Use of colorful decorations

[Fiore de'i Liberi]

I am currently setting up a 15 gallon tank dedicated to halocaridina rubra. My intent is to create a happy, breading population, while also being a very decorative addition to my home. I have read the information provided on this site about setting up a tank, however, I could not find any information on how well this species adapts to brightly colored decorations in their environment. If they are accustomed to lava rock, will a brightly colored reef style tank stress them out? Not even sure if this species perceives color.

I want my tank to look similar to this, with the addition of some shells and sea fans. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated. =)

http://www.instantreef.com/photos-06-60 ... orals.aspx

[i<3Opae]

No they don’t care about the color scheme. I have purple red and yellow decor. One thing about reddish decor is that it’s harder to watch them. In fact I opted for a limestone rock in my newer tank, much easier to see the shrimp. So it’s totally up to your taste.

[Fiore de'i Liberi]

Awesome, thank you! I just ordered this for the back wall
http://www.instantreef.com/r059c-3d-fis ... tanks.aspx

Then I am using some medium smashed white coral pieces (~3 inches deep) for the substrate, and 2 or 3 medium shells as hiding spots for any shrimp looking for one.

[i<3Opae]

Oh nice! So bright and fun to look at, hope your shrimp enjoy it too. Please post photos and updates!

[i<3Opae]

Oh and I’d recommend a slightly thinner layer of substrate, half an inch to an inch. And for that you need snails. Bacteria and other gunk grows in the substrate and can become a problem if it’s too thick.

[Fiore de'i Liberi]

I will absolutely post updates! Might be a few months though.

I am glad you said something about the substrate not being too thick. The issue is my back wall segment is 18 inches tall, but my tank is 25 inches tall. I want the top of the decorative wall to be with the water line. I was thinking of having the back segment elevated up, with a slope down to the front. If I can't do that with substrate, I am thinking I will need to build some kind of hard plastic structure.

Do you know of another method? Perhaps, a layer of activated charcoal then lava rock to build it up a bit?

Currently thinking of stacking bricks, coating the bricks in silicone to make it aquarium safe, then burying it in the 1/2 to 1 inch coral substrate.

[i<3Opae]

You definitely are more of a connoisseur than me when it comes to building things With regards to materials, I’m not sure about activated charcoal and whether it’ll be a good fit for an opae ula tank. I personally would go with natural material like rocks. No muss no fuss