How intelligent are ghost shrimp?

[Tinthalas Tigris]

I have noticed that my ghost shrimp will retire to the very back of the aquarium if I am not paying attentino to the aquarium (sitting in front of it).

As soon as I come back to sit in front of the aquarium, he will come to the fore front, dance around in figure 8s, and make his presence very known, seeming to get my attention.

My experience with crustaceans is far less than my minimal experience with general fish, so I've never had any idea how interesting it could be to have a shrimp in the tank until I picked this one up on Thursday.

My inquiring mind would like to know - How intelligent *is* this little guy?

[dramaqueen]

That is very intyeresting food for thought. I don't have any shrimp myself but they seem like pretty interesting creatures.

[kelly528]

Fish and inverts are smarter than we think. In fact, crustaceans were proven to be capable of feeling pain before fish were. Just think about octopi and squid... recent findings suggest octopi can learn to use tools. It is very possible that, just like fish do, your shrimp has learned a simple action/reward circut: Approach the tank when a person approaches -> recieve food.

[Jupiter]

I'm not sure how smart they are exactly, but certainly more than I gave them credit for. Mine know when it's feeding time and will come up and steal some food from the girls. :)

[2brown347]

I'm with Jupiter, idk how smart they are but they're smart enough to know you are the one that gives them food.

[Tinthalas Tigris]

She's a little bit shy today.

I turned on the light on the aquarium this evening when I got home from practice, and there wasn't much movement in the tank at all. She was just hanging out in the front left corner. I decided to give them all a reward of blood worms, since It had been a while since they had enjoyed them.

One started to fall right over her head, and instantly it was in her grasp and she suckled it down, albeit slowly.

As they all got fattened up, she was really slow today, like I woke her from a nap, and she just wanted breakfast in bed.

For the past 4 hours, she's just been really chill. Wandering around the aquarium without swimming at all. i was concerned my bettas ate her swimming legs, but it just seems she is a little bit lazy today. I guess thats what I get for coming home so late and turning the vita-light on almost 6 hours later than normal.

She definitely is not exhibiting the figure8 dance mentality, but gosh these critters are cool. She's just starting to wake up and chase my bettas around as we speak.

I'm really glad I picked up this hobby. I've had more entertainment out of this little 10 gallon tank in the last month than I might ever have had with my parent's cats while I lived with them.

Perhaps it is because it has been so long that I've kept a pet of my very own, but it really has been rewarding to have a tank.

[Eolith]

My ghosties are better at finding the bottom feeder pellets that I put in for them and the corys than the corys are. ^_^ They usually zip right over within about 30 seconds of the pellet being dropped, while it takes the corys a few minutes to snuffle around and find it.

[Evil Caesar]

I have been trying to figure out what to throw in the tank w/ my beta in a 5 gal Hex. Tomorrow I'm gonna take the plunge and get a Ghost Shrimp. Excited to add a tank mate in with my Beta. While I'm out gotta check out some bigger tanks for the future