so im raisng in regular seawater
Moderator: Mustafa
so im raisng in regular seawater
I have a couple questions can they be raised in full seawater and do they do fine and will they multiply in regular sea water I would like to raise them in my refugume
Re: so im raisng in regular seawater
As far as I know, as brackish water animals, they won't do well long-term in full strength seawater. But I don't know if anyone has actually tested it.
Re: so im raisng in regular seawater
I have had them in water salted to 1.020 SG. I got into Opae Ulas because I was researching keeping dwarf seahorses. They seemed like good companions for each other if they could survive well in the same water conditions. My readings indicated that super shrimp could live in full blown saltwater and that dwarf seahorses were preferably kept at 1.020 SG. I also wanted to have macro algae because color brings out the color in seahorses. So, I set up 2 Fluval Edge aquariums for shrimp at 1.010 SG and another aquarium 1.025 SG for the macros. When the water in one shrimp tank needed topping off, I used RO-Di water. When the second shrimp tank needed topping off, I'd fill with saltwater mixed to match the salinity of that tank (slowly increasing salinity). When the macros needed topping off, I'd remove some of the tank water and add RO-DI (slowly decreasing salinity).
When the salinity of tank 2 reached, 1.020 SG, I took the macros and added them. The pod population was booming and the shrimp appeared to also be doing well. They hadn't bred as near as I could tell but neither had the tank which had been maintained at 1.010 SG. The horses were introduced and all was going well. The macros while not really growing were holding their own. I attributed this to low nutrient levels in the tank. The horses were doing well but I was putting in a ton of baby brine which disappeared all too quickly and the pods which had been crawling all over the glass and contents all but disappeared. Disaster struck, the tank had been infested with colonial hydroids! They were taking out the brine shrimp faster than the seahorses could dispatch them. They had no doubt been responsible for the elimination of the pods and if there had been any baby Opae ula may have dispatch them as well. The experiment ended abruptly I got the horses out of the tank and started to drop the salinity back down to 1.010 SG hoping that the macros would continue to live. My plan was to consolidate all the opaes into one tank. The macros declined as the salinity declined, only the chaeto survived. With no additional feeding and possibly the decrease in salinity, the hydroids were also eliminated.
I should also mention that both tanks had been set up the same. Also added to each were Malaysian Trumpet snails, Marimo balls and blue legged hermit crabs. While the salinity in tank number 2 was still in the upper teens, the hermits in that tank were breeding pretty regularly. The marimo ball in tank 2 declined as the salinity went up. The one in tank 1 is still alive and green going on 3 years. Trumpet snails and hermits also still alive with trumpets reproducing.
Once the salinity of tank 2 had dropped to 1.010 SG, baby shrimp started to appear but I have to add that at the same time, babies began to appear in tank 1 which had been maintained constantly at 1.101 SG from the beginning so I can not attribute this to the lowering of salinity. One observation however which might mean something is that the shrimp in tank number 2 seem to reproduce in greater volume that those in tank 1. There are always babies floating about, sometimes, it looks like a miniature snow storm. This may be due to a greater concentration of minerals in tank number 2 left from when #2 had a greater salt/mineral content perhaps the substrate and lava and live rock held on to some. This got me to thinking, iodine helps shrimp with molting. The iodine content of tank #2 is probably higher since its concentration was higher at one point. Perhaps the iodine in tank #1 was depleted since only RO-DI water as added from day one. So, for the past several months, I have been adding 2 drops of Seachem Reef Iodine into each tank. A few days later, the shrimp go crazy swimming about (molting/breeding?) and then a couple of weeks later, babies all over. Tank 1 not so much but as the population in tank 2 has grown so much more than tank 1, the greater number of babies would be expected until the population tops out for the given space/food. I read somewhere that female Opae ula breed only twice a year. I have come to think that this isn't necessarily so. I doubt that I have the number of females breeding only twice a year to provide as many young as have been appearing. Anyway, sorry for the long post but this was my experience with Opaes at high salinity.
I don't know what you final goal is for keeping super shrimp in a refugium but keep in mind that if the return to the display is by pump, the Opaes will probably be killed by the trip. If your system is a gravity return, you will be giving your display tank inhabitants some tasty treats. Either way, you population will probably not increase. The babies float about and are attracted to light so, one way or the other, they will be drawn out of the refugium.
When the salinity of tank 2 reached, 1.020 SG, I took the macros and added them. The pod population was booming and the shrimp appeared to also be doing well. They hadn't bred as near as I could tell but neither had the tank which had been maintained at 1.010 SG. The horses were introduced and all was going well. The macros while not really growing were holding their own. I attributed this to low nutrient levels in the tank. The horses were doing well but I was putting in a ton of baby brine which disappeared all too quickly and the pods which had been crawling all over the glass and contents all but disappeared. Disaster struck, the tank had been infested with colonial hydroids! They were taking out the brine shrimp faster than the seahorses could dispatch them. They had no doubt been responsible for the elimination of the pods and if there had been any baby Opae ula may have dispatch them as well. The experiment ended abruptly I got the horses out of the tank and started to drop the salinity back down to 1.010 SG hoping that the macros would continue to live. My plan was to consolidate all the opaes into one tank. The macros declined as the salinity declined, only the chaeto survived. With no additional feeding and possibly the decrease in salinity, the hydroids were also eliminated.
I should also mention that both tanks had been set up the same. Also added to each were Malaysian Trumpet snails, Marimo balls and blue legged hermit crabs. While the salinity in tank number 2 was still in the upper teens, the hermits in that tank were breeding pretty regularly. The marimo ball in tank 2 declined as the salinity went up. The one in tank 1 is still alive and green going on 3 years. Trumpet snails and hermits also still alive with trumpets reproducing.
Once the salinity of tank 2 had dropped to 1.010 SG, baby shrimp started to appear but I have to add that at the same time, babies began to appear in tank 1 which had been maintained constantly at 1.101 SG from the beginning so I can not attribute this to the lowering of salinity. One observation however which might mean something is that the shrimp in tank number 2 seem to reproduce in greater volume that those in tank 1. There are always babies floating about, sometimes, it looks like a miniature snow storm. This may be due to a greater concentration of minerals in tank number 2 left from when #2 had a greater salt/mineral content perhaps the substrate and lava and live rock held on to some. This got me to thinking, iodine helps shrimp with molting. The iodine content of tank #2 is probably higher since its concentration was higher at one point. Perhaps the iodine in tank #1 was depleted since only RO-DI water as added from day one. So, for the past several months, I have been adding 2 drops of Seachem Reef Iodine into each tank. A few days later, the shrimp go crazy swimming about (molting/breeding?) and then a couple of weeks later, babies all over. Tank 1 not so much but as the population in tank 2 has grown so much more than tank 1, the greater number of babies would be expected until the population tops out for the given space/food. I read somewhere that female Opae ula breed only twice a year. I have come to think that this isn't necessarily so. I doubt that I have the number of females breeding only twice a year to provide as many young as have been appearing. Anyway, sorry for the long post but this was my experience with Opaes at high salinity.
I don't know what you final goal is for keeping super shrimp in a refugium but keep in mind that if the return to the display is by pump, the Opaes will probably be killed by the trip. If your system is a gravity return, you will be giving your display tank inhabitants some tasty treats. Either way, you population will probably not increase. The babies float about and are attracted to light so, one way or the other, they will be drawn out of the refugium.
Re: so im raisng in regular seawater
I've heard of opae ulas being sold as seahorse food, I don't know that housing them together would be optimal.
This is an interesting hypothesis... However, I wonder if it is simply coincidental. Let me know how your tanks are doing!! I'm trying to learn as much as I can
Re: so im raisng in regular seawater
The iodine thing is a myth with no scientific basis to it...it's just so hard to kill it..i've been trying for over 14 years and I think I finally managed to do that in the freshwater shrimp hobby, but it's still rearing its head in the saltwater hobby! And yes, your intuition is most likely correct...it probably coincidence given the multitude of factors in play and also given that the statistical sample size is so small (n=2).
Re: so im raisng in regular seawater
Any updates? We're you ever successful at 1.020 sg? Did you try again?