Jump to content

Opae'Ula Care (also known as Hawaiian Red Shrimp or Halocaridina Rubra)


Soothing Shrimp

Recommended Posts

This shrimp information is given by christinenha

 

 

This is an overview of Opae'Ula Care (also known as Hawaiian Red Shrimp or Halocaridina Rubra), and it's kind of long, so if you want to skip to a specific section, the times are listed below:

 
1. EcoSpheres & How I Got Into Opae'Ula (0:13)
2. Origins of Opae Ula (1:33)
3. Tank Requirements (1:52)
4. Water Requirements - Salinity (2:35)
5. Cycling Your Tank (3:49
6. Filter Requirements & Modifications (5:03)
7. Lighting Requirements (6:08)
8. Food Requirements (6:40)
9. Substrate (7:21)
10. Decorations/Plants (7:43)
11. Growth/Maturity (8:32)
12. Tank Mates (9:03)
13. Conclusion (9:34)
 
*NOTE: The way my camera catches the light makes the tank look cloudy. Neither the lighting nor the tank look that way in person. The light is bright, but doesn't shimmer like it does in the video, and the tank is actually crystal clear.
 
**I say both 7 and 8 months in the video because I have had the shrimp for 7 months, but I have been doing research and setting up the tank a month before that. =)
 
Here is a compilation of sources I originally found for information about Opae'Ula shrimp:
 
This site has everything you need to start a shrimp tank of your own. It has pretty limited information about their care, but their YouTube channel has more in-depth information. I purchased my shrimp, snails, lava rock, shrimp food, and gallon of cultured water all from ShrimpMart.net. They have amazing customer service and are very knowledgeable about Opae'Ula care. Shipping was also really fast!
 
Fuku Bonsai has a TON of information on Opae'Ula. I based most of my research on this site, but they do not sell the shrimp and their "micro-tanks" separately. Their tanks are basically little jars that don't look too aesthetically pleasing, so I decided not to purchase from them because I already had a nice tank set-up of my own.
 
This site has pretty decent, general information about Opae'Ula and also has a page on how to set up the tank. I followed MOST of the instructions except for the RO/distilled water (I used bottled water), their no substrate suggestion (I used sand), and their recommendation of random food (I purchased food specifically for shrimp).
 
This site kind of has a lot going on at once and has almost the same general information as petshrimp.com. I really only skimmed through this site because it pretty much has the same information as the sites I've already listed.
 
This is another keeper's experience with raising Opae'Ula. This site has very specific information about parameters, what to do, and what not to do.
 
Hope that helps! ^^

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The adults grow to about 1 cm in size. They are quite small compared to neos, and thus, create much less biowaste, which is why most people only do water changes once every six months or so. In a healthy environment, they exhibit a very nice, bright red color.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is a picture of one I took today in their newly semi-planted brackish tank. They've been stressed and almost clear during the move, but it looks like some are getting their color back. =)

 

Edit: Sorry, my phone's camera is a bit shaky, and the little guy kept moving around. I'm hoping to get a better camera soon to take better pictures. >.<

post-457-141525134936_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks SS, I was referring to the first link you provided and their price for them.  I just emailed the other link and will post prices once I hear from them if that is ok.

 

My main concern with Metabetaeus lohena is if they do in fact "eat" opae ula.  I have read that they do but there is no hard evidence proving this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...