Greetings, I'm a long time reader and have learned much on the forum over the course of 3-4 years. I first learned about Opae Ula when I was around 15 years old and wanted them ever since. In May of 2021, I had everything prepared: A 2.5 gallon tank, LED light (from a freshwater aquarium kit), crushed coral substrate (along with some inert white sand), and a scape of dead "live" rock (it had been used in a marine system but was outside and weathered for years). I used Instant Ocean salt and distilled water, measured a salinity of 1.012 sg, then waited a week before ordering 10 shrimp (no snails, no Chaeto).
While the tank cycled, I held them in a small glass jar with some inert rocks (I ordered them early to beat the harsh summer extremes). The tank developed brown algae and biofilm before I added them on June 24 (right before my birthday so I could enjoy them settling in on my 18th
)
Sometime in July (2021), I decided to add a tiny piece of native Cladophora algae from a local waterway. I knew the risk and extremely low likelihood of it surviving, but I figured it was worth an attempt since it wasn't enough biomass to crash the system. I acclimated it separately in a small container of brackish water (perhaps for a week, I wasn't very precise about the process) before adding it to my tank. Shockingly enough, it began to grow. I eventually noticed tiny new growths on the higher points of my rock scape, so I left them alone. The shrimp liked to graze on it, but they couldn't damage it (the texture is firm as well, not slimy like most algae... almost like cotton?).
To my knowledge, I am the only person to ever successfully acclimate a fully freshwater plant species to a brackish Opae Ula tank
. To this day, the algae has thrived and reproduced through fragmentation and spores, yet never grown out of control (it grows very slowly). It initially grows with a defined base point, yet it can be detached and grows "free-floating". It also attaches itself to rocks if it can make contact with them for long enough, each piece is currently attached to 1-3 lava rocks. Needless to say, I have wanted to post about this discovery once I learned it actually worked out. I have no idea what species it is, but it grows here in Pennsylvania and while I initially only found tiny plants in the wild, I have seen much larger pieces in rivers that could theoretically be converted in the same manner. There's almost always a shrimp grazing on it, and none have ever been stuck in it as well, even the smallest juveniles. I do not encourage anyone to replicate my "experiment", especially with more complex plants. Marimo moss balls are out of the question. I just happened to be very lucky, I still have no idea how it has done so well without any die-off. Batophora occidentalis looks very promising as the next Supershrimp plant! (Current growth of my algae is shown in later images, though the final image cuts off where there are a couple clumps of it)
I eventually added many small pieces of coral as well, I loved the look of a mini marine aquarium. I had a couple berried females, but both batches were dropped as they were likely first-time parents. The tank was doing well, and I found a new form of algae which would later become my enemy: Cyanobacteria. Before I knew it, everything was covered in a layer of blue-green algae. I had only fed the tank a very small amount a couple times, so I blame the fact that I used a new tank light prior to it appearing. It grew to a point where it outcompeted all else (my cladophora survived), the shrimp couldn't eat it, and I hated the look of it.
I decided to scrap my tank and restart. To do this, I removed all rocks, held the shrimp in a separate container, replaced all of the water (with old water stored in case of shock or an emergency), cleaned the glass, and replaced the substrate with a layer of red scoria (used for plant top dressing). The tank remained this way for months, and in that time I had 3-4 births and many, many babies. One female had around 30 babies (I swear, it's true, that picture is one batch of young), and a mix of different life stages were all thriving. In total, I had about 60 offspring of different sizes. Despite this success, I wanted a better tank for them (this one was filled half-way, as I knew it would be revised and it would be easier to work with that way).
I finally re-scaped on June 24 of this year, ironically the anniversary of my initial setup. I added a cycled (for 2 weeks) Marco rock (sold by Bulk Reef Supply, it is mined limestone and essentially 100% clean "live rock" base), along with half an inch of inert sand (added after the rocks since I had none at first), and the layer of established lava rock. When I removed the shrimp, I found that many of the larvae I had never made it to adulthood.. possibly due to the lack of a complete cycle? I still have many, I would say around 30-40, most of which are half grown juveniles.
Since then, the tank has been doing well, there's not much algae growth but plenty of biofilm and occasional feedings (I use the dust at the bottom of a bag of Crab Cuisine pellets, one tiny piece at a time... usually 5 or so get completely consumed, I only do this to see them swarm for it and to hopefully fuel some algae growth). While it was a rough journey, my tank is looking healthy with no new losses and some very nice red individuals. My most recent addition was a single orange morph Opae Ula, with hopes of adding the color to future generations.
In the beginning, my shrimp were not very active (as shown in the pictures of my early algae explosion). In the temporary lava rock setup, they were more active and breeding. Now, they are always out and about, picking biofilm and swimming. I was expecting them to disappear in the new rock with all those holes and caves, yet they are mostly out on top and around the rock. In fact, I believe they utilize the crannies most at night.
My most major mistake was using old live rock. While I cleaned it very thoroughly, with bleach solution soaks and dechlorinator baths, I would eventually learn that deep within that rock, there was a ton of impurities that likely led to the cyano takeover. Long story short, never use live rock. Especially LIVING live rock. But even when dead, it only causes problems. "Marco rock" is very different, as it is never exposed to a marine environment beforehand and only contains minor amounts of phosphates (why this is, I have no idea). It does the exact same thing without any risks, and it's very cheap compared to typical live rock (my 2 pound rock was $15, and it filled my tank in a way that honestly looks like a full scape in one rock)
Apologies for the long read, I wanted to provide all the information I could so new members can learn from my experience. I'm happy to discuss anything about my tank, I own many different plants and animals yet these are perhaps my favorite species!
