New tank set up advice please

[Whitesage66]

1st time trying these shrimp although I've had neos, Bloody Mary, and Blue dreams and Blue bolts in the past and it will be interesting to go against all I know about keeping shrimp with these. I have some old pieces of dry cleaned old coral I'm assuming will be fine for decorating and wondering if they need hiding places like neos? I have some pvc tubes cut in 2 and 3 inch sizes. Also do any of you use a quick liquid bio establisher like Tetra SafeStart Plus.

[sliphorn]

1st time trying these shrimp although I've had neos, Bloody Mary, and Blue dreams and Blue bolts in the past and it will be interesting to go against all I know about keeping shrimp with these. I have some old pieces of dry cleaned old coral I'm assuming will be fine for decorating and wondering if they need hiding places like neos? I have some pvc tubes cut in 2 and 3 inch sizes. Also do any of you use a quick liquid bio establisher like Tetra SafeStart Plus.

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A pile of coral and/or lava rocks is beneficial for them. They will graze and breed in the rocks and the rocks hold a lot of beneficial bacteria too. I always let my tanks cycle naturally which is typically four to six weeks with a 12/12 light cycle or in a room that receives indirect sunlight is good as well. I am not a fan of pvc tubes and think them to be unecessary.

Being patient is the most important thing with these shrimp. Set your tank up with half seawater salinity and sit back and enjoy the cycle as it happens. Adding macroalgae and snails from this website is something I think you should do after about one week into the cycle. It will help with the cyle too.

The "less is more" concept is something to keep in mind with these shrimp. Typically, there is enough algae and biofilm in an established tank to sustain the shrimp for weeks on end, and only a single flake of fish food is required (maybe) once every month or two.

Good luck and happy Opae Ula keeping.
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[Dch48]

These shrimp are much easier to keep than the ones you have had in the past. I too have tried keeping neocaridinas but without much success. Mine never lived longer than 90 days and never bred successfully. I have had these "Supershrimp" since June and I haven't lost a single one and even have 4 new young ones. These guys are extremely hardy and much more tolerant of water conditions. I think they are actually very resistant to nitrites. They can survive in a range of salinities from fresh to full strength sea water but do best and breed best at readings of 1.010 to 1.012. No filter, no heater, no water changes, and very little feeding. It's very hard to fail with these guys. Lava rocks, a bit of macroalgae, a light source, and a supplemental calcium source like crushed coral, seashells, egg shells, or cuttlebone are really all you need. Any kind of substrate like regular aquarium gravel to sand will be fine. The tubes are not needed. I have the cheap old gravel with a piece of lava rock, some broken pieces of terracotta, and a bit of cuttlebone and everything is fine. It is a one gallon tank from PetSmart.

The SafeStart may or may not work depending on your salinity. At 1.010 or below it might do some good but anything higher and the bacteria probably won't adapt. It really isn't needed though. You should start with either distilled or R/O water and not tap.

[Vorteil]

Easiest shrimp to keep. I also breed a variety of Neo's and Caridina FW shrimps. I believe with FW the key is to getting homebred shrimp from local breeders. Imports are much more difficult and tend to die off shortly over time if the coditions are not ideal. All water parameters much be watched & kept in check or they will die. If everthing is correct they will thrive just like the opae ula. The care is completely opposite to a degree. Pretty much once set up just enjoy and top off the water. An occasional feeding is all it takes.

[Whitesage66]

Thanks, 1 more question. Airstones? It's a pretty good size 10 gallon halfmoon with a small air pump it shouldn't send waves but some agitation? I'm planning a little lighted bubbler surrounded by lava rock.

[Whitesage66]

Easiest shrimp to keep. I also breed a variety of Neo's and Caridina FW shrimps. I believe with FW the key is to getting homebred shrimp from local breeders. Imports are much more difficult and tend to die off shortly over time if the coditions are not ideal. All water parameters much be watched & kept in check or they will die. If everthing is correct they will thrive just like the opae ula. The care is completely opposite to a degree. Pretty much once set up just enjoy and top off the water. An occasional feeding is all it takes.

The key to neos is getting good stock for sure but an old tank is even more key. I just moved and all my tanks had been down a year so it's all starting over. I'll keep neon tetras and MTS and a Betta in the neo tank for at least 6 months before adding either royal blues or bloody mary's. It's the mulm that is key for them to survive. I'm getting the idea from reading the post the same goes for these guys. They need a lot of grazing matter before you throw them in

[sliphorn]

Thanks, 1 more question. Airstones? It's a pretty good size 10 gallon halfmoon with a small air pump it shouldn't send waves but some agitation? I'm planning a little lighted bubbler surrounded by lava rock.

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A bubbler is not necessary but I use one and set it for approximately one bubble per second. That's right, just one bubble per second to break up surface film. I don't like surface film. My son has his set up with no bubbler and his tank is doing great in a north facing window. North light is the most consistent with no direct light at all and his macroalgae and biofilm are doing fantastic. I don't think he has fed his tank in 6 months and all is well.
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[Dch48]

Airstones are not needed. These shrimp actually prefer very quiet water with little to no circulation required.

[Vorteil]

I have to agree with Dch48. While it may seem like one bubble per second is not much it actually is.Think of it as hearing one jackhammer per second in your own home. I'm not being extreme. This is somewhat the same in keeping African clawed frogs. Just the slight bit of water movement(bubbles) can affect the shrimp & frogs. Just my opinion.

[sliphorn]

I have to agree with Dch48. While it may seem like one bubble per second is not much it actually is.Think of it as hearing one jackhammer per second in your own home. I'm not being extreme. This is somewhat the same in keeping African clawed frogs. Just the slight bit of water movement(bubbles) can affect the shrimp & frogs. Just my opinion.

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Actually. I think you are being extreme. Jack hammer? Nope. My shrimp are happy and healthy and breed prolifically so I'd say one bubble per second is not bothering them in the least. I should mention that this is in a 10 gallon tank too, not a 1 gallon jar or similar.

The anchialine pools they come from may not exhibit any apparent movement or fluctuations but it is there. I suspect the sounds in a small anchialine pool are considerably greater than anything a bubble per second can produce. Not to mention that my shrimp are all captive bred so they are probably used to all types of interruptions such as noises from an adjacent room or lighting changes, or.......I think you get the idea.
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[JennyPenny]

My tank doesn't have an air pump and I don't have surface film. I do not think the air stone is necessary.
When I first set up my tank, I had a significant quantity of surface film and algae, but the snails and shrimps cleared it up and it has been fine since.

[Vorteil]

@sliphorn

I think you're totally missing the point. Ideal captive conditions would suggest no airstone , filter or movement. You have one in yours and yours are breeding great for you. That's good. I think the overall consensus is one should not or it's not required. Once again an idea envirement is not airstone.

[ceceporter]

[Mustafa]

No SafeStart plus or any other bacterial additives. No airstone/bubbler. Yes, one bubble/minute won't bother the shrimp much, but my experience in the past was that 1. it's unnecessary and added nothing 2. it still causes a slow salt creep over time.

[Harts]

Wanting to set up 3 gal acrylic tank for Opae Ulas using dry black sand and lava rock. Had these years ago but forgot how I started the cycle. I’m not a novice to salt tanks had 10 set up at one time in 2009. How does the cycle start with nothing for ammonia, nitrite then nitrates for cycle to begin? On my freshwater tank I used Stability and a tiny pinch of flaked food, which took 5 weeks to cycle. I’m a bit confused on the cycling of this shrimp tank. Any help is appreciated.