# Opae Ula and Nerite Biotope - What Do I Need?



## OiZO (Feb 2, 2010)

I was thinking about this too. I am eager to see the answers to your questions!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Can't help you with much besides this:


> Can I move my Nerites between fresh and brackish water environments, should I and how long should I acclimate them beforehand?


From what I read online for people trying to breed nerites themselves they pretty much just plop them back and forth between brackish tank and freshwater tank. If you do decide you want to acclimate them you could probably drip them back and forth.


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

if you put things like drift wood and rock in the freshwater tank with the snails they will lay eggs on them and then just move that to the brackish/salt tank. that way there is no stress on the snail


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

xenxes said:


> I want to create a biotope with Opae Ula and Nerites in a 5-6g nano. Besides brackish water and algae, what else do I need?
> 
> Specific Questions:
> - What substrate to use? Dirt with sand/gravel cap I use for my freshwater okay? Or crushed coral?
> ...


 I use crushed coral to keep the pH up and buffer the water. To grow the algae, just leave the lights on for a long time (14+ hours a day). Also introduce some algae into the tank from other tanks and see if it grows. I've had good luck with clado and hair algae. Volcanic rocks are good for providing hiding places and a surface for algae and biofilm to grow on. I wouldn't do plants because they will either just die quickly or get smothered in algae. They also compete for nitrates with the algae you want to grow. Though, somehow there's a piece of dwarf water lettuce floating in my tank... I haven't had luck breeding the shrimp yet but I've read olive nerites can tolerate to 1.010 specific gravity. My MTS's were breeding in pure saltwater though (1.020). I just use a cheap hydrometer from Petco to check the salinity. The shrimps are pretty happy so I don't think minor variations in the measured salinity would bother them. Not sure about the nerites. I only keep MTS in my tank. Hope that helps. Good luck! Edit: Forgot to add, I had the tank running before I switched to brackish and their was already some hair algae growing in it.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

I found that hydrometer, TY!!

Also, what pH do they require? Googling didn't get much. My tap is around 7-7.2.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

I'd assume a higher pH since they are found in high salinity pools with limestone walls. I've never measured the pH though.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

As far as acclimating, you could try having a tub of water that's halfway between the salinity of your brackish and fresh as an intermediary tank


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Think I'll use black sand + coral / shells I can collect on the beach  might crush some up myself. After washing of course.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

Sounds good. The black sand will make their reds pop out more. I wish there was a beach nearby that wasn't so dirty.


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## mayanjungledog (Mar 26, 2009)

I kept my opae ula in a 2.5 glass tank with a glass lid and no filtration. I used black sand as the substrate and volcanic rock for hardscape. No other fauna or flora. There aren't other inverts in their natural habitat, which is pretty barren. I did partial water changes only in the first couple of months. After that, I just topped off with RO water, and no more water changes. Kept a 100w equivalent CFL bulb in a desk lamp over the tank 12+ hours per day for months to get algae to grow. It started off with brown diatoms (I think) and eventually became a very nice bright green. I measured the Instant Ocean to 1.012 using RO water, but didn't measure any other parameters.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

mayanjungledog said:


> I kept my opae ula in a 2.5 glass tank with a glass lid and no filtration. I used black sand as the substrate and volcanic rock for hardscape. No other fauna or flora. There aren't other inverts in their natural habitat, which is pretty barren. I did partial water changes only in the first couple of months. After that, I just topped off with RO water, and no more water changes. Kept a 100w equivalent CFL bulb in a desk lamp over the tank 12+ hours per day for months to get algae to grow. It started off with brown diatoms (I think) and eventually became a very nice bright green. I measured the Instant Ocean to 1.012 using RO water, but didn't measure any other parameters.


They breed in that tank for you?


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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

I know that some macroalgaes can be adjusted to fairly low brackish conditions, caulerpa, for instance. It's just a thought for a more unusual 'plant' for the tank.


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## mayanjungledog (Mar 26, 2009)

They did not breed for me.



diwu13 said:


> They breed in that tank for you?


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

jasonpatterson said:


> I know that some macroalgaes can be adjusted to fairly low brackish conditions, caulerpa, for instance. It's just a thought for a more unusual 'plant' for the tank.


 Any idea on the nutrients they might need? The shrimp I recieved came with a piece of macroalgae. However, it began to bleach and die so I had to throw it out.


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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

Nope, I have no idea, honestly. I have just read that if they are adjusted very slowly from full saltwater to brackish conditions, many macroalgaes do well, caulerpa being one.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

Any thoughts on whether or not an air driven UGF system of some sort might be suitable for an Opae Ula set-up?

It would solve the whole "sucking the babies into the filter" issue.


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## RandomMan (May 31, 2011)

No need for a filter. They prefer calm still water. Many of the kits you can buy for them have you go years between water changes. Just top off with RO/Distilled water. Also, why Nerites? They'll compete with the shrimp for the food.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Because breeding nerites is awesome... If you actually have success with it. May be the first on this forum!


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## ca_la_g (May 5, 2011)

hi, i just started an opae ula tank in a 5 gallons hex tank. i think we should work together and trade information to learn from each other's mistakes. check out my thread at houston fish box.

http://www.houstonfishbox.com/vforums/showthread.php?46785-5-gallon-opae-ulas-journal


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Someone needs to sell me some shrimp first. I don't want to order 50 :/

The Edge I'm putting them in is also missing some parts, I'll have to get that squared away first.


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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

madness said:


> Any thoughts on whether or not an air driven UGF system of some sort might be suitable for an Opae Ula set-up?
> 
> It would solve the whole "sucking the babies into the filter" issue.


It ought to be perfectly fine. I use an air powered sponge filter for my 10g tank, and though I know I could do without, I prefer knowing that the water is being filtered. They do poop a lot...


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

jasonpatterson said:


> It ought to be perfectly fine. I use an air powered sponge filter for my 10g tank, and though I know I could do without, I prefer knowing that the water is being filtered. *They do poop a lot...*


This in bold. On the days I don't feed them, they are constantly picking at the biofilm, and pooping. One had a trail of poop as long as its entire body.


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## haterr (Sep 14, 2009)

well here is my lesson learned ... give them a heater. my tank temperature dropped down to the low 60s for a week here this winter and i lost my colony of 2 years. i had previously kept them in a 5gal heated to 78 but the heater failed and i neglected to get a new one, may have been the rapid swing in temps that finally took em out. good luck!


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

haterr said:


> well here is my lesson learned ... give them a heater. my tank temperature dropped down to the low 60s for a week here this winter and i lost my colony of 2 years. i had previously kept them in a 5gal heated to 78 but the heater failed and i neglected to get a new one, may have been the rapid swing in temps that finally took em out. good luck!


After 2 years of keeping them were you getting any breeding?

BTW, that sucks about losing them.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

haterr said:


> well here is my lesson learned ... give them a heater. my tank temperature dropped down to the low 60s for a week here this winter and i lost my colony of 2 years. i had previously kept them in a 5gal heated to 78 but the heater failed and i neglected to get a new one, may have been the rapid swing in temps that finally took em out. good luck!


Sorry to hear that. Where did you keep your tank? I would put a heater but the tank sits next to the heater in my room so it's kept at around 72-74 degrees.


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## haterr (Sep 14, 2009)

my tank was on a stand with my other tanks, the other tanks with neocardina and cardina shrimps have their tanks regulated to 72degrees but i doubt a dip into the low 60s for a short period of time would have crashed their colonies. 

i never saw them breed in the 2 years i had them but i also never saw any die from the original 22 that i had.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

haterr said:


> my tank was on a stand with my other tanks, the other tanks with neocardina and cardina shrimps have their tanks regulated to 72degrees but i doubt a dip into the low 60s for a short period of time would have crashed their colonies.
> 
> i never saw them breed in the 2 years i had them but i also never saw any die from the original 22 that i had.


That sucks!  

Good thing temperature doesn't really fluctuate where I am, and so it begins.

Here are some pics of anchialine pools


































Whatever  I'm still planting mine.

Interesting read on the pools: http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Anchialine_pools_and_cenotes


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## OiZO (Feb 2, 2010)

That was a nice read on the pools. I swam in cenote's in the Yucatan i wonder if there were any shrimps in there!


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