Shrimp Newbie

[ceceporter]

I've just started my opea ula keeping journey. I have a 2 gallon tank I'm about to start cycling. I've bought almost all the necessities for good shrimp keeping off this fantastic website. However, I'm wanting to make my tank more vibrant with life for my little shrimp and new plants and coral for them to cling onto. I've seen many fantastic tanks posted on this forum and I was wondering how you knew what kind of plants or sticks and bark would be good for them?
Again, Im a new owner and dont know much about the plants.

some of my questions are
1) whats the name of some specific types of live coral and plants I can go out and buy for my tank?
2) what do you suggest to start of with?
3) I dont have any lava rock yet as its out of stock, but what other types of rocks would they like to hid in?

Thanks so much for the help, any advice is welcomes
im looking forward to this new adventure.

[ceceporter]

Also, can other types of shrimp live with opea ula or can you not place them in the same tank?

[sliphorn]

I've just started my opea ula keeping journey. I have a 2 gallon tank I'm about to start cycling. I've bought almost all the necessities for good shrimp keeping off this fantastic website. However, I'm wanting to make my tank more vibrant with life for my little shrimp and new plants and coral for them to cling onto. I've seen many fantastic tanks posted on this forum and I was wondering how you knew what kind of plants or sticks and bark would be good for them?
Again, Im a new owner and dont know much about the plants.

some of my questions are
1) whats the name of some specific types of live coral and plants I can go out and buy for my tank?
2) what do you suggest to start of with?
3) I dont have any lava rock yet as its out of stock, but what other types of rocks would they like to hid in?

Thanks so much for the help, any advice is welcomes
im looking forward to this new adventure.

..
These are brackish water shrimp so no live coral. The two plants from this website are really about the only two plants that will work; macroalgae and the supershrimp mossball. That's all you really need and most probably only use the macroalgae. Have you read the set up guide on the site? It fills you in with everything you need to do for success.

You will need a calcium source to buffer the water such as aragonite, crushed coral or eggshells and even a chunk or two of cuttlebone. Any of those things will work just fine. Be sure to use either reverse osmosis water or distilled water and mix the marine salt to half seawater strength and you will be good to go. After about 4 to 6 weeks you can add shrimp. Many of us will add snails and macroalgae from this site about a week into the cycle.

Lava rock can be bought in the garden section of home improvement centers. I like to use aragonite for my substrate, about a half an inch is all you need. You can buy it at a tropical fish store that sells marine fish and supplies. You can also use any type of sand or gravel that is suitable for tropical fish, and then add the calcium source separately.

No other types of shrimp should be kept with them.

I am sure others will chime in with their comments and suggestions.

Good luck.
..

[Dch48]

Unfortunately these shrimp need brackish water that is about half the salinity of sea water. No form of coral will survive under those conditions. Plants are also a problem with really only macroalgae being suitable. I also do not know of any other type of shrimp that will be able to survive. About the only tankmates the shrimp can have would be snails. Either Nerites or Malaysian Trumpets do well in the brackish water. There are other forms of aquatic life that live in brackish water but they would all be predatory on the small Opaes.

For decorations, fake plants, sea fans, sea shells, dead cleaned coral, or any type of rock suitable for aquariums will be fine. Lava rock is best because it has more surface area in it's nooks and crannies for biofilm to grow on and provide food for the shrimp.

[Vorteil]

You can always add the Alpha Opae Ula aka Metabetaeus Lohena. This shrimp is also found living with the Opae Ula.

[sliphorn]

You can always add the Alpha Opae Ula aka Metabetaeus Lohena. This shrimp is also found living with the Opae Ula.

..
Won't the Met Lohena kill the Opae Ula when they are in the benthic stage?
..

[JennyPenny]

There is already great advice in this thread. No sticks, wood, or bark. No live corals, only use coral skeletons. Sea fans are nice and add visual interest.
If you are on a budget, I would start with 10-15 shrimp. If you aren't on a budget, I think 30 would be a nice start for a 2 gallon. I started my tank, which is around 2 gallons, with 15 shrimp. I ordered 15 and got 15. I have heard some people get one extra, but that is not always the case. I haven't counted for a while, but I think I have around 180 in my tank now, so be patient and you will have lots of shrimp...eventually.
You may add limestone rocks which will help buffer the water.
I read about Met Lohena a while ago and I seem to recall they either outcompete the opae ula, or eat the benthic shrimp. It is not recommended that you keep them together. This shrimp does well in a species only tank.
A common mistake is incorrect preparation of the brackish water. Make sure you use distilled or RODI water, and mix with marine salt (not aquarium salt or table salt) at half of what is needed for saltwater aquariums.
Make sure and post pictures when you get your tank set up!

[Dch48]

My shrimp went in on June 1 of this year. There were 16, now there are 20. Here is a picture of my tank. It is a one gallon "Excite" model from PetSmart minus the filter. I tried to get a two level effect on the substrate but it didn't work out well. So now there are 2 different gravel colors, some pieces of terracotta, a piece of lava rock from PetCo that I sawed the lower half off of because it was too big, 2 pieces of sea fan glued to the lava rock, and the macroalgae from Mustafa divided into 2 clumps. The Nerite snail you see is an empty shell glued to the rock but there is a smaller Horned one in there. You can also see a fresh molt on the left clump of macro.

[Vorteil]

The question was asked what other brackish shrimp can be kept with the Opae Ula. I suggested the Alpha's, They can be kept together but will always hunt down & eat the baby Opae Ula's without a doubt, even their own. They hunt & eat any prey they can get.

[Mustafa]

Also, M. lohena is very rare in nature. Much rarer even than Supershrimp. And there is no captive-breeding population, so I'd stay away from them until they are captive bred for the hobby. That will take a long time.