Scuds

iturnrocks · Post by **iturnrocks** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 6:49 pm

I have an explosion of scuds from when I collected wild duckweed. Of course it is just an invert tank, but the last time I added baby triops and fairy shrimp they all disappeared.

Im curious if anyone knows what scuds eat? Do you think they are clearing out my fairy shrimp? Im hoping this next batch of Triops will give me some big ones that can clear out some of these scuds. This tank is teeming with Moina and Cyclops, and I really dont want to do a complete start over. Perhaps Ill just keep the Triops and fairy shrimp in the hatch container until they are bigger than the scuds.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 7:36 pm

Scuds mostly eat the crud found between the rocks. Large scuds may be too big for even a large triops, but the young will be gobbled up happily. I think triops would be a pretty good control for them.

iturnrocks · Post by **iturnrocks** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 9:27 pm

I imagine my scuds are SOL. I have no rocks in this tank, it is a full dirt bottom. I have let this tank sit since the last time I hatched branchiopods in early spring. Its amazing that plants just appeared a couple months ago. I havent fed anything this whole time. There are literally thousands of daphnia size organisms darting around this 2.5 gallon tank. Just recently Ive noticed an invert that I havent seen before. Its only about 3 mm long, but it looks like a beetle or something. I will see if I can snag him for the microscope and maybe someone can ID it. I am constantly amazed by what can come from a scoop of dry dirt when you add water to it.

iturnrocks · Post by **iturnrocks** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 9:56 pm

I really need to spend some time with my camera. Even though this isnt a very good pic, I was shocked that it came out this good for a critter 3 mm long. Here is a pic of one of the scuds in my tank.

And here is a shot of the plants that started growing recently. Anyone know what this is called?

That tub looking thing in the back is a small rubbermaid that I hatch inverts in so when I add them to the tank, the water temp is the same. It just floats in the tank until Im ready to dump.

These are even harder to photograph at such a tiny size. This fairy shrimp is about 4 days old.

Post by **Mustafa** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:53 pm

That little 3mm creature is a baby scud/amphipod. That plant is one of the few freshwater macroalgae. It's either a Nitella sp. or a Chara sp.. They can spread by spores, so the spores probably came in the dirt that you put in your tank.

pturley · Post by **pturley** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:54 am

Given your location, the scud is likely a Gammarus spp.

Sincerely,
Paul E. Turley

lampeye · Post by **lampeye** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 6:14 am

I mentioned it in your other thread- your "plant" looks like Chara. It's a FW macroalgae.