Designing shrimp habitats is one of my hobbies. I look at it as a form of living art. They are so easy to keep that I decided to make them available to others. It's a nice way to bring nature into your home, and they are relaxing to watch. Volcano Survivalshrimp are native to Hawaii. They go by many names: lava dragons, opae' ulas, micro-lobsters, red volcano shrimp and supershrimp. They are close
ly related to lobsters. Sadly, many are sold in completely sealed units like "eco-spheres". These are death traps. The shrimp usually only live about 2 years in these units, as they are slowly staved to death and deprived of fresh air. In a non sealed unit they can live up to 20+ yrs with very minimal care and a weekly feeding. All they need is just a small pinch of spirulina powder. If you go on vacation they can easily go without added food for a month or so. They get some nutrition from algae growing in their jar. The ideal temperature for them is between 60-85°F, but they are adaptable to most indoor temperatures. Their water never needs changing. If some of the water in their unit evaporates you can simply replace it with distilled water. They do best in half strength sea water, but are adaptable to variations. In their native habitat sometimes these shrimp have to survive for long periods of time in small pockets of water or holes made in lavarock. They need to be exposed to some form of light, either subdued indirect sun or artificial indoor lighting. If too much algae starts to grow reduce their lighting.
