brad138 Posted September 23, 2015 Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 i have MANY very tiny bugs in my tank. i mean tick larva tiny. too small to take a picture.some are round and crawl on my substrate, others are nearly lobster shape (just body and tail, no claws) and quickly "jump" all over the substrate. I have newborn shrimplets in the tank, so these tiny things cant be shrimp, theyre way too small.what are these things? i feel like the may be a nuisance to my shrimp and my snail. would a cory cat eat these bugs? Samuelliet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted September 23, 2015 Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 Do you have any pictures? If not, I will speculate that these critters are copepods. How old is your substrate? It is a good sign of a healthy mature substrate, natural part of an ecosystem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad138 Posted September 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 Do you have any pictures? If not, I will speculate that these critters are copepods. How old is your substrate? It is a good sign of a healthy mature substrate, natural part of an ecosystem. the substrate is maybe 3 weeks old. i have the fluval shrimp stratum. this is the best picture i can get. all those specks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 Hard to see anything from the picture but probably harmless copepods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jledermann Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 whats the most effective way to get rid of copepods? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 Just a way to know you have a healthy ecosystem. Fish eat them so you won't see them. Shrimp live in harmony with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesHe Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 I think it's seed shrimp. harmless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted September 26, 2015 Report Share Posted September 26, 2015 Are seed shrimp scuds? I have millions in one tank and I hardy feed it so not sure why they are going crazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadO Posted September 26, 2015 Report Share Posted September 26, 2015 No, seed shrimp are not scuds. The seed shrimp are very small guys that you'll see bounce around your substrate, or float around with the flow of water in your aquarium. They are quite small, and their population can sway pretty wildly. Like others have said, they're just a part of the natural aquarium, and in fish based aquariums, they are quite readily consumed. In shrimp tanks, no predators, so you actually get to see them. Scuds, however, are much bigger, look like small shrimp in size (think regular shrimp, sub-juvi size), are a translucent/white type color, and swim with a torpedo like motion. The bigger ones you'll be able to easily see with the naked eye, and if you harass them, they'll bury into the substrate to get away. These guys will compete with your shrimp by grazing on your moss, and in general, are a nuisance. They are also like duckweed - you never have just one. I've used a turkey baster before to suck them up and put them into a container, and then fed them in my fish tank. If you've had both seed shrimp and scuds, you'll quickly learn and see the difference. I think out on the great wide web, there's a bit of misinformation or folks using loose terminology around seed shrimp and scuds. The baby scuds are small (about the size of a radish seed), look like shrimp, so it's an easy conclusion to make. If you have scuds, you probably want to consider ways to reduce or remove them. Seed shrimp, don't sweat it, their population will ebb and flow on it's own. If they really bother you, you can siphon them when you do a water change, but I've always just left them alone, and they pretty much take care of themselves. svetilda 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrimpybuisness Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 Does anyone know how to get rid of scuds/gammarus I find they ugly and annoying!!! Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 Scuds will eat shrimp, as well. Unfortunately scuds are inverts as well, and most people have to try to start a new tank to make sure they have no scuds. ChadO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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