Converting Saltwater Ghost Shrimp To Freshwater?

[guppy_man]

I went to maidenhead aquatics earlier today to get some live ghost shrimp for my oscar, they were in a saltwater tank. As i was getting them the man that was serving me said that they can be kept in saltwater and freshwater, but id have to acclimatise them slowly to get them used to FW.

I bought 20 for £2.50, ive given my oscar 10. After throwing the 10 shrimp for my oscar in they started to turn white after half anhour.

I've kept 10 shrimp in a jug with the salt water they were purchased in. Should i try and convert them to FW or just feed them to my oscar which im sure he will appreciate?.

 

[Colin_T]

you get glass shrimp that live in the ocean, and river, and estuary. Unfortunately the saltwater ones don't live in freshwater and vice versa. The brackish water variety can be acclimatised to fresh or saltwater but most die during the process.
Just feed them off before they die.

 

[Shrimper]

Has the oscar eaten the original ones yet? If he eats them quickly i don't see the point in trying to acclimatise them.

If you want to acclimatise them to freshwater beacuse you wanted to keep them for longer i would swap a some (probably 15/20% at a time) of their salt water for fresh every day for about a week and see how they get on. i wouldn't hold my breath though, if they are sold as feeders they probably wont survive that long.

 

[poconoboss]

As others have said they won't last long.

My LFS was selling (freshwater flounders) which are actually brackish, and while then can live in freshwater for some period, they will die eventually.

That doesn't stop people from trying to tell you that they can go in fresh, just so they can sell them to you.

 

[guppy_man]

Im not sure but i think i have actually converted them, i ended putting 7 shrimp in my 5gal betta tank, the first 2-3 hours 4 had started to develop white patches and eventually died, but today i have 3 left and they show no signs of white patches and are chasing and eating algae and flake.

Do you think they have been converted or do you think theyll die eventually?


I know it's not a wonderful thing but i would love these to survive in my tank, i think they are really interesting. If they don't survive ill just buy a few cherry's