What exactly do they eat?

A forum for discussing everything about the Supershrimp (Halocaridina rubra, Opae ula).

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ssdarling
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What exactly do they eat?

Post by ssdarling »

I know they eat the biofilm on things in the tank, as well as any algae growing on the glass. Do they actually eat the macro algae/cheatomorpha? Or is it just for the purpose of absorbing nitrates?
Dch48
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Re: What exactly do they eat?

Post by Dch48 »

I don't think they eat the macro. They do pick the other microorganisms off of it though and yes it does seem to absorb the Nitrates.
Arnold
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Re: What exactly do they eat?

Post by Arnold »

They eat any decaying organics so they can eat dead macroalgae, in the wild the opae ula eat dead bugs that fall in the pools, leaf litter, etc
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DrKirk
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Re: What exactly do they eat?

Post by DrKirk »

“Feeding cheliped setae are of two types, serrated setae that scrape the substrate surface and filamentous setae that collect the loosened food materials or act as filters. The shrimp are primarily microphagous grazers that scrape the surface of the algal-cyanobacterial crust on pool substrates. This grazing activity is essential in maintaining the integrity of the crust, an actively growing matrix of plants, bacteria, diatoms, protozoans, and underlying siliceous and carbonate materials.” - Bailey-Brock JH, Brock RE. 1993. Feeding, reproduction, and sense organs of the Hawaiian anchialine shrimp Halocaridina rubra (Atyidae). Pacific Science 47(4): 338-355.

https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/2024
Mustafa
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Re: What exactly do they eat?

Post by Mustafa »

On very, very rare occasions these shrimp even filter feed. They'll sit on the sides of the tank and "grab" the water repeatedly to filter out microorganisms. These are truly very versatile shrimp. .
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