Opaeula.co.uk

A dedicated forum and online store for the Opae ula shrimp! 

This section is to discuss anything Opae ula shrimp and brackish water related. e.g Nerite snails, algae etc..
 #7566  by opae ula related
 
Vorteil wrote:How much bigger are the ML larvae compared to the Opae Ula ones? Is artemia too big to feed? It probably is but thought I'd ask.
ML larva are smaller than OP ones. Yeah too big.
 #7567  by Rex113
 
Dont know about yours, my enclosure has small openings that the larva can escape.
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I just dug it out of my garage and checked it, your right the upper half has slits that the larvae can escape from. :upset:
 #7570  by opae ula related
 
The larva live on the yolk sac for 7 days? then needs to feed right. The bigger the tank the better with almost ocean water salinity? Microscopic foods from ocean water was what I was thinking. Or maybe a mix of zooplankton, phytoplankton, vinegar eels and microworms?
 #7583  by Vorteil
 
I think I would start with the following in either a 3 or 5 gallon tank. Air to keep the water moving so it doesn't get stagnant.

Copepods:
Parvocalanus crassirostris is recognized by top aquaculturists and aquarium breeders as one of the best live foods for the smallest and most difficult of the marine fish larvae due to the small size of the nauplii.
This small pelagic copepod is rich in essential fatty acids and provides good nutrition for developing larval fish. In aquariums, the small size is optimum for capture by the finest filter feeders such as feather dusters and Christmas tree worms, SPS corals and sponges.Tropical marine species. Herbivorous, Eats microalgae, Phytoplankton. Reproduces by scattering eggs.

Live Phytoplankton is intended for use as a highly nutritious copepod live food.

I would also have rotifers as well. Probably this set here. Check out the link.

https://reedmariculture.com/support_rot ... turing.php
 #7585  by opae ula related
 
Below is the size from what I gathered. Since the the ML larva are small, the food must be small?

Copepod = 1mm
Rotifers = .1mm
Microworm =.05mm
Vineger eels = .04mm
Zooplankton = .02mm
Phytoplankton = .02mm
 #7594  by Rex113
 
One week update. I without exaggeration have spent at least four or more hours staring into my little tank waiting for the berried female to come out from hiding so I can catch her. I have tried the clear glass shrimp catcher and they won’t approach it, and the second I put the net in they all disappear. I have left the net in the tank overnight and I have seen one or two curious shrimp actually enter the net and leave, but not the berried female. I have a two gallon container with salt water water from my reef tank waiting and the green water that contains live zooplankton and phytoplankton ..I will keep trying even though my wife is convinced I’m nuts.
 #7595  by odin
 
Hehe I’ve been there before! Sometimes it seems easier to have no rocks in their tank but just have substrate and a few ceramic caves which you can remove when needed to net out the female.


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 #7598  by opae ula related
 
Rex113 wrote:One week update. I without exaggeration have spent at least four or more hours staring into my little tank waiting for the berried female to come out from hiding so I can catch her. I have tried the clear glass shrimp catcher and they won’t approach it, and the second I put the net in they all disappear. I have left the net in the tank overnight and I have seen one or two curious shrimp actually enter the net and leave, but not the berried female. I have a two gallon container with salt water water from my reef tank waiting and the green water that contains live zooplankton and phytoplankton ..I will keep trying even though my wife is convinced I’m nuts.
Lol. Like Odin said.
It just have to be the right moment. Maybe disturb the tank so they all come out then net her.

Btw, what products you use for the food?
 #7599  by Rex113
 
I feed them brine shrimp twice a week. A very small amount as to not foul up the water. They also graze on the algae in the tank, sometimes I see them swimming upside down at the surface to eat the green film that is always there. I also tried shrimp pellets but they stopped eating them after a while.
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