[Vorteil]

Here's pics & information on my Nano Cube 6. I completely gutter the back of the tank and added lava rock. The grill that the water would flow through was cut out to allow the shrimp to access the rear. Single sponge filter and heater.

Started December 20th 2016
Size 6 Gallons/23L
Temp: Varies 76F-80F
Diet: Supplemental feedings of spirulina
Dried guava leaves
Approximately 200 Opae Ula
(9) Nerite Snails
Trumpet snails

May 2017
IMG_4387.JPG (77.9 KiB) Viewed 17747 times

[opae ula related]

What is pic 6 from the top?

[Vorteil]

The snail? It was one I was told that would eat the algae. In all honesty i'm not sure what type it is. I asked for nerites & this one was in with the 5 I bought. It's been in the tank for maybe 4 months now.

[odin]

That's an awesome tank you have there, is it ocean rock on the top layers?

[Vorteil]

Thank you. The tank is filled with live rock. I think it's Fiji(?). I had the tank empty for a year before I finally decided to fill it with the opae ula. That was the goal. I had not seen any berried females this May 2, 2017. I think they hang out in the back of the tank with all of the lava rock.

[odin]

They seem nice and red and very active so you have done a great job with the tank.

[Vorteil]

I haven't posted pics of my tank for a while. A lot of changes has gone on. I have removed about half of the rocks in the main part of the tank as well as the leaves. I've decided to leave the tank as it is and not mess with it anymore. I think it's finally matured and the tank parameters are good for the opae. Breeding has taken off and I'm finally seeing the baby opae out in the tank. Before I would see babies out in the open for maybe a week then they would disappear. Never really saw them change into small opae. The berried females still hide in the back compartment of the tank with all of the lava rock. Only way to possibly see any is to feed the tank but I have stopped doing that. I've let the macroalgae grow out. I have trimmed it down from time to time but don't want to disturb the tank too much. I do push the macroalgae down when it gets too high. Although the tank looks crazy I'm ok with that. The opae seem to be thriving. I do have other tanks to work on that's completely different from this one. Enjoy the pics.

[odin]

How come you have decided to lower the amount of rocks and leaves on the substrate?


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[Vorteil]

@Odin you're going to open up many questions I have.

I wanted to be able to see more of the opae so I removed some of the rocks. There's plenty of lava rocks for the hiding and breeding in the back area of the tank. I had major bad slime and hair algae issues as well growing on the rocks. I was not able to get rid of so I removed some of those rocks.

As far as the leaves I was told it's not necessary for these opae vs. the neo shrimps which may benefit from it. I have mixed opinions on this. In the wild you have a mix of "things" that fall into an opae pond. Insects, leaves and others.

It also makes me wonder just because the opae can tolerate extreme conditions does that mean they should live in it? Meaning just because the opae can survive in poor quality water should they? In the wild the opae's water goes through constant change since the ponds fill and drain based on the tide. So that means there's constant old and new water coming and going, right? I think that I should make sure that the quality of water is kept as clean as possible but at the same time not do any water changes or maybe once a year just a partial(20%)? there's not a lot of waste so water quality should be fine.

I ask myself why did it take around 10 months for the opae to really start to breed successfully? Mine did breed after 4 or 5 months but I don't believe the babies survived. I saw some hovering or laying on the bottom at one point. I don't believe those survived.

I keep feedings down to a minimum or none at all since there's algae growing in the tank but in the wild i'm sure the opae are exposed to a variety of foods in their natural environment but algae being a main source of food. I personally only feed powdered spirulina.

This has definitely been a great learning experience. Your website has been a blessing to belong to for great reading material. My goal is just to raise the opae and enjoy them. Hopefully one day have a 40 or 50 gallon tank filled with red water. I'm slowly getting there. I've taken down my 3 gallon in place of a 10 gallon using only lava rock as a substrate.

[odin]

Aww thats a great post! I'm glad you are enjoying the forum and its always here to help members who have questions. Some people don't like to share their success or are very vague about their tank setup and how they get their shrimp to breed but sharing knowledge is super important.

It was a learning curve for me too but once you get the basics and eliminate any possibilities of upsetting the tank you will be rewarded!