# Micro Lobsters!



## chaznsc (May 1, 2006)

http://www.dansgreenhouse.com/lobsters.html


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## dr.tran (Oct 8, 2007)

So what are they? Is it just a name they give to RCS to sell them?

BTW I ment just the micro lobsters not the entire kit


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Nope, not RCS. Spring species endemic to Hawaii. 

Being caught in their natural habitat and their population is going down, due to thea catching and destroying of habitats. Also, their name is opae ula. They live in salt water, but also can live in freshwater, but their fry needs salt water. They are incredibly durable and live really long(15-20 years) under ideal conditions.

Heres a link
http://www.petshrimp.com/hawaiianredshrimp.html


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## dr.tran (Oct 8, 2007)

WHAT?!?!?!?!?! SPYPET?!?!?!?


DUMP?

I just have extras so I decided to sell some to thin them out. 

I have 4 large tanks and I like RCS plus I needed some plants so it was a nice deal.

So I was just considering some micro lobsters, doesn't mean I'm really getting some. But in case in the future if I decide to have some, then I would like to know where to get some.

I'm not some kind of complusive buyer that has no respect for these living things. Endlers are my very favorite fish which has been a pleasure keeping several stains of these rare fishes. Since you have endlers I'm sure you understand the problem of having too many of these guys when the population explodes. So in no way shape or form am I dumping my fish. I just have to get thin the population because its hard to have high quality fish when its too crowded.

I'm just curious and I'm just keeping an open mind


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

I'm actually gonna set up one of these tanks once I find out the material etc I wanna set it up with. Probably either a 2.5 or a 5 gallon.


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

I must confess, they'd be ideal for a low tech low maintenance office nano.
It's a shame they have lost so much of their natural habitat to real estate.
hopefully considerate breeding hobbyists out there can help pick up the slack.


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## dr.tran (Oct 8, 2007)

They look nice but I think im going to stick with RCS for the moment. But going saltwater does seem cool.


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

RCS algae eating tendencies make them
far more useful for the planted tank hobby.
but if you wanted to throw a few pounds
of lava rock into a nano, and forget about it,
then micro lobsters would be the way to go.


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## Burks (May 21, 2006)

dr.tran said:


> They look nice but I think im going to stick with RCS for the moment. But going saltwater does seem cool.


It's fun and easier to do then you might expect. Just don't expect to keep any corals in those tanks with the "micro-lobsters".


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## wood (Nov 15, 2006)

Just dont think that they can live in an "ecosphere". petshrimp.com has info on that "ecosphere" myth. 

Hehe, saying that word reminds me of the movie Biodome


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

spypet said:


> I must confess, they'd be ideal for a low tech low maintenance office nano.
> It's a shame they have lost so much of their natural habitat to real estate.
> hopefully considerate breeding hobbyists out there can help pick up the slack.


Yep, if I do start up a tank, I'm gonna do a small one at first and see if they breed. If they do breed decently, I would consider a bigger tank, but not sure. I've heard they bred super slow though xD



wood said:


> Just dont think that they can live in an "ecosphere". petshrimp.com has info on that "ecosphere" myth.
> 
> Hehe, saying that word reminds me of the movie Biodome


Yeah, you could try something similar to the "ecosphere" but it won't be something that you could leave alone completely.
And awesome movie


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## fishscale (May 29, 2007)

Well, even the legitimate attempts at creating a self contained atmosphere were failures. Biosphere 2 was a total failure. They ended up having to pump oxygen in when the crew members starting going crazy. 

Anyway, this seems like an interesting idea, I've been toying with the idea of starting a brackish tank. Anyone know if they breed readily?


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Not that I heard of. Maybe a few times per year, like 3 or 4, so maybe like 20 total per year, lol. I might have it wrong, but I know it's A LOT slower than cherries and other shrimps.


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## dirkgent001 (Nov 20, 2007)

Seeing as how they have such long lifespans, it stands to reason they'd breed less often, and have smaller numbers when they do breed.


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

perhaps, or the lack of regularly available nutrition in their environment may
also play a roll, so more food availability may help trigger their breeding cycle.


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Hopefully, or else at this rate, they'll be in trouble D:
I'll try to maintain the tank as I do with y cherries, like WC(this might be hard with salt water) every other week, daily feedings, filtration(not sure how salt water filtration works though). Or I might just go the natural apth and just do daily feedings and WCs.


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## Brian A (Sep 3, 2002)

I would read about them a little more. You shouldn't have to do water changes very often at all, these little things can go through a lot and still be happy. They must reproduce at a decent level because they are used as live food in SW tanks a lot.


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## dhavoc (May 4, 2006)

opae ula are one of the easiest inverts to keep. if you just want to keep some, a 1/2g jar is enough. simply get the right salinity to match the pond they came from (these guys can live in fw to saltier that ocean water). top off with distilled water to compensate for evap and let it go in a lighted area. they feed mainly on algae but i would add a few sprinkles of crushed flake food once or twice a week. my parents have one thats only a 1/4g at most, and they just ripped the top off to allow adding water and food. they are still going strong after 8 years. no breeding though.

for breeding, you need at minimum a 2.5 g only because you would add a sponge filter. keep the current to a minimum (they come from still ponds), add some rock and let them go. once they get comfortable they should start to breed. they have a larval stage, and only about 8-10 fry per clutch. i would scrape the front glass only so i could see them, but let the other 3 sides of the tank grow full of algae that they eat. you still need to feed them a little though if you want them to breed.


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## wood (Nov 15, 2006)

dhavoc said:


> opae ula are one of the easiest inverts to keep. if you just want to keep some, a 1/2g jar is enough. simply get the right salinity to match the pond they came from (these guys can live in fw to saltier that ocean water). top off with distilled water to compensate for evap and let it go in a lighted area. they feed mainly on algae but i would add a few sprinkles of crushed flake food once or twice a week. my parents have one thats only a 1/4g at most, and they just ripped the top off to allow adding water and food. they are still going strong after 8 years. no breeding though.
> 
> for breeding, you need at minimum a 2.5 g only because you would add a sponge filter. keep the current to a minimum (they come from still ponds), add some rock and let them go. once they get comfortable they should start to breed. they have a larval stage, and only about 8-10 fry per clutch. i would scrape the front glass only so i could see them, but let the other 3 sides of the tank grow full of algae that they eat. you still need to feed them a little though if you want them to breed.


8 Years in a tiny jar? Wow, that is impressive.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

So does anyone have a source for just the shrimp and not the biosphere like things?

-Andrew


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## fishscale (May 29, 2007)

If you look at the website it looks like they might be restricted, but I think the website might sell you just shrimp. You'd have to contact them about it.


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## dhavoc (May 4, 2006)

_"8 Years in a tiny jar? Wow, that is impressive."_

supposedly, they can live up to 20 years, so we'll see how long more they last (all are wild caught, so you cant tell how old they may already be). i know they are not breeding, so it isnt new generations of shrimp in there. they seem to need a little more room and probably the cleaner water conditions of a tank with at least a sponge filter to start breeding. some claim that theirs bred in those tiny biospheres you see advertised, but even the makers of those spheres, take that with a grain of salt. kinda like the claims about amanos breeding in peoples fw tanks......


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## Blacksunshine (Oct 11, 2006)

wood said:


> Just dont think that they can live in an "ecosphere". petshrimp.com has info on that "ecosphere" myth.
> 
> Hehe, saying that word reminds me of the movie Biodome


Thats the ones I was thinking of. Yeah they say that the plant feeds the shrimp and the shrimp in turn feeds the plant but the reality of it is the shrimp is just slowly starving to death. Horrible novelty item. I hope no one here owns one. 
But outside of the "eco sphere" they would be cool pets to keep so long as they are properly cared for.


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## Burks (May 21, 2006)

Fish Newb said:


> So does anyone have a source for just the shrimp and not the biosphere like things?
> 
> -Andrew


http://www.inlandaquatics.com/default.html


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## Brian A (Sep 3, 2002)

I spoke with them a few months ago in regards to the shrimp. They sent me a link to a place the sells them in larger quantities. I will post the link when i get back to work on Tuesday.


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## chaznsc (May 1, 2006)

wood said:


> 8 Years in a tiny jar? Wow, that is impressive.


Ryan,
whats your take on all this?


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

flash69x said:


> I spoke with them a few months ago in regards to the shrimp.
> They sent me a link to a place the sells them in larger quantities.
> I will post the link when i get back to work on Tuesday.


Subj: Re: Micro-Lobsters aka Opae-ula
Date: Fri, Dec 14, 2007 at 2:14 PM

_Aloha and Happy Holidays,
We do not sell the Micro-Lobsters seperately.
Thank you,
Chris @ Dan's Green House_


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Fish Newb said:


> So does anyone have a source for just the shrimp and not the biosphere like things?
> 
> -Andrew


A few of our LFS sells the opae ula for $1 each. I just bought $10 worth, and he threw in a few extra. They kept theirs in salt water, not brackish, and probably had over 1000 in a 10 gallon xD
And I'm not too sure about the exporting laws on these guys, so I don't know if I wanna send them out yet. 
If you really really want them, do your research and I'll consider it, but it's probably better to get them from a online source, lol.

And most of the course are wild caught so I'd watch out on them, but I'm gonna try breed mine in a 5.5 gallon w/o a filter for now. Dhavoc, do you suggest sand in the tank though? I got some sand and water from the beach and have them in there now, but I might consider changing it.
I might add a sponge filter in the future, but the problem is the sand(will the sponge clog?).


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## dhavoc (May 4, 2006)

add the sponge filter, and i would at least boil the sand first, there are some freaky things living in beach sand, and you may or may not want them in your tank. i had just river rocks and some generic substrate in a 2.5g with one of those 3i filters (intank air powered filter) and they bred fine. make sure you top off evap with distilled water though, tap here has alot of minerals and it will build up in the tank over time making the water too hard for them to do well.

the ones available now are mostly from the Kona coast by the huge resorts and those are supposedly full strength sea water ponds. the guys in Hilo have brackish ponds. though its pretty easy to acclimate these guys to brackish.


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## dhavoc (May 4, 2006)

chaznsc said:


> Ryan,
> whats your take on all this?


Chaz, remember my parents broke open the sphere (it is an acrylic tube actually that was sealed on top). so it really isnt a bio-sphere anymore, more of a nano-tank actually. thats why they are living so long. they get water top off and food twice a week on top of the algae.


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

dhavoc said:


> add the sponge filter, and i would at least boil the sand first, there are some freaky things living in beach sand, and you may or may not want them in your tank. i had just river rocks and some generic substrate in a 2.5g with one of those 3i filters (intank air powered filter) and they bred fine. make sure you top off evap with distilled water though, tap here has alot of minerals and it will build up in the tank over time making the water too hard for them to do well.
> 
> the ones available now are mostly from the Kona coast by the huge resorts and those are supposedly full strength sea water ponds. the guys in Hilo have brackish ponds. though its pretty easy to acclimate these guys to brackish.


Alright, I'll find another pump I guess. I have this 4 port pump in the front of the house, but this tank is in my room xD Don't think my parents would want me to run the line all the way back. Also thought the sponge would've picked up the sand, but it didn't pick up the substrate in my front tank.
Do you suggest I take out all the sand now? :icon_eek: I already have them in there and forgot to boil I didn't see any thing big so I figured the bacteria would be beneficia, lol, but I guess there might be some scary stuff xD. And what about the salt water? Should I boil that too(though I guess I must top it off with distilled water since it'll evap)?
Right now the shrimps are in full salt water. some from the beach, some from the LFS.
Also, I grabbed some stuff that was growing on top of the rocks at the shore, should I leave it in or take it out? 
Thanks for the help!


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## dhavoc (May 4, 2006)

unless you got a reef grade tank setup, the algae/seaweed you picked up from the beach will just die and rot, fouling the water. i would remove it. also for seawater, i would make your own with instant ocean or similar. that way you dont have to worry about whats in the water.


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Yeah, I'm gonna remove most of the stuff I took from the beach xD
I'm gonna stop by a fish store and pick up a sea water mix, some sand(do they sell them in smaller packs?) and lava rocks.

Is the lava rocks that they sell for grills like in walmart ok?


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## dhavoc (May 4, 2006)

cant say, if it hasnt been treated then it should be fine, but i would go to a garden store and get some there.


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

dhavoc said:


> cant say, if it hasnt been treated then it should be fine, but i would go to a garden store and get some there.


Yeah, I was looking for a landscaping store, but can't really find any except for bigrock in kalihi, which is a bit far xD. My mom wants to go to one too, but she doesn't know of any. I'll see if the smaller gardening stores has any. 
Thanks!

-_-
I told my sister to go buy me some stuff at the LFS since they left me behind at home, and she got this pretty damn course sand(huge!) I'm gonna make the salt water mix first and then try go switch out the sand tonight.
Lol, was expecting much finer sand when she asked which to choose.


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## alohamonte (Jul 25, 2006)

gotcha 

goldfish bowl, lava rocks, brackish water, and indirect sunlight... you'll have an algae farm and healthy breeding shrimp. 

the petshop behind the walmart in town sells them for $1 each.


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Yep, modern pets is where I got them. They even threw in 3 free 

I'm gonna be looking for lava rocks and mixing the saltwater tonight.

I guess I'll either mix 1/2 to 1/4 of the suggested amount on the box.


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

For $30 you can rescue these Opae-ula from this sealed
plastic death trap, and put them in your own nano tank.
_yes, I asked, and the seller will not sell the shrimp alone._


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