Raising Scuds

[Struggle]

Just curious if anyone else raises scuds and how they ago about it, below is how I do it.

• Housing: 10G
• Occupants: Scuds, snails & neocaridina shrimp
• Filtration: HMF with low flow.
• Substrate: Inert sand.
• Food: Anything from hair algae, repashy, flake, frozen, plant trimmings, vegetables, to dead leaves. I haven’t really found anything that they don’t devour.
• Water Changes: Every two weeks give or take.
• Temp: 78 to 81
• Harvest: I’ll either use a pre-sponge filter from a HOB, remove a clump of hair algae or food and swish / place it in the tank(s) I want to feed. Once the scuds have either relocated or been eaten the filter goes back to the HOB, hair algae to the scud tank and the food either stays or gets returned to the scud tank.

I have been hatching out and raising up Fp. Gardneri nigerianus innidere to about an inch long in the scud tank and I think I’ll try my Melanotaeni boesemani aytinjo next.

[Daniel]

I spent the day collecting scuds. My guess is that I collected as many as half a dozen different species. All of them were in shallow pools of water in woodland areas.

In the wild they seem to feed on leaves, but like @Struggle, I think they will eat anything. I know they particularly like winter squash.

The water temperature was low 40s to about 50.

[Brandy]

I got them by accident out of a order of christmas moss. My guppy grow outs don't seem to eradicate them, amazingly, despite a largely bare bottom tank. I should deliberately try to encourage them, as other tanks will eat them like crazy.

[Frogmouth Catfish]

There's an LFS a few hours from me with tons of scuds in their plant sale tank. I've been meaning to try to get some next time I go out there.