ghost shrimps in dsb?

[James0_85]

Hi i was wondering if it would be ok to have ghost shrimps in a dsb

[rshimek]

Hi James,

Well, thalassinids (ghost shrimp) are common in reef sediments and temperate areas. These guys are just about the maximum excavators that you could find. They might do well in a really deep sand bed, 15 cm or more, but they would really tend to destroy the bed. Additionally, they would really like a a deeper bed (I have excavated some temperate ghost shrimp burrows that ran more than 1 m straight down before they branched... :D) I suspect a couple of them could ultimately turn over all the sediment in an aquarium in anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. They would totally destroy any layering of aerobic and anaerobic layers.

I think they would be fascinating animals to keep in a "species" tank dedicated to them, but not in a sand bed in a reef.

:D

[James0_85]

thankx :D in that case my tank doesnt need them