Hawaii opae ula in situ

[DrKirk]

All,
I’m on the Big Island of Hawaii and today visited a very nice population of opae ula. The pond has no fish, fortunately, and the surface has a thin veneer of algae. Here are some underwater pics for your enjoyment. At the adjacent pond is a nice information plaque, also attached here. You’re welcome to download a short video clip from my Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1rymj3ffxjhgp ... 9.mp4?dl=0.

Enjoy!

Kirk

[Bryan]

How cool! Thanks for sharing.

[Dch48]

Very nice. I'd like to get some of that algae growing there.

Hopefully that pool and many others like it are protected and preserved.

[sliphorn]

..
Great! Thanks for your post.
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[Mustafa]

Thanks for the video and pictures! I don't know if anyone noticed it but there are what appear to be Tarebia granifera (one of the two species of snail we sell here at Petshrimp) all over this habitat. The other species of snail we sell as ("brackish water snails) are Melanoides tuberculata and they also occur all over the Hawaiian islands.

[Arnold]

Awesome footage of the opae ulas in their habitat, lots of leaf litter also in this pool the shrimps seem to grace on it

[MrsDebLo]

This makes me so happy!!! It’s awesome to see so many! I really love this! We are going to the big island in a few weeks. Definitely stopping by!

[Mustafa]

Awesome footage of the opae ulas in their habitat, lots of leaf litter also in this pool the shrimps seem to grace on it

Keep in mind that the leaf litter there is in a huge volume of water and whatever organics it leaches into the water is diluted to a point where it makes not much of a difference. The same leaf litter in a gallon (or even a 10 gallon tank) will affect water parameters and overload the tank with organics to a point where the shrimp will suffer and eventually die. They also rob the tank of oxygen. So, while it may seem like a "good idea" to imitate their natural habitats, it usually is an even better idea to realize that tiny tank/container cannot possibly be even close to a copy of their natural habitats. A small tank needs special care that's different from a natural habitat with lots of water volume.