Iwagumi Low Profile Opaeula Tank Setup

[mcdaney]

Hahaha! It's okay hardware_failure .. I don't mind sharing this thread, make the world a better place

[mcdaney]

UPDATE!

I have good news! A berried shrimp!

Here's a photo of it. I think there are more than 15 eggs in this clutch.

Berried Female

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The night before I saw this shrimp with its swimmerets stretched out, unusual as compared to the others.

Female before eggs

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I had a gut feeling that it'll be berried soon and I was right! Haha!

So 29 days after the last tank shift, I've got a berried female.
Hope to see more!

[Nexus6]

Congrats!

[Mech]

oh awesome! im very jealous

[mcdaney]

Thanks! I'm still in awe as to how the eggs got out of her haha! They're huge as compared to the body size.

Here's a recap of my setup and care:
• 60cm x 17cm x 20cm tank
• Lava rocks and black aragonite substrate.
(Crushed coral substrate in the middle of tank, then covered over with the black aragonite)
• Light - Aqualighter 1, 60cm, 6500K 18W
• Salinity 1.015ppt
• PH - I have no idea! Ordered some test strips, will update later.
• No filter
• Feed one tiny pellet once a week
• No water changes, only RO water top up

...and... Patience

[Mech]

thanks for posting your setup conditions, do you ever do water changes either ?

[mcdaney]

thanks for posting your setup conditions, do you ever do water changes either ?

Good question! I updated the setup list Mech!

[KenCotigirl]

Great news on your berried shrimp. The stretched out shrimp is a shrimp that held eggs. This is a different female.

Ken

[mcdaney]

Great news on your berried shrimp. The stretched out shrimp is a shrimp that held eggs. This is a different female.

I'm pretty sure it's the same shrimp Ken.
I saw the stretched shrimp (which is unusual) before bedtime.. and when I woke up in the morning, a berried shrimp.
I look at my shrimps everyday (in fact almost 3 to 5 times a day). I didn't see any berried shrimps before I saw the one with the stretched swimmerets. I'm guessing the stretched swimmerets is the female preparing to lay eggs.
If I'm not wrong, someone else mentioned the same thing in one of the threads. He/she saw the swimmerets in a weird way before seeing eggs some time later.

[KenCotigirl]

Ok. We can go with that.

My thoughts. When a female molts she mates. When she molts her exoskeleton is soft and pliable. I do not know how long from mating to releasing eggs onto her swimmerets. The eggs stretch out her exoskeleton. However it is plausible that in preparation for her eggs she widens that area.

Ken

[mcdaney]

Observations for today!

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The photo is slightly blur, darn these critters can't sit still.
Anyway I noticed what looks like eggs?

[Mech]

i think you may be right! you must be doing something right to be getting them to breed

[mcdaney]

i think you may be right! you must be doing something right to be getting them to breed

I hope so! I've been taking photos and trying (hard) to differentiate the males and females. Hope I can document them here.
I wish I can have more tanks to separate them according to maturity though.

My setup is nothing complicated. Salinity of 1.015 seems to be the magic number haha!

[mcdaney]

Got hold of my PH test strips haha

Here's an update to my setup:
• 60cm x 17cm x 20cm tank
• Lava rocks and black aragonite substrate.
(Crushed coral substrate in the middle of tank, then covered over with the black aragonite)
• Light - Aqualighter 1, 60cm, 6500K 18W
• Salinity 1.015ppt
• PH - 7 to 8
• No filter
• Feed one tiny pellet once a week
• No water changes, only RO water top up

Below is my first berried female's progress (Day 10). I think she might have dropped some eggs

Berried Female -Day 10

[Mech]

I wouldn't worry too much, if they are buried shrimps in your tank they will have more sooner or later.

How many opae ula shrimp do you have in your tank and how old are they?