r/OpaeUla • u/evilweevil2 • 2d ago
what do i do now
I just received opae ula kit from ebay. i seem to have got the wrong instructions. i don’t have enough water in the shrimp bag to fill the jar nearly enough. i received a bag of salt. does this mean i have to make my own brackish water before i put the shrimp in? also my shrimp don’t seem to be moving a lot. i can’t tell if some of them are dead or not
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u/Confident_Start_4077 2d ago
Kits like this are fine as long as their from a good captive bred source 😁, however in the future, it's always advised to create the aquarium they'd be living in a couple weeks in advance. That was there is a stable colony of microfauna and algea in their home ❤️. It's perfectly okay starting them like this, just make sure to feed but not overfeed. Then when you start seeing brown growth or green you can slow down feeding 😊. Hope this helps a bit
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u/GotSnails 1d ago
Not necessary for Opae Ula. The goal is to get the shrimp water that they come with to help cycle the tank. The water is rich in algae spores. Feed the shrimp freeze dried spirulina. The waste created by the shrimp will feed/fertilize the algae and also create biofilm. This is IMO the best way to get started.
If it were freshwater shrimp it would be a whole different story.
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u/Confident_Start_4077 1d ago
I mean, yes, it's not necessary. However yes it is extremely beneficial to have your tank running and even phantom feeding for 2 weeks. It establishes a colony of food that ready for your shrimp, instead of building that food source while they're in the tank. Just because opae ula are less sensitive to change vs. their freshwater counterparts, doesn't mean it's good for them to just be immediately thrown into a vase, tank, bowl, whatever. It's not about what's easiest in this moment, it's about informing this person of a better way to do it in the future.
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u/GotSnails 1d ago
How is that the case? We're talking about the standard way of setting a tank up. Pure brackish water & what can come of that? Day 1 vs day 60 the parameters will still be the same. There's no filter in there so what are you trying to establish? Dumping food in there will just rot & build up ammonia. I've been able to establish a tank in less than 7 days with algae in there. Please refer to this link. This is a new 10 gallon set up I did. I rarely post on PetShrimp anymore.
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u/GotSnails 1d ago
I must say I do respect your insight. There's other ways to look at this & mine isn't the only one. Way to go!
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u/Specialist-Bed-5453 2d ago
You’ll have to add the salt to distilled water. I forget the amount since I did mine but I believe it was a tablespoon to a gallon of water.
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u/evilweevil2 2d ago
got it. i am off to buy a refractometer
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u/addywoot 2d ago
1/4 cup to a gallon of distilled water. Needs to be salt for salt water tanks.
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u/JAYSONE2016 2d ago edited 2d ago
This right here. Mix with distilled or RODI water.
Mix well and I'd let it sit for that 24hr period mentioned in the jar to ensure the salt mix is fully dissolved before adding the shrimp.
Make sure you leave an air gap in the jar, don't fill it to the top! Good luck!
*Edit to clarify, I would fill the jar using the water the shrimp came with and use the newly mixed to just top off the jar to your desired level.
u/gotsnails please correct me if I'm wrong
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u/woodstream 2d ago
I'd mix the water with salt first, then let it sit for a day or so before adding the sand and shrimp.
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u/GotSnails 1d ago
Yes you need to make your own brackish water. 1 tablespoon will make 1 quart. The shrimp will be fine in the bags for weeks on end.
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u/addywoot 2d ago
The instructions say sphere, not jar.
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u/evilweevil2 2d ago
yes i got the jar as i ordered it but the instructions for the sphere
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u/addywoot 2d ago
Do you have substrate and the sea fan? Rocks?
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u/evilweevil2 2d ago
yes all of that too
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u/addywoot 2d ago
Ok go ahead and assemble your jar and follow the instructions as though it’s a sphere.
If I read correctly, you’re supposed to let the shrimp sit for a day anyway in the bag. They produce very little waste so it’s ok.
It’s important to establish their environment first thing. The amount of water in the jar may end up being a bit short but it’s balanced. It’s ok right now.
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u/pammylorel 2d ago
/u/gotsnails SOS