corvus

Reading this forum got me all psyched up to try shrimp. But when it comes right down to it, I'm not really ready, tank-wise, to try any Cherries or anything else yet. (Not to mention I wouldn't order anything live through the mail during this heat wave.)
So just for fun, I bought 20 ghost shrimp to put in my 20 high that I use to keep extra plants, and to nurse other plants back to health. For $2, what the hey, I have some shrimp!
After putting them in the tank early last evening, I just left them alone for a couple hours to get settled in.
When I came back later and started looking really closely, I was really surprised to find that at least 2 of these shrimp have 1/2 red antennae, some red on their main claws, and 2 spots of red on their tail! Their bodies/shell are not completely clear either, but have some black or dark brown markings (pretty random) on them.

2 or 3 shrimp died overnight, but I just looked now, and those 2 shrimp are still there and look healthy. There are tons of plants in the tank, there could be more like that, but the majority of the shrimp have no color at all.

What gives here?

I'm a total shrimp noob, so any info you could pass along would be greatly appreciated.

Paul

PS, I tried to get pics, didn't get anything worth beans yet. I'll try again this evening.

trenac

I have found that Ghost shrimp come in different shades of white and have various colors on their body parts (tails, antennae, etc).

awohld

My ghost shrimp are exactly as you describe, with red bands on their claws, red antenna, and spots on their tails.

Musket

I too have had ghost shrimp with various black/brown stripes, dots and also some with the red as you describe. Just enjoy them, and learn. They are great fun to watch.

Purrbox

When I've kept ghost shrimp in the past, they also displayed the coloration highlights that you described. The coloration intensified and showed up on more of the shrimp the longer I had them. I think it may be an indication of how healthy and happy they are, much like a fish coloring up as it settles into a new tank.