Suddenly cloudy after all these years

[Aquarimax]

I’ve been keeping Halocaridina rubra for about 15 years. The first year or two, I didn’t see much, if any, reproduction, but then I got more dialed in to their care, and have produced hundreds of opae ula over the years. I tried various husbandry techniques in the early years: differing salinities, aeration, no aeration, etc. I finally found this site in 2015, and began applying Mustafa’s methods, which I found to be very easy and effective. I soon set up a 10-gallon and a 5-gallon in my office, my largest opae ula aquaria so far. They flourished...it was a rare day when I did not see a number larvae floating in the 10 gallon, especially. See the attached pic for some berried females. A few years later, my place of employment moved to a new building. The new building was to have less space, so I had to take my aquaria home. I temporarily set them up in a rather dim corner of the basement. Temporarily ended up lasting a several months, but all seemed well. The shrimp continued to thrive. I feed them more sparingly than I had in the well-illuminated spot they had in my office. Lower light, less food, and somewhat cooler temperatures were the biggest differences I can pinpoint. Just a few weeks ago, I noticed that both tanks were a bit cloudy. I am not sure why. My first thought would be excess nutrients, leading to a bloom of bacteria, but that seems unlikely, considering my very conservative feeding over the past few months. I have since moved both aquaria upstairs, where it is somewhat warmer and better lit. I also purchased an Aquaneat 20” light fixture. It is intended primarily for freshwater lighting, not necessarily for planted tanks. It appears very bright over the 10-gallon, perhaps too bright. Despite the cloudiness in the water, my shrimp still appear to be thriving. Most of them are red, and they are actively foraging. MTS snails are out and about, too. Some baby mini moss balls also appear viable.

I will cease feeding for a while, and see if that clears up the water. I will also be adding some of Mustafa’s macroalgae, which I have not tried before.
Any thoughts?

[Aquarimax]

Here’s the pic.

[SailorFromRI]

Mustafa’s methods

Trademark "The Mustafa Method" ASAP!

[Zlatan2601]

If you refer to the mustapha method, what exactly are you referring to?

[Super Jess]

If you refer to the mustapha method, what exactly are you referring to?

This: The Mustafa Method™

[Zlatan2601]

If you refer to the mustapha method, what exactly are you referring to?

This: The Mustafa Method™

Oooh, the "petshrimp method"
Thanks, back on track...

[Aquarimax]

I added Mustafa’s macroalgae (to all 4 of my Opae Ula aquaria) and another mini moss ball to my 10 gallon
yesterday. My two oldest tanks (one is about 10 years old, the other a year or two younger) have no water clarity issues. (They do have algae on the glass.) I think the 10 gallon looks a little clearer today.
All of the shrimp are fine, and appeared attracted to the macroalage.

[i<3Opae]

Glad to hear it's getting clearer. Sounds like an algae bloom.

I'm always amazed at how many eggs Mustafa's shrimp seem to carry.

[Mustafa]

It's probably the light. If you suddenly use a much stronger light than before it can cause all kinds of things to grow in the water column. The cloudiness will go away eventually though.

[Aquarimax]

That is the funny thing...the cloudiness began weeks before I added the light. The shrimp, as expected, are still unperturbed. I have noticed a stratification of the cloudiness, at least in the 10 gallon. The bottom 2 or 2.5 inches are cloudiest, with much less cloudiness in the upper layer. I’m not too worried...as you said, it will clear in time.

[Mustafa]

I see...hmmm...well, as long as the shrimp are doing ok, it's all good I guess. It's hard to figure out *everything* after all.

[Aquarimax]

True! The reason may remain unclear indefinitely, but the tank itself should clear up with time. The shrimp are doing great as always!