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.

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!

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.

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?

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.

usafresq

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

Kevin

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.

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

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.

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.