- THE AMAZING HAWAIIAN MICRO-LOBSTERS!™
- CARRIE'S PAGE 3!
Opae-ula has been available in Hawaii for several years and many hobbyists have been growing them for longer than us. We're sharing what we know with everyone and learning from the old-timers.
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Hi! I received your package! Opened it up and found very little leakage. Found ALL lobsters alive and pretty active. All of us at the office thought the new way of shipping is great for all of the above reasons... zero to fewer casualties and less leakage. I combined salt water and distilled water to tank and let it sit for about an hour, to hopefully get the tank temperature and the bag temperature the same. I just added the lobsters to the tank, they immediately went pale, to be expected but still made my heart jump a bit. They have been in the new tank for about 30 minutes so far and so far all is well. They are still pretty pale but VERY active. They aren't doing serious laps but are checking out their new home. Up and down, in and out of the rocks, or just walking around the tank walls. They seem to be talking about it with each other, I keep finding them clustering together on the sides of the tank or at the bottom for a few and then running off. They are slightly jerky in movement but after all they have been through, I understand! Will they eat the algae that they came with? The algae seemed to really help with the shipping, gave them a place to crawl in or at least hang on to to feel a little more secure while traveling. Can't wait to start up when I return! THANKS, Carrie~ Note: I sent Carrie the items in our Introductory Mini-Breeder Tank but with a neutralized bagged aquascape not secured to the tank so she would be able to do the switches. The pre-inoculated gravel was also bagged and the Micro-Lobsters were in a third bag. All were in the canister tank with Carrie to add the water. This was a shipping test of how we may ship the components for larger future custom units requiring several gallons of water. We grow algae here in Kurtistown. It serves as a supplemental food, as something to hang on to and provides some oxygen during shipping. It works well. ~~~David
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| January 27, 2004 4:45PM: Just wanted to fill you in before I'm out
of here. It's a couple of hours later and the Micro-Lobsters seem to be doing ok in the
new tank and water. They have regained a lot of their color and are still very
active. No laps but lots of moving around. These guys are big on walking the
sides of the tank! Lots of checking out the rocks. I'm sure they love the hiding
spots and all are looking for their own spaces... Thanks again, Carrie~ Most reports have the Micro-Lobsters arriving safely and over 20 surviving the trip! Our tanks can handle a larger population density because they are fed and because of our pre-inoculation process. They need some time to settle down so hold back a day or two before first feeding. ~~~David
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| January 28, 2004 9AM: HI! I just wanted to let
you know that I spoke with Lori at the office this morning and the lobsters in Tank 3 are
doing fine..... Still alive and still swimming around! Thanks, Carrie~ And with this last note, Carrie was off on her vacation! ~~~David
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February 20, 2004: Hi David, I'm back and the lobsters are
doing great, all of them. Its been crazy at work so I haven't had much time. Lori
let me know that while we were gone, she was going to not feed the new (3rd) tank. But
when she would feed the original tank lobsters the poor little guys next door would flood
to the top or the side closest to the other tank looking for their food. So they have been
on the Monday, Wednesday, Friday feeding schedule as well. Looks like they ate all
of their algae/seaweed. They are very active, red and big. They move around alot but I
don't notice the laps as much as my first tank. They tend to like to glide around
the tanks surfaces. Hopefully next week I will have time to begin the tests. My transfered tank is doing good, but there is a bit of algae growing, they are the only tank that sits by a window, so I will slow down on the feeding. The water isn't murky at all just some greenery growing on the sand at the bottom.
Well another Friday and I am off to feed them
all, they have been pestering me for awhile now, haha.... Spelling out "Feed
Us" with their bodies on the tank, OK now I'm being silly but all in good fun and
spirits.
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May 24, 2004: Hi David, Sorry its been long time no write but I have
some great news! The second tank you sent me has babies! Ive only seen two and
they are both under maybe 2mm, they swim a bit but like to hang out on the plants...
They are soooo small. Ive been trying to get pictures but so far no luck but I will
keep at it and keep you informed... How long is the period between egg and birth
because I never saw a shrimp with eggs on her? I also had a question. I am having a problem getting the transferred tank under control. With this I mean the mold, its not terrible it just doesn't seem as fun for them as the two tanks. What are the possibilities of transferring them into one or both of my two tanks? Not a good idea? I got two photos that weren't too bad. In the first one he is swimming on the right hand side, I believe he is swimming under the other shrimp. In the second one he is on the plant, on the left hand side. Hope you can see them! Carrie~ ____________________________________________________
CONGRATULATIONS CARRIE! As one of a growing handful, you've spotted what is likely happening all over the country! Reports began trickeling in last year but none were able to confirm with photographs until Bryan Yoshimura did in January 2004. There are two ways this happens: 1. Bryan observed a berried female and 30 days or so the eggs hatched and he was able to observe the larvae stage where they swim upside down and bob about during the 13 to 17 day "LARVAL" stage. 2. Yours have already graduated into the "POST-LARVAL" stage in which they swim horizontally and "settling down." They often hide at this stage. We first noticed this at Fuku-Bonsai and also initially missed the larval stage. They really are tiny and hard to spot. GREAT PHOTO! ~~~David
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May 28, 2004: Hi David, well the first day I saw them, I saw two. Now I
occasionally see only one. They can swim upright like the adults but seem to prefer
hanging out on the plant. On feeding day, one of them swam to the top and skimmed the top
of the water upside down for about 3 seconds and then swam/floated to the bottom again.
I will see if any of them come out when I feed them today. I would have
thought there would be more than 2? I'll let you know what I see...! I'm about 15 min.
into feeding and I have only seen one little guy. He swims out, walks around the
rocks, cant tell if he is eating but then he disappears back into the rocks. No swimming
to the top as of yet. His body is very clear in spots but his head has a pretty
solid red color, thats how I can find him. He seems pretty sure of his movements
just so small that they take him some time. The other shrimp don't seem to bother him too
much, he has had the occasional run in or run over by an adult and swims away as fast as
he can. But I don't see any of them chasing him. And as hard as I look I don't
see eyes like in the picture you sent but the size seems right.... He looks to be about 2
- 2 1/2 mm and very slender... More later... Carrie~
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June 1, 2004: Hi David, I just wanted to let
you know that I havent seen any of the baby lobsters today and today was a feeding
day.....??? But I will keep watching and looking for them... Carrie~
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June 4, 2004: Hi David,
well.... still no baby lobster sightings.... I will keep looking for
them thou and hope they made it through... I received your package, thank you! I
cleaned down the tank, added more water and broke up the coral and placed it to one side.
The pictures I have sent are right after the cleaning. Today the tank is much
cleaner and the lobsters seem very happy about it and the coral. The piece of lava
you sent, what is that for? Is it for that tank? I placed it in the water and
it just floats... More later... Carrie~ ________________________________________________ I sent Carrie a 5x Jeweler's Loupe so she could better enjoy more details of the baby Micro-Lobster. With the loupe, we include a small piece of the "High-velocity pumice ejecta lava" that we utilize in creating the aquascape and the bacteria innoculated gravel that neutralize the Micro-Lobster's ammonia waste. The pumice ejecta is shot full of tiny bubbles that are good to practice in using the loupe. It's interesting and it floats! We "invented" a "Cleaner Stick" that is just a piece of wood with a piece of foam attached. You should not stick your hand in the water if your unit needs cleaning as the oils or anything on your hand will contaminate the water. Cut up a bunch of Q-Tips and tape them to a chopstick to use to clean down the sides of your tank. Leave the algae in the tank. A day later, if you see a film on the surface, remove it with a spoon and add some distilled water to bring back the water level. Algae is needed in "no feed" opae-ula tanks but it blocks viewing. Some people put snails into the tank but it eats the algae that the opae-ula needs! It's not necessary to grow algae in Fuku-Bonsai Breeder Tanks because we feed them premium spirulina microalgae. To reduce algae growth, place your tank into lower light and don't turn on the lights except when you want to view them. ~~~David
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June 8, 2004: Hi David, still no sign of
the babies  ,
but I am keeping vigil... The cleaner worked GREAT. Had to scrub a bit but that is
because it had really grown on. But I got it all off. They seem so much
happier about the clean walls and the new way the coral is stacked. They act more
secure and enjoy climbing around in it Vs before they didn't really care about it. Yeah I
want to get it more condensed together and move it to the middle but I wanted to give them
a little time, since they were stressed enough by all that happened. More as I see
it happening, Carrie~
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June 10, 2004: Hi David, I
just wanted to let you know that yesterday I saw a baby! It was only one and only
for about 10 seconds and then he was back into the rocks. But at least we know one is
still in there! Carrie~
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