Making a new opae ula jar, and transferring opae ula

[darth1211]

Hello! I am now going to be making a new home
for my opae ula tomorrow. The new jar is around 2
gallons. Is it ok if it's not exactly 2 gallons? I want
make sure that I bought the right things for the jar.
(Everything is from PetSmart) I am so so nervous
that I am going to somehow kill them. I have some
black lava rock, and ordering some basalt rocks.
Should I use distilled water to wash the sand,
and lava rock? The shrimp are currently in a 20oz
orb. They multiplied rapidly, and so, then there
are a bunch of juveniles, and adults. How should I
acclimate them? And how should I transport them?
Some people told me to lower the orb into the
new jar, and let them swim out, but is it ok if the
water in the 20oz orb interferes with new water, and
change the salinity since more salt is going into the new water? And are test kits necessary too? Thank you!

[snowballcub]

Hi darth1211,

Exciting project! A slight variation in jar size is generally okay. Using distilled water for washing the sand and lava rocks is a good idea. When acclimating, consider a slow drip method to match water parameters. To transport, gently transfer them, avoiding water mixing. Test kits are helpful for monitoring water quality. Good luck with your opae ula in their new home!

[darth1211]

Hi darth1211,

Exciting project! A slight variation in jar size is generally okay. Using distilled water for washing the sand and lava rocks is a good idea. When acclimating, consider a slow drip method to match water parameters. To transport, gently transfer them, avoiding water mixing. Test kits are helpful for monitoring water quality. Good luck with your opae ula in their new home!

Thank you! Are pipettes ok to use for drip acclimation? And is it ok if some of the lava rock have little algae spots on them? I tried scrubbing it off, but couldn't. Don't want to contaminate the water. I'll look into test kits as well. What would happen if I mixed the water when transporting? Thanks!