29 Gallon - FIRST Opae Ula Tank - Suggestions Please

[GetFreeThrive.com]

I just recently found this forum and WOW what an amazing community!!

I would love as much help, support, suggestions as possible as I embark on this Opae Ula journey! I want to give them the best life possible!

Hopefully, I uploaded the photo above correctly!

Thank you in advance for all your help and support!

Monty

[Vorteil]

Looking awesome!

[SuperProofer]

Looks nice.

What substrate did you use? I like the coloring.

Depending on your goal for this tank, the only thing I would mention is the amount of rock you have. I saw a you tuber who had a large amount of rock (a lot more than yours though) in his tank and he said all the shrimp hid and he never saw them. So he ended up taking a bunch out. But I would think with such a large tank you could put enough shrimp in there that there would always be some sort of visible activity.

[Varanus]

That looks like a shrimp paradise as it is (provided you get enough shrimp for it, I'd start with a few dozen as a tank that size will accommodate hundreds as the years go by), the females will love having so many places to hide when carrying eggs.

I would remove the filter though (assuming you didn't already plan to). Also, is there a calcium source in the tank? I can't tell if any of the rock is limestone.

[GetFreeThrive.com]

Looks nice.

What substrate did you use? I like the coloring.

Depending on your goal for this tank, the only thing I would mention is the amount of rock you have. I saw a you tuber who had a large amount of rock (a lot more than yours though) in his tank and he said all the shrimp hid and he never saw them. So he ended up taking a bunch out. But I would think with such a large tank you could put enough shrimp in there that there would always be some sort of visible activity.

I used this substrate, little concerned as I read after the fact that "live sand" is not always good, mixed reviews so crossing fingers I guess, not sure really what to do at this point without starting over.

https://amzn.to/3eOaRJ9 Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Beach Live Sand for Aquarium, 10-Pound, Black

I was suggested Aragonite Sand and I really liked the black so I went with it not really understanding there is a "live" and non live option

[GetFreeThrive.com]

That looks like a shrimp paradise as it is (provided you get enough shrimp for it, I'd start with a few dozen as a tank that size will accommodate hundreds as the years go by), the females will love having so many places to hide when carrying eggs.

I would remove the filter though (assuming you didn't already plan to). Also, is there a calcium source in the tank? I can't tell if any of the rock is limestone.

As per the above reply I used this substrate
https://amzn.to/3eOaRJ9 Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Beach Live Sand for Aquarium, 10-Pound, Black

Hopefully it will be ok, Do I still need some Calcium or will this work as I read it should but I could be wrong?

I am torn on the sponge filter. Was going to take it out yes and was just doing this to clean up the water and help speed up the cycle but if I run it REALLY low would that be a bad thing?

[Varanus]

Aragonite sand should be more than enough as calcium source, so no worries there. You may want to check the water for ammonia though, since live sand tends to contain a lot of dead stuff in it (ironically). Still, once you get some algae growth the tank should stabilize and be ready.

As for the filter, there are people who use them with no problem. Still, these shrimp do well in completely still water, having a filter means having to clean it on occasion, and the bubbles/flow from it will interfere with the formation of surface film that the shrimp and snails like to graze on, so I just don't see it as worthwhile to have one when the animals don't benefit from it.

[Mustafa]

I would honestly start over. Most people that reported using live sand here over the years had massive die offs immediately. You may get lucky, but why risk it? As for the filter...it does not speed up anything at all actually. That's a common misconception. I know it's hard to let go of "common knowledge", but these shrimp are nothing like normal aquarium animals and really, really different from even freshwater shrimp. Just keep it simple and things will go smoothly.

[skylorvivo88]

Never use any live crap especially the substrate. Rinse everything with distilled and if you use lava rock boil them.