# Hawaiian Shrimp-any experience?



## thaerin

Hawaiian Red Shrimp
Halocaridina rubra
A small (~1/2" total length) shrimp native to Hawaii. It will tolerate salinities from full freshwater to full seawater. It also reproduces freely under proper environmental conditions. Due to its small size, I do not advise mixing these shrimp in with fish. however, they are ideal inhabitants for a small desktop aquarium. 
(from http://www.franksaquarium.com/freshwatershrimpfarm.htm)

Anyone have any experience with them? They sound like a wonderful little shrimp, very pretty too. Won't breed in freshwater though.

Just wondering since Frank has them fairly cheap ($15 for 25 w/o shipping), I was thinking of getting some when he gets back.


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## Piscesgirl

I haven't kept them, but I think I remember those that keep them were happy with them (of course they were! who wouldn't be?). I would suggest you use a little salt, though, even though it says they tolerate full freshwater; at least, that's what I've heard. 

If you try them, keep us updated about them!


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## dennis

I had some for a few weeks but one day I noticed all were gone. I think their home wa a little overstocked and dirty  My fault. They are very interesting and pretty shrimp. I belive they might be more "delicate) than the Cherrys and Black midget shrimp I have. Thena gain their loss might have just been bad luck. If you can get them, I say go for it. They are very active swimmers and inquisitive aswell.


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## thaerin

It's intresting you say their delicate Dennis. On petshrimp (who seems to know what he's talking about), he praises them as 
"Hence, this shrimp became a "Super Shrimp" of sorts over its millions of years of evolution. The Opae ula (as this shrimp is called in Hawaii) can take temperature extremes, salinity extremes (from fresh water to more than full strength saltwater), environmental extremes (lack of food for months or years) and supposedly manages to live for more than 20 years if given the right conditions!"

Maybe just a bad batch of them?


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## cousinkenni

thaerin,

One of the guys in our fish club (Honolulu aquarium society) breeds them. I can find out more information from him this friday if you would like (we have a meeting). As for the knowledge that I have of them.......every pet store out here has them. I was always under the belief that they were brackish or salt only until I read that same quote on petshrimp.com. So I bought a couple a while back and threw them in my freshwater tank........they were dead within 20 minutes. I don't know if you have to slowly change them to freshwater but don't just immediately throw them in. In my experience they will die!

APC member Aaron might know more about the Opae......Aaron any comments?

Ken T.


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## usafresq

I have a sealed biotope with them, they are reproducing and very active. For best life longevity use brackish water.

Kevin


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## Erirku

If you go to the big island, and one of the locals where the opae ula ponds are, you can get a whole stock full for "FREE". These shrimps were the craze, but abused very badly, because the company that sells them, put them in small biotypes, and they were hella expensive.
To take care of these little critters, they need a certain salinity or like us locals call it "Hawaiian Rock Salt" which in my opion is much better, because its natural salt, that is made here in the Islands. I don't know how much, but not a pinch or small pinch of salt. Maybe for each gallon a teaspoon of rock salt is good for them. Hopes this can help.


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## david lim

Weren't these the shrimp used in the ecospheres?

http://www.eco-sphere.com/aboutecosphere.htm

I heard it's very sad conditions for these shrimps. They were chosen due to their hardiness in being capable of surviving extreme conditions, but they slowly die within these spheres. I forgot if this topic has been brought up before (?).

David


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## thaerin

wow this thread really took off =)

Yes, unfortunately the shrimp are the ones in the dread ecospheres.
http://www.petshrimp.com/hawaiianredshrimp.html , he goes off about them on here. Personally, I agree with him but that's just my opinion.

Sounds like they need at least some salt in the water to survive. For giggles I'll try to contact Frank (the guy selling them) if he has any input on them.


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## Aaron

Its kinda sad what people have been doing to these little shrimp. Nothing worse than a slow slow death in those little ecospheres. They are a scientifically and culturally special to Hawaii and I am really surprised that there hasn't been a ban on their exportation yet. 

(This is all off the top of my head from research I did a while back so Some info might be wrong.) These shrimp are found on the islands of Hawaii, Maui and I believe Molokai in anchialine ponds. (small ponds connected to the ocean by capillary lava tubes.) These ponds can be found near as well as far from the ocean. There at least two species of shrimp, one which grazes on algae and one that is carnivorous. Prior to these shrimp's popularity as "ecosphere inhabitants", they were and still are collected by hobbyists as live food for tropicals, namely Discus. I met an old time fish keeper from Hawaii (The Big Island) that they were great for inducing spawning. 

In Native Hawaiian Folklore, the Opae Ula (opae= shrimp, ula= red) are known as "Pele's tears". Pele is the Goddess of Fire, who inhabits Kilauea, Hawaii's active volcano. It is said that when Pele is sad or angry, the ponds in the lava fields turn red from her tears. 

These little shrimp are very interesting and fum to keep IN AN APPROPRIATE AQUARIUM. They need water changes, space, and food like any other shrimp. I keep a dozen of them in an eclipse 3. They need salt in their water, about a specific gravity of 1.015 should be good. They will not last long in pure fresh water. If they do not like their water conditions, they will turn clear or white. They breed once a year to a small amount of young.


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## thaerin

1.015...how much salt is that per gallon (or 10 gallon if that's easier). That wouldn't be enough to harm cories or plants correct?


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## Aaron

That will be enough to kill your cories and plants. Cladophora will grow in it though. I'm not sure exactly how much salt that would be per gallon, I just use a hydrometer. I think pure seawater has a specific gravity of 1.030 while pure fresh water is 1.000. Any reefers out there want to confirm this?


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## thaerin

I just remembered Frank runs the Freshwater shrimp group on yahoo so I searched the archives.

"these are an extremely easy shrimp to keep. They need fairly hard water
with a decent amount of salt (two tablespoons marine salt per gallon of
water). No ammonia or nitrite, and 10 ppm or less nitrate (ideally). They
eat anything, but do best on a diet of algae (spirulina is a good
substitute).
Frank M. Greco"

Oh well, it was a tempting though. Saved myself a bit of money at least. More to spend on tiger shrimps =)


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## Rob in Puyallup

Okay... a new member of this forum... with Opae Ula experience. Was hoping to find other enthusiasts here.

So... are there any hidden Opae Ula keepers here?

Rob's my name, live 30 miles south of Seattle.


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## Yo-han

Received some from a customer of our lfs yesterday. Am especially interested in breeding them.


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## Rob in Puyallup

Can take a while. They're not as prolific as our freshwater dwarf shrimp, but much more interesting to observe in my opinion.


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## Yo-han

There is no hurry if they get really 30 years old.



Aaron said:


> That will be enough to kill your cories and plants. Cladophora will grow in it though. I'm not sure exactly how much salt that would be per gallon, I just use a hydrometer. I think pure seawater has a specific gravity of 1.030 while pure fresh water is 1.000. Any reefers out there want to confirm this?


Seawater has a specific gravity of 1.035 (35 grams of sea salt per litre).


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## Rob in Puyallup

Gotta rewrite what I wrote up there. I now have three opae ula berried. Have had them just over two months.


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## Rob in Puyallup

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## Rob in Puyallup

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## Rob in Puyallup

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## rastoma

Rob in Puyallup said:


> Gotta rewrite what I wrote up there. I now have three opae ula berried. Have had them just over two months.


I've been wanting some of these for awhile but don't know where to get a small amount without paying an arm and a leg.

When yours hatch would be open to sell a few shrimplets.. once they are big enough to handle a shipment ok?


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## Rob in Puyallup

Sure... 

Found a third berried opae last night. Was happy with that! 

 

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## Rob in Puyallup

If you look close you'll find all three of them in this picture.


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## Rob in Puyallup

The first of three berried Opae Ula is in the process of giving "birth" this morning :

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## Rob in Puyallup




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## Yo-han

Keeping them is very easy as mentioned before but for breeding it might need more specific circumstances. Can you share us some of your water parameters Rob? Salinity, temperature etc...


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## Rob in Puyallup

Hi Yo-Han, 

I have about 200 opae ula (probably more) in a 6.6 gallon bookshelf tank that I purchased from Petco. The tank came with a very small HOB filter which I have running at it's highest setting, (barely a trickle). In the filter are some Fluval bio-rings and a small bag of Purigen.

Lighting is a 50/50 fluorescent. 

Substrate in the tank is "live" aragonite sand. I also have live rock. The type that's cured and free of any obvious life. There is also some cultured live lava rock.

Specific gravity is kept at approximately 1.012. Temperature around 78 degrees. I do a 1 gallon water change once a month or so. Topping off evaporated water with room temperature distilled. 

I have chaetomorpha algae in the tank to help with nitrate removal, though when I test the water the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels have always been zero. 

I feed the opae ula a varied diet, feeding them a small amount of food every other day. They eat literally anything I put in their tank. If it's food meant for other shrimp they get it. They also get an occasional color enhancing flaked fish food. Please note that feed a small amount of only one type of food every other day. 

Hope this helps... 
Rob


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## Rob in Puyallup

PS: I have an obsessively kept Opae Ula journal at The Planted Tank Forum using this screenname. 

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## Rob in Puyallup

The Bookshelf Opae Ula tank this morning.


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## Yo-han

Thanks for sharing!


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## Rob in Puyallup

You're welcome! 

Hope that helps convince others that breeding these guys is more interesting than squeezing them in little glass balls. 

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## Rob in Puyallup

Mom and kids a few minutes ago:


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## Rob in Puyallup

Momma's been giving "birth" this afternoon! Here's a video of it!


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## gundaman

cool never heard of these before.


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## PhilipS

I have a large colony of Opae Ula shrimp.


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