Milky White Ghost Shrimp

[sandrac8388]

I got about a dozen ghost shrimp yesterday to put in my planted 5.5 and 10 gallon tanks. In this batch came a shrimp that seems to be milky white instead of the clear see thru. Does anyone know what this might mean or if I should take any precautions? Thank you!

[Silverfang]

if it turns all white, it's on it's way out. Ghost shrimp turn white when they pass

[Kytkattin]

I thought they turned pink?

[sandrac8388]

I have no idea. I googled it and they all say that it will eventually die :(

Should I let nature take its course or should I remove it from the tank?

[finnfinnfriend]

Originally Posted by sandrac8388

I have no idea. I googled it and they all say that it will eventually die :(

Should I let nature take its course or should I remove it from the tank?

Personally I would remove it and put it out of its misery, if you can stomach it *squish*

[Chuckee]

Occasionally, ghost shrimp aren't as clear as we feel like they should be, but generally that creamy whiteness means that it's towards the end.
Although, sometimes it just appears to mean that they are stressed, probably from the ride home. Give it a day or so... I neglect my shrimps for a couple of days when I bring them home. Then, whoever is still alive goes in the tanks, and whoever isn't goes back to the pet store (I figure if there's multiple bodies, the problem came from there).
I leave them in the tank, as long as they're still behaving normally, patrolling and eating and all. But if they start randomly bouncing about (like they're having seizures), or sitting there twitching their legs, or just hanging on, I pull 'em out.

[sandrac8388]

Yea I can't do that..I felt bad for throwing my pond snails out into my front garden area...lol...I'll probably just put it in a bowl and pour some quick cure in it, if i can even do that...I'll probably just let it be... :(

[Chuckee]

Originally Posted by Kytkattin

I thought they turned pink?

I've only ever had two turn pink... I just assumed that they were a different type of shrimp...
Besides, that's only after they're dead and curled up.

[Chuckee]

Soooo... I had to experiment. I know it sounds wrong, but I needed to know about the pink.
Basically, I left a probably dead Ghost (presumably) shrimp in water... Today it looks pink, and this is day 10. Up until now it was whitish. I couldn't stomach it decaying anymore, so it has been disposed of.

[OhNoLenX]

I have ghost shrimp and that one looks fine to me. When they actually start to turn white, you will know. They will literally be solid white and you cant see through them at all. They are probably just stressed and even when I had a shrimp turn white, it held on for a few months. If they are over an inch long then it may be old age, otherwise, just stress.