Added some more shells and coral skeletons into the opae'ula tank! This is the ugliest tank i own but the shrimp are happy in their fake little tidepool so who am i to complain
One of my shrimp has berried!! I didn’t get a good picture because I had to rush out of the house but I’m so excited! I hope they hatch. You can’t tell too well in the pictures but the dark bits on the left picture and what looks like the rock right under her tail on the right picture are the eggs
Introducing the tiny tank known as the Opae Ula or in scientific terms Halocaridina rubra. These shrimp are native to Hawaii typically found in anchialine pools, due to where they live they have evolved to survive harsh environments such as temperatures drops (30° f), low oxygen levels, no food for up to years, and extreme changes in salinity.
Sadly their hardy nature has allowed them to fall victim to Ecospheres or micro ecosystems which are enclosed (sometimes open) small spheres of stagnant water where these shrimp can be forced to endure many of the harsh environments addressed above for months to years.
Let's do these tiny shrimp some justice and give them a environment they can thrive in and not just survive in.
Scientific name: Halocaridina rubra
Common names: Red Hawaiian shrimp, opae ula, supershrimp, red shrimp, and volcano shrimp.
Care level: Beginner, due to their hardy nature these guys make a good introduction to shrimps and brackish tanks.
Water: These guys can live in freshwater, brackish, and even saltwater. However they truly thrive in brackish waters of 1.008-1.016 specific gravity or 11-21ppt.
Temperature: 75-85°F / 23-29°C.
Tank size: 5 gallons is the minimum for a group of these guys, but 10 gallons is heavily recommended as to make maintaining salinity and temperatures easier. When kept properly in these guys will easily breed so that’s something you’ll defiantly want to consider when choosing a tank size.
Size: 0.5" is the average size. Much smaller then most freshwater shrimp you'll see for sure!
Feeding: These guys are scavengers much like other species of shrimps and will eat a variety of foods such as pellets, algae wafers, veggies/leafy greens, etc. Currently I feed mine high quality pellets, algae wafers, spirulina and the occasional blanched zucchini and leafy greens.
Here are some articles that can give you a idea of what to feed, they are not made for opae ula most shrimp have the same tastes;
Planted Tank
Natural Pet care
Aquarium tidings
Filtration: Most care sheets are going to tell you to skip right past filtration and use the excuse “They prefer slow moving waters” or “It stresses them out” which is completely false. Well these guys can survive without a filter, they surely aren’t going to thrive in a tank without one. Like any tank they need a cycle of beneficial bacteria to help cycle out the bad stuff, but since they prefer slow moving waters you aren’t going to need anything very strong.
Personally I use a sponge filter in my tank, but I also have a weak power head to assist in preventing any dead spots in the tank and my shrimp don’t mind it.
When choosing a filter you’ll want to make sure your shrimp and baby shrimp aren’t going to get sucked into the intake so any filter then a sponge might need some modification.
*Cycling a brackish tank is very similar to cycling a freshwater tank, if your unfamiliar with cycling check this article out. Fishless cycle is preferred, but if your freeing yours from a ecosphere its better to do fish-in then leave then in the sphere.
Tank Mates: Since these shrimp are so tiny you aren’t going to be able to keep them with any fish since they’ll just become a snack to them. There are a few invert tank mates you can keep with your shrimp depending on the salinity you choose to keep yours in. Please research the specific invert and species you want before adding them to your tank, this is only a suggestion or to give you a idea of what you can stock!
Nerite Snails, these snails come in a variety of colors and sizes depending on the species you choose. Many thrive in brackish waters and can also live in freshwater, but keep in mind they also will breed in brackish water. 10g minimum.
Blue-legged Hermit crabs, tiny adorable hermit crabs commonly kept in saltwater tanks as a clean up crew can safely be kept with shrimp. They are mostly found in saltwater, but can also be found in high end brackish waters. 10g minimum.
Other snails, theres many other snails besides just the nerites that can be kept in brackish tanks like Malaysian trumpet snails(1.010), assassin snails(1.003), rabbit snails(1.003).
Other shrimp, if kept in freshwater or low brackish you can keep other species of shrimp like cherry shrimp(1.003) and amano shrimp(1.005).
Decor: These shrimp prefer lots of hiding spots and will be stressed if left out in the open. Using plants (in fresh or low brackish) is a attractive and easy way to provide your shrimp with cover. Here’s a good post on brackish tolerant plants!
Live rock is commonly used in saltwater tanks, but it can also be used in brackish tanks in a similar way. It provides lots of cover for your shrimp since it has lots of holes and crevasses for them to hide in. If you want to add a little green to your tank you can also use macro algae though! List of brackish tolerant macro algae here.
Water Changes: Many care sheets will tell you not to do water changes since it stresses them out, it is true it’ll stress them out, but it does not mean you should keep your shrimp in dirty water. A quick water change certainly isn’t going to kill them and a moment of stress for clean water is going to outweigh the downsides. Weekly or bi-weekly 25% water changes should be done on the tank. Personally I do mine bi-weekly since my tank is established and under stocked, I keep a eye on my water quality and do them before if needed.
Conclusion:
I hope this care sheet helped you guys out, if you have any questions or concerns feel free to shoot me a ask!
Also got a ecosphere and want to free your shrimp and give them a better life, but not sure how to crack that thing open safely? Check out this video! If you can’t watch the video I’ll give my best description:
On the bottom of the sphere there is a area where the sphere is sealed with a ring of silicone, carefully work around the silicone, and once you’ve worked that off pour the shrimp into a container.
*Also you are going to want to drip acclimate your shrimp to minimize stress and deaths.
