Snails and Ghost Shrimp

Question
Hello, I will be brief.  Can ghost shrimp and snails get ich?  Are there any diseases they can get that can be passed on to fish.
My ghost shrimp looks like he has white spots on him, he is new so I don't know if that is what he has always looked like or not.  Thanks.

Answer
Hey,

I can't answer that very directly with a simple yes or no, because I don't know if the strain of protozoan are the same, but yes. Ghost shrimp and snails and all aquatic life are capable of spreading disease to other creatures of the same water type. For example, if you bought your ghost shrimp and it had the bacteria for fin rot in it's body he may not suffer fin rot, but as he lives in your tank, the bacteria gets out of him into the water, and into your other fish. With bacterial infections, the only way to completely be sure is to simply watch and wait for symptoms before treating the water needlessly.

With ich, I'm certain a standard ich treatment will work, because that's all the pet stores use. However, I'd remove the ghost shrimp from your main tank and treat him separately if possible, if not, return him and exchange him for a healthy one as to try and prevent a mass epidemic in your tank. As for prevention, add some aquarium salt (if you dont use it already) and get a bottle of rid-ich on hand for fast easy treatment.

Same goes for snails, In a million years of working with aquatics, I've never seen a snail with any signs of sickness similar to a fish, but if it carries fish bacteria in it's body, the bacteria will get into your tank water and spread. Needless to say, whenever adding new fish to your aquarium, it's always best to keep a good close eye on them, feed a high vitamin rich diet, and sometimes even use a sort of stress coat booster if you're suspicious of anything in particular.

Best wishes, and good luck! If you have any other concerns feel free to ask.