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potion123456 wrote:Nope it died a few days ago :(
Anyways heres an update...
Ive added a nerite and it seems pretty happy munching away every day
My shrimps are nowhere to be seen though :(

The hair algae situation seems to be getting out of hand. It used to stay in a clump that is easily removable but now it's just growing everywhere! I feel like if i restart the tank it'll waste everything so ill just start a new one some day next week and let this one sit as it is for as long as possible

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I keep opae ula for more than 10 yrs, the setup can be very simple, since you just started last year and no success till now, don't do a complicated setup like adding this and that especially when you adding plants/stuff picked from the wild, you can introduce Parasite or disease into your tank.
Your water salinity is very low at 1.001, they may survive but won't breed.
Im using 100g marine salt to minimum 4L to maximum 5L reverse osmosis water to make the brackish water for them, salinity I don't bother to check nowadays, anything around 1.008 to 1.018 is fine , and I never cycle the tank for new setup. Occasionally I may take one or two rock from an old tank but majority of the time is all new setup.
Since the covid-19, under lock down at home, I just setup 4 more tank of various size.
For your tank, I suggest you remove and clean up all the stuff esp the rock and seafan and start all over with a simpler design, minimise the substrate like sand, choose one corner or more corner and arrange/stack some rock over there. The brackish water follow my salt water ratio, 100g to 4L to max 5L reverse osmosis water. Dissolve the salt using an air pump powered airstone either in a bucket or like me, I using these big plastic 9-10L mineral bottle.
Attached is photo of my new tank setup on 25 March 2020 and current tank photo on 15 Apr 2020. The third single photo is current state of the another tank setup on 18 March 2020. Each tank started with like 10-12 shrimp, now both tank already have pregrant opae ula within after around 1 month setup till now.
I put in a tiny sponge filter to water surface movement to prevent sediments /oil on the surface, it is optional to have them.
The fourth picture is a small 2L water tank I setup yesterday with 8 opae shrimp.

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The light, I hardly bother too, can be mere few minutes to more than 10hrs(when I forgot to off the light).
Brown algae and green algae will eventually develop in tank without snail.
For a clearer tank, just put in 2-3 nerite snail.
And for your BBA and mosquito larvae issue, it due to your water low salinity, mosquito won't laid eggs when your water salinity is high enough like 1.008 and above.
I never encounter BBA in opae ula tank, only saw them in freshwater tank.


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Thanks everyone for the comments and advice! I've been on a hiatus for a while thus did not reply.

I didn't give up on the tank, I merely changed water a few times gradually. Bought a refractometer and it changed my life! Before I was using those floating barometers that was so troublesome and inaccurate.

I must say these shrimps really do well the less I care for them. They are having their first batch of babies after so long.

The original nerite is still here and doing well (almost 3 years old I believe). It even has a long algae hair tail.

Happy to update everyone and hope all are healthy and happy! Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

Thanks for the update!

Hi all, hope everyone is doing well and staying awesome!

Just an update of my tank(s) - yes, I've expanded my tanks! These are the generations of offspring from the original 4 shrimps I bought in 2020.

The same nerite snail is still very much alive and well, and shrimps are very active now, much less shy than those from 2 years ago.

I'm finally getting the hang of opae ula care and I'm sure everyone will too if they don't give up on this amazing rewarding hobby! It has brought me so much peace and joy, since my days in university when I got them till now as a working adult. It has become a daily ritual before I sleep to stare at the tank and see the shrimps do their thing. It helps me relax and feel grounded.

I'll keep updating my tank progress from time to time! Hopefully this platform doesn't die off

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You have way too much cyanobacteria growing in your tank. Not good at all. Find the cause. Use a turkey baster to suck as much of it out as possible and do some major water changes weekly until you get it under control. More than likely either water or food causing the outbreak.

potion123456 wrote: ↑17 Apr 2023 18:29 Hi all, hope everyone is doing well and staying awesome!

Just an update of my tank(s) - yes, I've expanded my tanks! These are the generations of offspring from the original 4 shrimps I bought in 2020.

The same nerite snail is still very much alive and well, and shrimps are very active now, much less shy than those from 2 years ago.

I'm finally getting the hang of opae ula care and I'm sure everyone will too if they don't give up on this amazing rewarding hobby! It has brought me so much peace and joy, since my days in university when I got them till now as a working adult. It has become a daily ritual before I sleep to stare at the tank and see the shrimps do their thing. It helps me relax and feel grounded.

I'll keep updating my tank progress from time to time! Hopefully this platform doesn't die off

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Nice journal, my friend.
So I guess the lesson learnt is to not overcomplicate stuff? :/
DId you do anything about the cyanobacteria that vorteil advised you to get rid of?