[Vorteil]

This is my opinion.

Don't panis. I think you're speculating too much on so many variables. It's a new tank with newly released larvae correct? The larvae are not the hardiest of opae. Just because they died doesn't mean the tank is coming to an end or out of sync. If your tank is able to sustain larvae and breed it will. I think we tend to overthink the real simplicity of opae ula. Keep the tank plain and simple. So you had a starfish or two in there. The skeleton is just calcium. The tank paramenters can be high but these opae can easily handle it. . No water changes no filtration. So you feed every now & then. No big deal but keep the diet simple since there's no filtration. I only fed pure freeze dried spirulina. I don't anymore. If you feed foods high or rich in protein you take the chance of polluting the water. You do need waste in there to feed the algae so feeding sparingly at the begining is acceptable. If not how else can you get a jump start on the algae?

I've been in your shoes before. Did all the things I read not to do. In the end I'm raising the opae the they are meant to be raised. Simple.

Let's see what other opinions are expressed.

[zlatan2601]

Thanks a lot @Vorteil ! I was hoping for such an opinion, as i read everywhere that i need to leave them alone.
Curious about other opinions

Fyi, i haven't fed them at all, as i've read it's not necessary the first months. Or should i better add a very tiny bit of spirulina powder as the tank wasn't cycled? I have bought it but havent used it and didn't plan to for the upcoming weeks...

[Arnold]

I didnt fed my opaes until the second and half month when the tank was mature but they had plenty of algae to grace, the best in my opinion its leave them alone, I barely put my hand in the tank only when its necesary they are shy and can stress very easy so I put them in a peaceful zone where they are not disturbed, the temperature now its 16-17 celsius in my tank they are just fine and active

[zlatan2601]

Thank you!

Update, grown ups are still fine but the green algae disappear and makes room.for brown algae... :/

IMG_20190124_183459.jpg (887.82 KiB) Viewed 38131 times

[odin]

Brown algae is part of the tanks cycling process and wont last forever so dont worry. Snails will eat it up if you want to get rid of it quicker.

[zlatan2601]

Don't have snails, was going to try it without snails, unless i have too much algae. But i guess it will also disappear without?
Thank you!

[Arnold]

The easiest are the Trumpet snails Melanoides tuberculata, you can find them everywere in pet stores or other acuarists, also you can try a few Zebra snails or other Neritina species but carefully or they eat all the algae and starving the shrimps

Zebra nerite


Melanoides

[zlatan2601]

Yeah, eating too much algae is what i am afraid of, so i won't put any snails in it only if i have algae overgrow...

[odin]

You could have one zebra nerite or a horned zebra nerite, they are very small and wont reproduce.

[zlatan2601]

Is it needed already? As mentioned i did not have a cycled tank, but i did use 10% of water from a cycled tank...

Should i put the snail in there already or can i wait?
And how do you prevent the snail to escape? My tank is not completely closed...

Btw i measured the pH today and it was 6... Acceptable? Or how can i increase it? I have coral at the bottom so i expected it to be higher..