Unfortunately, no scuds survived the dragonfly onslaught. No scuds don't need light. At the time, our hatchery was in Santa Fe, NM. I bought live plants that had scuds aka Gammarus that came in the bag. That is, unless the BBA is at the bottom of the tank, the scuds won't find it and eat it. There is some moss from the garden and substrate at the bottom of the tank as well as rocks. Once the algae was gone, the scuds moved on. Some duckweed too...not a lot. Thanks for sharing your experiences with scuds. The bettas will eat the smaller ones first and the largest breeders will be the last to go, which enable the scuds to reproduce in their tank. Those scuds were indistinguishable, at least I couldn’t distinguish them, from those I’d collected at Coleto Creek a decade ago. I have scuds in three tanks, a 20 community tank, where they buried themselves in the gravel, a three with Cherry shrimp, and a three with dwarf Cajun crawfish. This sounds promising since it'd be safer than using chemicals that might remain in the tank. I was not aware of the scuds until the population got quite large (I was scratching my head about what was going on with the plants)..I finally figured out what was going on after going in at night with the lights off and a flashlight and looking in the tank...Oh and they also eat the roots of floating plants...I can't treat with anything because of the shrimp... what I have done to get them under control (finally) is put a fairly coarse filter (big enough for the scuds to get through but not the shrimp) on the intake of my external canister filter and then putting a large amount of poly-fill in the canister to catch them, at this point in time I have them pretty well knocked back but still get a few hundred out of the power filter every week...Oh and they also kill snails, my Malaysian trumpet snail population has plummeted as the scuds population has gone up (another head scratcher until I found the scuds).. No doubt algae has been the reason some have gotten out of the hobby entirely. Shrimp tend to let go once a plant hits the water surface... scuds tend to hold on for dear life and I have even had a few go through a vigorous rinsing in the sink and still be holding onto the plant! Scuds are detrivores (scavengers) that graze on decaying plants, algae, fungus, animals, etc. ... Scud is a herbivore because it eats only plants. In their natural habitat, which is typically not in an aquarium “on purpose”, scuds can be found in shallow freshwater streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. The hobbyist could feed the scuds hornwort like we do. Using their anterior (front) legs, they continuously sweep up water and debris and extract anything edible. While this provided a continuous source of livefood to the fish, I decided once again to actively culture scuds in larger numbers. Scuds live in many habitats of all different sizes, but are most common in the shallows of cool streams, springs, seeps, lakes, and ponds, as well as the backwaters of large rivers. The scuds breakdown and process solid waste into micro-particles and plant nutrients and prevent clogging of water pumps. Member. Either way, they taste really good with a nice white wine. https://itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=93295#null. Different species of scuds occur in different aquatic habitats, even deep water, but they are most often found near the bottom substrate, foraging among decaying plants and algae. feed in less than an hour. I set up a dedicated scud tank about 2 years ago...nothing huge. Fair warning. We hadn’t counted on the myriad species of dragonflies and the voracious appetites of their nymphs. We don’t aerate the scud vats, instead we allow a steady drip of water to provide oxygenation. They eat alot decaying plants (leaf litter will work), or live plants if the population exceeds what the decaying plants can sustain. Do you sometimes go out in the morning to find pieces of your plants have disappeared overnight? benthic macroinvertebrate by exploring the life cycle, feeding habitats, interesting facts and its role in the food chain. They will occasionally attack small living animals, and will eat any recently dead plants and animals they come upon. A mating male carries the female on his back prior to copulation and they feed and swim together sometimes for a week or so until the female molts. Just a warning-- unlike some species of critter, the scuds do not like to 'fall off' of plants when you take them out of water. Feeding them to fish is also simple, just shake some from the net into the vat or dump them in a bucket of water and pour that into the vat. I have it in my tanks with cherry shrimp, another tank with guppies and another tank with mosquito fish. I had to add the ramshorn because of the algae on the plants, so not convinced. However, in a tank with fish and plants, it is unlikely that food will ever be insufficient - they will eat from the filter and between the gravel and in the nooks of the plants, finding anything they consider edible, which is a lot. Not only do these look good but they are also great cleaners and work well in fry tanks. There is little they don’t eat. If feeding to fish in a well planted tank, some scuds may survive and establish a secondary colony which will provide snacks for your fish. I live in VA and have been trying to find scuds for quite a while. Thought about collecting some while the water was cold When we moved to Texas in the early part of this century (2000-2001), we brought along those scuds. Will the scud population control itself based on the amount of food available? Collecting scuds to feed to our fish is simple; we sweep through the hornwort with a 10-inch aquarium net to yield hundreds of them. Also, I've exposed 20+ plants to scuds along with 4 or so mosses. I got banned from having a large fishtank after starting with two endlers ans finished with seven différent tanks and had to sell about three hundreds of these fish (had differwnt color hybrids) so I told myself I'll try a local biotope. Once the algae was gone, the scuds moved on. They are also eaten by some larger fish including sheep's head and damsel fish. We live six miles from Coleto Creek, but I never got around to collecting them again. Your email address will not be published. Never seen them eat plants. Hi, from Geneva, Switzerland. Enter the freshwater scud. It seem like plants do better floating, even when they do root, they just float up. So great job and thanks for writing about scuds Mario! Scuds are in the class crustacea, order amphipoda, family gammaridae. A scud is a herbivore because it only eats plants. I’ve found plastic garbage cans are inexpensive rearing tanks. They are fascinating little guys. Of course, how much they damage the plants in an aquarium depends on the amount of scuds in relation to other food sources in the tank. I found this thread while looking for a good way to separate scuds from duckweed. When I have had only scuds and shrimp in a tank I get few to no baby shrimp. But I have seen them eating the egg jelly. First, in this blog, I’ll provide general information about scuds, then I’ll discuss how we raise them and suggest ways hobbyists could successfully raise them. The overnight temperature that I've confirmed scuds can handle is 2 degrees celsius. I understand they eat plants, but is it noticeable/threatening … Under good conditions they can begin mating in less than a month. It doesn't look like scuds ate any of the plants or moss to an extent that it was noticeable. Scuds are not harmful to freshwater aquariums. I also wonder if it's a number of scuds vs. available food thing. Is it ok to put these into my tank? Alena. Also, whatever goop I cannot take the time to separate them from when I clean out the tank goes in with them too. I have read that putting pothos in the tank is not a good idea because it can rot...Might be true if you have large fish in the tank. Algae is the bane of most freshwater aquarium keepers. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Scuds are an entirely aquatic species, so they never venture on land. If yours are not attacking plants or if they are living on plants slower than what they are growing the plus points are better than negative. and stems, or rocks, sticks, etc. Fair warning. I was curious about this because these leaves are sofware than those of the Anubias in the above photos. Most avoid light, and some burrow into mud at the bottom of ponds. The bettas will eat the smaller ones first and the largest breeders will be the last to go, which enable the scuds to reproduce in their tank. I haven't tried it so I can't give any examples - just anecdotal by the way my fish scour the tank looking for them. Our scuds will feed directly on both plant and animal materials. While giving me Amazon mollies, she offered me some scuds, which she called Gammarus, from her molly rearing pools. Scuds live in many habitats of all different sizes, but are most common in the shallows of cool streams, springs, seeps, lakes, and ponds, as well as the backwaters of large rivers. Most tree leaves are good, but you should avoid oak leaves since I’ve found them to be too acidic. At the hatchery, I dumped Dr. Gabor’s scuds Gammarus into a 55-gallon vat, added some hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), a nice, rootless, floating plant, and forgot about them.

My theory is that the endlers will eat all scuds that they can fit in their mouths and the scuds that are too large will die and no scuds will be left reproducing resulting in no scuds in the tank. Marios yes there are actually quite a number of sub species mentioned depending on what part of the world you live in. What does plants eat from the ocean? Although most scuds live in the ocean, over 100 species are found in freshwater. Not sure. The project will conclude when I can not find any scuds in the tank for 2 months or by 12/31/19 whichever comes first! My experience is that the population will not grow if food is insufficient. Once they got past the initial stage, they will do fine and shine. You can throw extra aquarium plant clippings into your amphipod culture as snacks if you like. Personally, I like them. This is an ideal clean-up crew / Live Food for those needing substrates plants that need attention to get cleaned. Plants change water chemistry, usually in a positive way by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen; but any sudden change can be stressful for your fish. These are things I've read about scuds that I haven't yet verified for myself. I just put Java fern in my freshwater tank this morning and this evening I find a few scuds on the plants. Scuds are in the class crustacea, order amphipoda, family gammaridae. nothing more effective than hydrogen peroxide, How To Get Rid Of Hair Algae With API Algae Fix, Using Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) On Black Beard Algae (BBA). Large bubbles are better than very fine bubbles, which can get under their carapaces and make them float and eventually die. Do scuds attack young, adult, or moulting shrimp? Scuds are far less demanding than shrimp but similar, so I’m sure you will not have any problem keeping them. Do Scuds Eat Plants? will they eat algae and decaying plant matter first? The scuds had no problem eating the algae off of wood. Fortuitously, in December 2008 I visited Dr. Caitlin Gabor at the Texas State University campus on the beautiful San Marcos River in central Texas. Body length of scuds ranges from 5 mm to 20 mm (without antennae). I have a very heavy planted 75g tank with lots of algae and floting plants I'd like to see them thrive in. For aquaponics growers, the scuds make excellent fish food. I was disappointed the blue scuds died, was gonna use them as live food in my 300 litre community aquarium but useful to know how to kill them right? However, some claim that using seltzer water (equivalent to a high dose of CO2) will kill scuds while not killing plants. Scuds have a cephalothorax (head/thorax), seven thoracic segments (each with a pair of legs), a six-segmented abdomen, and a tail. My hope is that I can introduce these scuds directly to my planted aquariums. Learn about the scud (Amphipoda spp.) Your email address will not be published. There are hundreds of them in the tank. I also have a pothos at the top of the tank..leaves out...roots in and a couple of other plants. However, I'm trying to find answers to the following first: Scuds are the cockroach of the aquarium world they will infest and eat your plants roots. of dampened dried leaves into the container. The young remain in the pouch until their mother molts once again in a week or two. I found 2 blue scuds living in the bottom of a small aquarium I was cycling, they must have come in a bag of small river stones from an aquarium stockist in the UK. They seem to do best with sand substrate to borough with some coarse gravel to provide hiding places not completely covering the sand, floating plants such as duckweed and salvinia and Naja grass throughout the tank. Adult livebearers eagerly eat scuds of all sizes, while fry and juveniles eat the smaller ones. I bought live plants that had scuds aka Gammarus that came in the bag. If you have plants, but no algae, feed the scuds something algae-based and they’ll not destroy the plants. Our scuds are nocturnal and usually hide away during daylight. The hobbyist could take a clean plastic trash can (rinsed a few times to remove manufacturing chemicals such as formaldehyde) and then follow these simple instructions: Raising scuds is an easy, almost labor free way to get your fish to reward you with more vibrant colors, longer lives, and more and healthier fry. Rtessy. Aquaponics and hydroponics growers both use scuds to keep their sumps clean. Scuds are detrivores (scavengers) that graze on decaying plants, algae, fungus, animals, etc. I know they'll eat java moss, but are there any other plants that they will decimate? My theory is that the endlers will eat all scuds that they can fit in their mouths and the scuds that are too large will die and no scuds will be left reproducing resulting in no scuds in the tank. Those worms love hot water and proliferated in summer. My own don't seem to eat much including java moss. Oct 17, 2018. We offer scuds to hobbyists and others. Without fish to control their numbers, the scuds will eat simply eat the plants. We reared those original scuds in 55-gallon vats inside our greenhouse. These little guys sit at the bottom of the food chain and eat decaying plant matter, left over fish food, and algae. There doesn't seem to be a way to kill scuds that won't also kill fish and shrimp. Identifying the culprit can be difficult, but this is a bit like one of those television detective shows where you have to weigh up all the evidence before you can nail the guilty party. No plant damage. Scuds will feed on the rotting leaves and microorganisms take grow on any surface. But as stanleyc is worried about the scuds eating up his plants, I can confirm that H. azteca eat almost ervery kind of plants. Just found this that may interest you . Plenty of baby crawfish, so no issues there. In my case, I've had to deal with hair algae, staghorn algae, and black beard algae. Oct 17, 2018. Scuds are drop-dead easy for us to culture. They have two eyes and two pairs of antennae. Add a starter culture of scuds; a few dozen will be enough. If you have a problem with algae on your plants, release about 50 scuds into the tank and just let them live in there. no plant issues. Scuds are detrivores (scavengers) that graze on decaying plants, algae, fungus, animals, etc. They are usually associated with loose substrate. in length. I put a cutting of Pothos in there and it is fine. There are reports that scuds will eat moss. We always keep multiple cultures; you never know when a pesky dragonfly will lay eggs and her rapacious offspring will decimate or eliminate your scuds. Of course, how much they damage the plants in an aquarium depends on the amount of scuds in relation to other food sources in the tank. The others including seahorse and newt breeders, aquaponics and hydroponics operations, and fishpond owners. In Santa Fe I used plastic-coated water-cooling pads, but it seems that today’s manufacturers add anti-mildew chemicals that aren’t good for scuds; so, I don’t recommend their use anymore.

Not only are they out of a home, but something is trying So thought I would set up a mini indoor aquarium just for them about 30 scud in a 25 litre aquarium. I don't recommend scuds in any tanks with plnts… they have decimated several types of plants in my planted tank (they were accidentally introduced with some new java moss) and have destroyed my large amazon swords and reduced my large amount of java moss to a tiny clump.. Scuds eat most anything, but we have an abundance of hornwort which they seem to relish. Thus, be prepared to buy more fish to maintain the small school. Scuds are shrimp-like crustaceans or amphipods. Cichlids and many killifish love them. I haven't tested higher amounts so they may be able to tolerate more. The overnight temperature that I've confirmed scuds can handle is 2 degrees celsius. Each of those families have dozens of genera which in turn each have dozens of species. They will also eat spirulina pellets, flake food etc. Scuds have 2 pairs of antennae and 7 pairs of legs. Help. The scuds had no problem eating the algae off of wood. It is a 2.5 or 3 gal bow tank. They swim around all day. Definitely not the algae on the glass, alas. Do they eat algae? This is an ideal clean-up crew / Live Food for those needing substrates plants that need attention to get cleaned. Gammarus will also survive in an aquarium with plants and snails. After a few months of adding golden mountain minnows and live plants, was just about to buy some red cherry shrimp and I noticed that my aquarium had planaria, deadIy to shrimp and were killing my minnow fry, but I found a cheap and easy solution dog and cat dewormer, worked a charm also told its shrimp safe. Scuds seem to be unharmed by Seachem Excel dosed up to 1.75x the standard dose. You can throw extra aquarium plant clippings into your amphipod culture as snacks if you like. Periodic, partial water changes are necessary. While our scuds will swim when disturbed, they usually crawl along rocks, sticks, and stems (substrates) and remain close to the bottom in cover to be safe from predators. Anytime the water becomes grayish-cloudy is an indication of a past-due water change. A few weeks later, scuds began showing up in vats throughout the greenhouse. Scuds eat decaying plants, excess fish food, dead fish, fish poop and anything else organic and decaying. I know..some people might say I am nuts LOL. ... Scud is a herbivore because it eats only plants. Hmmm. I understand they eat plants, but is it noticeable/threatening to the plant? The filter is the small sized sponge filter running with air and I got two of the small stones to keep the water clear. Don't subscribe A word of warning: since scuds will eat plants if they don’t have adequate amounts of other foods, I’d be reluctant to place them in a prize-winning planted tank unless there are enough fish in the tank to control the scud population. Required fields are marked *. Decaying plant cuttings, algae, flake food, and algae wafers all are good food for scuds. I even give mine hair algae to munch on. Thanks for wonderfull blog on gammares. I have seen these around in the local creeks for years and was always tempted to set up a dedicated aquarium just for them. A. Scuds are catholic eaters; they like fish food, old filter sponges, dead and dying plants, vegetable scraps, and so on. The scuds weren't attacking the moss but waited for carrots and cucumbers and peas, then took the spoil in their hiding place. Scuds are scavengers and will eat pretty much anything that snails or shrimp will eat. Pygmy Sunfish are good fish for keeping a scud population in check. They are also commonly called gammarus shrimp and sideswimmers. But as stanleyc is worried about the scuds eating up his plants, I can confirm that H. azteca eat almost ervery kind of plants. One of the livefoods for fish we raise in our hatchery is scuds, also known as Gammarus. There is little they don’t eat. Anybody ever keep Scuds and were they more trouble than they were worth. That is the amount you can harvest safely each period. I was mad but, well live and learn. Fish are 2 Tetras that are 1" and 1.5", 1 Platy, 1 Red Tail Shark, 1 Betta fish. On the other hand, scuds are almost impossible to get rid of once established. Using these scuds as part of your aquariums biotope is extremely beneficial, and will help aid and maintain a perfect balance.
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