[robitreef]

There is an article that I was just reading saying that ghost shrimp will eat hair and beard algae.

Here is a link:

http://naturalaquariums.com/aquariums/art01.html

The author states they cannot eradicate huge amounts, but will prevent it from taking a foothold. I know many LFS that sell them as feeders, but they are definately less expensive then Amano shrimp. Anyone have thoughts on this?

 

[trenac]

They are mainly scavengers eating left overs, however they may eat some algae; but no where near what the Amanos will. If you are looking specifically for a algae eater I would spend the extra money and get the Amano's, if it does not matter to you then get the Ghost shrimp and see how they work for you.

 

[Piscesgirl]

I would agree with Trenac, but also that the shrimp we call "Ghost shrimp" is a pretty ill-defined group. They sometimes include the male Cherry shrimp who aren't as red, long-arm shrimp that can end up attacking and eating fish, and basically any clear-ish shrimp they find. So, there very well could be some algae eaters in some of the Ghost shrimp populations out there. Hopefully, we'll have better descriptions as shrimp become more popular in the hobby.