New Tank Set Up - Questions

[BostonJill]

Ok, getting there... Found hardscape I like, pressure washed it today, going to give it a good soak for a few days. I have to say, it looks Beautiful in person, I'm very happy so far ... Got the timer toady, so I'm going to add the water today to start cycling.

IMG_9717.JPG

Beautiful lava rock Jon. Did you find it in the wild or at a store?

[jonlz]

Thanks Rob, I'll look into that

Hi Jill, thanks, got it in the wild (Shoreline.)... Going to take my chances, so I pressure washed it, now it'll soak for a few days with many water changes

[KenCotigirl]

Joniz go ahead and make us jealous for more reasons that you live in Hawaii. Lava looks wonderful.
Ken

[jonlz]

Lol.. Thanks Ken... I was going to add that it was a nice sunny day today, around 80 degs. and in one of the pet store I go to I saw Opae Ula 10 for 7.50 ... But didn't want to borer ya'all with all of that

Jon

[BostonJill]

Lol.. Thanks Ken... I was going to add that it was a nice sunny day today, around 80 degs. and in one of the pet store I go to I saw Opae Ula 10 for 7.50 ... But didn't want to borer ya'all with all of that

Jon

Jon, can you please send some of your weather back East there's still snow on the ground around here

[jonlz]

Jill, that's kind of funny if you think about it... There you are with snow, and yet your Opae are there having babies It so has to be the mood lighting!

And yes, your loving and care too

[jonlz]

The "Kids" are Home!.. Seem to be settling in just fine.. About 1/3 inch in "TINNINESS"...lol

home.jpg (43.47 KiB) Viewed 4143 times

[Rob in Puyallup]

Great color, too!

[Mustafa]

Hey Jon,

Welcome to the forum! Did you end up using any bacterial cultures? Usually, since these shrimp have a very small bioload (i.e. produce very tiny amounts of ammonia) no extensive cycling or the use of bacterial cultures are needed. The tank kinda cycles itself over time. The problem is that ammonia gets into a tank in other ways at the very beginning (decoration, water, excess food etc.). Your shrimp look active, so it looks like you did not introduce any sources of ammonia. Good!

As for good weather, San Diego is a close second to Hawaii when it comes to weather. We had 84, 83 and 73 degrees Friday, Saturday and Sunday...but a measly 65 today (which is just about "average" for this time of the year). I wish it would stay in the 80s and 70s all the time, like it does on Oahu...I know I'm spoiled here, and we have better weather than most of the country...but the frequent days in the 60s and a few here and there in the upper 50s during the winter is way too cold for my taste. Let's not even talk about the ocean temperatures....brrrrrr

With regards to the price of these shrimp in Hawaii...wild-caught animals in most pet hobbies always come cheaper than captive-bred ones...after all, it takes time and effort to breed animals..catching them is comparatively easy and *cheap*. However, catching animals from the wild, especially animals with limited distributions, always comes with its own problems. Certain species of fish, many species of reptiles and amphibians, and various species of birds died out or are threatened with extinction due to collections for the pet hobby. The "golden mantella frog" used to be sold for $5-$10 each at some point. Now they cost several hundred dollars each IF you can get them. Madagascar (the frog is endemic to that island) implemented an export ban after the frog was almost wiped out by collectors. There are many more exampled like that. I have a feeling the same may happen if the Opae ula become really popular worldwide...which, no doubt, they will be. See the thread "the lure of the wild shrimp."

[jonlz]

Thanks for having me... I didn't use any bacterial cultures; I'm really trying to keep this as simple as possible. But I also know I rolled the dice in a sense using the rock from the shoreline, even after pressure washing and soaking, but it seems to be ok.

I looked over the thread before "the lure of the wild shrimp" I can only hope that the Opae Ula I got from the pet store is farm raised. There was a good 400-500 in the tank, all just about the same size, so one would think farm, but honestly I didn't ask! And at the same time I'd like to think most on are the honest side, in fact once I was looking for something that I knew was illegal to sell, and went into that very store to ask if they could get it for me, and very quickly was told NO!

And I’d also like to add that this tank is and was inspired because of Rob… I was talking to him in another forum (live plant) and got inspired, and now here I am with an Opae Ula tank…lol.. And I’m glad! Everybody that I’ve talked to here has been great and helpful with advice... Thanks everybody

[KenCotigirl]

joniz it is very funny how things work. I have read that there is a $45 fee to inspect the transport of Opae between the islands of Hawaii but no fee to ship to the 48.

[BostonJill]

The "Kids" are Home!.. Seem to be settling in just fine.. About 1/3 inch in "TINNINESS"...lol

home.jpg

Congrates on your new shrimp kids!! They look nice and red. When I got mine they took a day or so to color up. I guess I would take some time to color up if I just flew 5000 miles.

[Mustafa]

I looked over the thread before "the lure of the wild shrimp" I can only hope that the Opae Ula I got from the pet store is farm raised. There was a good 400-500 in the tank, all just about the same size, so one would think farm, but honestly I didn't ask!

They're definitely NOT captive-bred, but in Hawaii it's also not illegal to sell them as long as licensed collectors collected them. As I already said in the other thread, there are no captive-breeding facilities in Hawaii (or anywhere besides San Diego). Unless the shrimp are from me or a few hobby breeders out there they are *for sure* collected from the wild. What the other thread is about is the fact that, legal or not, these shrimp should be protected as the current collection practices are unsustainable.

[Mustafa]

joniz it is very funny how things work. I have read that there is a $45 fee to inspect the transport of Opae between the islands of Hawaii but no fee to ship to the 48.

Actually, there is a license requirement and a fee for all shipments going to the mainland US, too. As I said before, though, the authorities in Hawaii are not big on enforcement apparently. Why make laws if you're not going to enforce them?

[jonlz]

joniz it is very funny how things work. I have read that there is a $45 fee to inspect the transport of Opae between the islands of Hawaii but no fee to ship to the 48.

Actually, there is a license requirement and a fee for all shipments going to the mainland US, too. As I said before, though, the authorities in Hawaii are not big on enforcement apparently. Why make laws if you're not going to enforce them?

Actually, I think this question was addressed to me!