stocking, molting, breeding and feeding.
