opae ula vs. Metabetaeus Lohena eating routines? different?

[abc]

I'm cycling a tank and was wondering about Metabetaeus Lohena? Do they require a different feeding routine than opae ula? if so, should they be housed separately rather than together.

If you keep them together, what feeding routine do you do so don't over feed the opae ula but don't underfeed the Metabetaeus Lohena.

I did some web surfing and could not find a straight answer to this question. Feedback appreciated.

[Dch48]

Some people say they are predatory towards the Opae's, and some say no. I imagine they would prey on the larvae. They're almost like a mini-crayfish. I would be hesitant about keeping them together.

[sliphorn]

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I wouldn't keep them together. Why risk shutting down Opae breeding!

I would set up a separate tank for the Met.
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[abc]

Thanks @sliphorn and @dch48 for the feedback. I think in the long run, I should do separate tanks as you say. I'll have to set something up.

It also sounds like they have different feeding routines. the Opae Ula can be feed sparingly every 2 weeks or month, but the Metabetaeus lohena Alpha shrimp need feeding sooner, may be 1x a week.

If any one has Metabetaeus lohena, I would be curious what their frequency/feeding routine is like.

[sliphorn]

I keep a colony of around 80 ML in a 10 gallon tank. I run a sponge filter. I feed daily frozen bloodworms, daphnia, & brine shrimp. Flake food & live gammarus shrimp. I don't see them feeding much on any algae. Always on the hunt for food and will eat anything they can catch & hold on to. Extremely active and do like to hide.

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That sounds like a nice set up you have. Do you keep snails with them? Any chance you could post some pictures?
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[Dch48]

Any reason for the lack of substrate Vorteil?

[sliphorn]

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Thanks for the pics!
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[Dylan]

I had no idea about these and would love to do a tank of them! From what I briefly read online, they do feed on the Opae, so I would definitely keep them separately.

[Varanus]

The issue I hear with keeping this species is that nobody has figured out how to breed them successfully in captivity, and thus all of them are captured from wild populations in habitats that are quite threatened. Has this changed?

It is a shame though, the claws on Metabetaeous are so cool looking.

[Dch48]

From what I have read it's the pools themselves that are disappearing, not the shrimp in them.Increasing development is causing some pools to be filled in.

[Mustafa]

It's not just Oahu. It's all islands that are affected. As for having a count of the animals..it's kinda hard to do with animals that live partially underground. What we do know is that they are endemic or near endemic to Hawaii and that if their above ground habitats disappear they may also, over time, disappear or be too severely diminished to recover. There is research that seems to indicate that anchialine pools are essential because they provide food that is hard to find underground. The pools are basically their feeding grounds, even if they retreat underground if necessary. Less feeding = less reproduction = less shrimp over time.

And yes, M. lohena are all from the wild and they occur in even lower numbers (much lower) than the Supershrimp.