Getting live rock was senseless in this case since the rock is from pure ocean water and the things alive in it will die almost immediately once you put them into just brackish water, especially at about half the specific gravity of ocean water (as in your setup). I would not be as much worried about what to feed them (they eat pretty much everything the other algae eating shrimp eat), I would be worried about keeping them alive.
Now you have an uncycled tank with "dead rock" which is probably continuously releasing ammonia into your tank as the life in the rock died.
Why did you not think about all this before ordering the shrimp? Have you *never* cycled a tank before?
Hawaiian Reds
Moderator: Mustafa
Ok, sir -- you are insulting and just plain rude all right? I am doing my best here and have gotten pretty much nothing but whining and accusing from you. I told you I bought these shrimp as FRESHWATER species, so go complain to the seller, ok? The guy propogating the ignorance and abuse...I came here for some help which shows that I am at least TRYING....and you'll also find if you pay attention to my first posts, that no, I have not cycled a marine tank before...because I've *never* owned any marine species... I didn't know I was ordering a marine species at the time!!! I doubt you were just born knowing all you know about marine tanks and cycling them.
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scrimp
I dont understand why he wont sell you anything or answer your questions. Guess the fact they call them microlobsters is fact enough they dont know what they are talking about...sucks they arent helping you out with your shrimp though. I think you should clean your live rock up since its now your dead rock and polluting your water.Acsuth wrote: I contacted David who sells the 'microlobsters' on that site...get this...he won't sell me any of his specially formulated food OR his care guide! How do you like that? Well, he wrote me once and politely told me that I shouldn't concentrate on food for them....I guess that was his final answer...I really think he should have at least sold me his care guide.
Anyway, I have e-mailed the seller of the Hawaiian reds twice already now since I sent payment, asking about what he feeds him and the water parameters -- but he hasn't responded back!Poor little guys, I hope what I've got will be ok for them...I had no clue how complicated this was going to be.
I am not insulting. I am just blunt for a good reacon. Don't take insult to every blunt statement right away. I have seen too many of these animals suffer because people just don't do enough research *beforehand* (which is easily done nowadays thanks to online resources), relying on hearsay or the people they buy the animals from. People who commercially sell animals of any kind know next to nothing about them, although they would like to make you believe they do. They are selling you the animals because they are making money off of that.
I am just trying to tell you that you should do some research on your own before ordering any kind of live animals. If you take insult to that, then I don't know what to say. If I had been you I would have just cancelled the order instead of doing some emergency measures, which are bound to fail also.
Try to take this as a lesson instead of getting insulted. I know some people are not used to the naked truth, but that is what it is.
I am just trying to tell you that you should do some research on your own before ordering any kind of live animals. If you take insult to that, then I don't know what to say. If I had been you I would have just cancelled the order instead of doing some emergency measures, which are bound to fail also.
Try to take this as a lesson instead of getting insulted. I know some people are not used to the naked truth, but that is what it is.
well...my pitiful uncycled 'brackish' tank is now a full marine tank...more emergency measures...if it weren't so pathetic it would be comical. On a more hopeful note, my worm has come to back to life lol perhaps the rock will be ok...sure I've only had it for a few hours, but I'm quite fond of it already. It certainly still "looks" alive...who knows...as for the naked truth, I'm cool with that...cool with *constructive* criticism -- but to just tell me I've screwed it all and that's that with no solution or concrete advise is just sad. A friend I talked to yesterday -- who has had reef tanks in the past, suggested the live rock to "seed" my tank with marine algae! lol And you know what, if I could cancel the order now...I would, truly...but the seller hasn't e-mailed me back since last Thursday and they are surely on their way to me already. Don't worry, I'm not going to bother you anymore for advise about them...I wish I had never asked, really.
You're not bothering me. Keep asking ahead and I will try to answer to the best of my abilities. All I demand from people is to do *some* research first before asking questions, that's all. As to constructive advice, the whole website and this forum is full of it...just pick and choose.
Your shrimp will be fine in a marine tank.
Your shrimp will be fine in a marine tank.
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scrimp
Wll Acsuth im like you I much would rather have a discussiont hen just go and read it myself as all infor varies even amoung what you read online. As the web site itself shows you cant always believe what you read. Especially when your paying the price you pay. I think its good you tried your emergency measures it shows your trying at least. Im sure your shrimp will be good with you as your doing your best. If they pass on then you accese what went wrong and you learn from it and try not to do it again. Hopefully youll have no losses and nothing dies.
My H. rubra just arrived!! woohoo -- I'm totally stoked with them 
All of them survived and they appear to be healthy....now, the seller never did reveal salinity levels to me...so get this(you're gonna love this one Mustafa) -- to figure out what kind of saline levels I was dealing with -- I tasted their water(Not enough water to use the hydrometer -- what can one do?)...then I tasted my marine water(don't tell me I'm dying now 
) -- and dude, mine tastes just about twice as salty so I figure they are in 1.010 - 1.012 or so..as mine is at 1.022...
I put some established crushed coral from one of my freshwater tanks in the bottom of a bowl and I put them into the bowl along with their old water and the clump of java moss they arrived in. I'm wary of messing with their parameters...they're cute and healthy right now and I don't want to muck this up. About half appear light red(a couple have what appear to be darker red "saddles")...then the other half are more a pinkish gray and a couple have yellowish-white looking saddles.
Opinions anyone? Do I slowly attempt to acclimate them to the 1.022 water?? or should I stick with water around 1.010? Mustafa -- were your H. rubra already acclimated to seawater when you got them? They appear to be grazing off the java moss...and if they like that, perhaps I shouldn't do the full-on marine setup...I'm freaked out about the aptasia getting to them now, and I don't want to kill the aptasia either...kinda cute to watch them eat the brineshrimp I offer...oh well, I've got pet aptasia now I suppose.
**shrimp drama: to be continued...**
All of them survived and they appear to be healthy....now, the seller never did reveal salinity levels to me...so get this(you're gonna love this one Mustafa) -- to figure out what kind of saline levels I was dealing with -- I tasted their water(Not enough water to use the hydrometer -- what can one do?)...then I tasted my marine water(don't tell me I'm dying now ) -- and dude, mine tastes just about twice as salty so I figure they are in 1.010 - 1.012 or so..as mine is at 1.022...I put some established crushed coral from one of my freshwater tanks in the bottom of a bowl and I put them into the bowl along with their old water and the clump of java moss they arrived in. I'm wary of messing with their parameters...they're cute and healthy right now and I don't want to muck this up. About half appear light red(a couple have what appear to be darker red "saddles")...then the other half are more a pinkish gray and a couple have yellowish-white looking saddles.
Opinions anyone? Do I slowly attempt to acclimate them to the 1.022 water?? or should I stick with water around 1.010? Mustafa -- were your H. rubra already acclimated to seawater when you got them? They appear to be grazing off the java moss...and if they like that, perhaps I shouldn't do the full-on marine setup...I'm freaked out about the aptasia getting to them now, and I don't want to kill the aptasia either...kinda cute to watch them eat the brineshrimp I offer...oh well, I've got pet aptasia now I suppose.
**shrimp drama: to be continued...**
You don't have to keep them under full marine conditions. You can just keep them at the specific gravity you have right now. Just get some test kits and monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels.
Mine came in water that had a specific gravity of only 1.004. I threw the shrimp into water with specific gravity of 1.018. They took that salinity change quite well, although I would not recommend doing salinity changes quite that dramatically in the future. Later I raised specific gravity to 1.023-1.025 as I bought two Lysmata sp. shrimp and a pair of Green Emerald Crabs (Mithrax sculptus).
Mustafa
Mine came in water that had a specific gravity of only 1.004. I threw the shrimp into water with specific gravity of 1.018. They took that salinity change quite well, although I would not recommend doing salinity changes quite that dramatically in the future. Later I raised specific gravity to 1.023-1.025 as I bought two Lysmata sp. shrimp and a pair of Green Emerald Crabs (Mithrax sculptus).
Mustafa
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scrimp
Tell me you didnt really taste the water LOLAcsuth wrote:and dude, mine tastes just about twice as salty so I figure they are in 1.010 - 1.012 or so..as mine is at 1.022...
You can mix hawaian red with true marine shrimp? I love those little shrimp that eat the star fish, I cant remeber their name I saw them at the LFS I go to. DO you find the salt water shrimp any more difficult then the fresh water ones Mufasa?Mufasa wrote:Later I raised specific gravity to 1.023-1.025 as I bought two Lysmata sp. shrimp and a pair of Green Emerald Crabs (Mithrax sculptus)
about your live rock with the aptasia; did you order it online or did you get it at a lfs? i got some live rock recently wich i later found out had been curing in the pet store for a long time and therefor had nothing more than bacteria. should live rock look alive before getting it? im not worried about die off as the tank is only in a cycling stage at this point.
You can mix hawaian red with true marine shrimp? I love those little shrimp that eat the star fish, I cant remeber their name I saw them at the LFS I go to.[/quote]
harlequin shrimp eat starfih, these are most likely what you saw.
You can mix hawaian red with true marine shrimp? I love those little shrimp that eat the star fish, I cant remeber their name I saw them at the LFS I go to.[/quote]
harlequin shrimp eat starfih, these are most likely what you saw.
Hawaiian Red, What a Pet to Have, Hummm..where do I start ?
I’m a newby at this, and would like to have everything prepared before getting the Hawaiian Red (Opae-ula) that I want.
I was exposed to these fascinating little guys a few years back when I brought an Ecoshpere from Brookstone for a girl that I liked. Never having the courage to give it to her I ended up keep in my-self. Before long, I got attached to these little guys.
I had the ecosphere for a good three years, I think it would have lasted for another year or two if it hadn’t been for my mom, who decided that it would be nice to let the Orb (as she calls it) to have a little light and placed that orb on the table with direct sunlight. Needless to say the little shrimps all went to their forever happy place.
This was a few years back.
Recently, I found the orb again, sitting in dust the empty orb was filled with nothing but green algae. Bringing back the fond memories of those little guy, I decided that I wanted to have them as pets again. Looking on-line, I found that it’ll cost me $40 (around that price) to get the Orb RE-FILLED. I did some more research and decided why pay $40 for a little orb with 4 shrimp when I can have a 10 gallon tank full of them, so that’s why I’m on this board today.
I got my equipment (not complete yet), and would like any of you to pitch in your advice
Have
10 Gallon TruVu Aquatic Tank
Millennium 2000 Power Filter
Heater (forgot what brand)
Lighting (forgot what too)
Obtained all the equipment above from a roommate who had a saltwater tank during college.
I did the following research, so let me know if my information is wrong or what you suggest / recommend:
1) Need to know how to remove Calcium build up in the tank, since the tank was originally for salt water and there are all these hard white stuff that’s stuck to the filter and tank. (tried searching on the web, but all of the results were for chemical cleaners which I think will leave a residue and probably kill the shrimps)..sorry this is not a shrimp related question
2) Salinity Level = 1.005 to 1.012 (going to use Instant Ocean for mixing)
3) Test Kits (Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite) do I need a Copper test kit ??, what about one for PH ?? (still not sure what PH is for) (any recommended place to get them for cheap or in a combo pack ?)
4) Foam Filter thing-e so that the little shrimps don’t get sucked into the filter
5) Plants – Thinking of using Java Fern & Java Moss (any other suggestions ?, and places to get them ?)
6) Substrates – Thinking of using a mixture of Coral sand (for it’s Calcium) with Play sand (good or no ??)
7) Do I really need a Aeration device or will my power filter be enough ?
8 ) Any recommended food to feed the Opae-ula, I know they mainly feed on algae
9) Do I need the heater ?…I live in So Cal, so the temperature never gets too low in the house.
10) Anything else that I need or I should have ?
11) Tank mates, what other species of tank mates can I have, not looking for shrimp..but hermit crabs or crabs ?
I want to get the tank ready and start my water cycle by next week. (do I need to add pure ammonia to start the cycle or can I just let all of the set up run for 1-2 weeks ?)
Don’t plan to have any other fishes or pets in it besides the Opae-ula Shrimps.
Any feedback will be much appreciated as my experience is limited.
Thanks in advance.
I was exposed to these fascinating little guys a few years back when I brought an Ecoshpere from Brookstone for a girl that I liked. Never having the courage to give it to her I ended up keep in my-self. Before long, I got attached to these little guys.
I had the ecosphere for a good three years, I think it would have lasted for another year or two if it hadn’t been for my mom, who decided that it would be nice to let the Orb (as she calls it) to have a little light and placed that orb on the table with direct sunlight. Needless to say the little shrimps all went to their forever happy place.
This was a few years back.
Recently, I found the orb again, sitting in dust the empty orb was filled with nothing but green algae. Bringing back the fond memories of those little guy, I decided that I wanted to have them as pets again. Looking on-line, I found that it’ll cost me $40 (around that price) to get the Orb RE-FILLED. I did some more research and decided why pay $40 for a little orb with 4 shrimp when I can have a 10 gallon tank full of them, so that’s why I’m on this board today.
I got my equipment (not complete yet), and would like any of you to pitch in your advice
Have
10 Gallon TruVu Aquatic Tank
Millennium 2000 Power Filter
Heater (forgot what brand)
Lighting (forgot what too)
Obtained all the equipment above from a roommate who had a saltwater tank during college.
I did the following research, so let me know if my information is wrong or what you suggest / recommend:
1) Need to know how to remove Calcium build up in the tank, since the tank was originally for salt water and there are all these hard white stuff that’s stuck to the filter and tank. (tried searching on the web, but all of the results were for chemical cleaners which I think will leave a residue and probably kill the shrimps)..sorry this is not a shrimp related question
2) Salinity Level = 1.005 to 1.012 (going to use Instant Ocean for mixing)
3) Test Kits (Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite) do I need a Copper test kit ??, what about one for PH ?? (still not sure what PH is for) (any recommended place to get them for cheap or in a combo pack ?)
4) Foam Filter thing-e so that the little shrimps don’t get sucked into the filter
5) Plants – Thinking of using Java Fern & Java Moss (any other suggestions ?, and places to get them ?)
6) Substrates – Thinking of using a mixture of Coral sand (for it’s Calcium) with Play sand (good or no ??)
7) Do I really need a Aeration device or will my power filter be enough ?
8 ) Any recommended food to feed the Opae-ula, I know they mainly feed on algae
9) Do I need the heater ?…I live in So Cal, so the temperature never gets too low in the house.
10) Anything else that I need or I should have ?
11) Tank mates, what other species of tank mates can I have, not looking for shrimp..but hermit crabs or crabs ?
I want to get the tank ready and start my water cycle by next week. (do I need to add pure ammonia to start the cycle or can I just let all of the set up run for 1-2 weeks ?)
Don’t plan to have any other fishes or pets in it besides the Opae-ula Shrimps.
Any feedback will be much appreciated as my experience is limited.
Thanks in advance.
Not sure you'll need a power filter. We've had two tanks going since last summer with only a sponge filter in one set at minimum bubbling, the other tank has no filtering at all and both are doing really well--no shrimp loss, haven't noticed any babies yet but spring and early summer are supposed to be when they normally breed. The pools these guys live in Hawaii don't have a lot of movement. They eat algae and microscopic lifeforms that live on the lava rock--you can augment their diet with powdered spirulina in very small doses because it will pollute the tank quickly if you over feed. You probably will need a pile of lava rock (black rock--looks like obsidian) for them to hide in to simulate the tunnels. Some live sand rather than live rock which might have too much inappropriate stuff on it. I don't think a heater is necessary in your area--we haven't used a heater in any of our shrimp tank up here in N.Calif. although the room is heated when the temp drops below about 60. Have found javamoss, anacharis, hornswort die within a few weeks of being in the brackish salinity; the manatee grass never got established and died too. Regular "brillo" macroalgae did just fine but shrimp ddin't seem to utilize it and it collected a lot of crud so it got removed. Not sure there is anything other than algae growing in the pools in Hawaii.