I'll post about what I've learned about grass shrimp so far. I'm on a time crunch this morning, so I haven't done a lot of in depth research yet. If anyone else knows anything, please chime in.

These shrimp are often confused because they're tiny and hard to ID without a microscope, but the care of them for feeding purposes shouldn't differ much. The shrimp for sale at Polly's are Palgemonetes vulgaris, commonly called grass shrimp, glass shrimp, marsh grass shrimp, and popcorn shrimp, as well as others I'm sure. (I'm fond of the popcorn shrimp moniker!)

Grass shrimp are eurythermal, they can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. They can also tolerate a wide range of salinity. (As long as properly acclimated, of course.)

They normally eat epiphytic algae, which is a plant that grows on another plant, like spanish moss and mistletoe. I'm hoping this means they'll be good at eating nuisance algae like the slime on glass or hair algae. I'll post when I see results of this being true. They are normally detrivores and algae grazers, but can be cannabilistic and carnivorous in captivity. This seems understandable, if they're kept in a glass box they'll eat what they can to stay alive. So, like with any crab or shrimp, they are "reef safe" with caution. (Although I don't think they stand a chance to be aggressive if there are any hungry fish around!)

They breed as late as October, and can take up to 60 days to hatch, and need a bit of time to grow. They may not be available through the end of winter, as they are collected from the wild, not captive bred.

Karin knows a bit about their useful nature as a live food, I hope she'll post what she found?