# any downsides to scuds?



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

I think I just saw a scud in my 4 gallon shrimp tank (tiny roly poly looking bug). most things I've read says they are relatively harmless, but that they predate on shrimplets.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I never witnessed predation but it would not surprise me. I just found them unsightly. I would catch them and feed them to my Calvus. I figured the scuds would compete with my shrimp for resources and wanted them controlled. I dont think you can totally eradicate them without tearing down the tank or using chemicals. You can use fish to control them but any fish that will eat scuds will most likely eat baby shrimps as well.


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## aotf (Dec 19, 2016)

While I can't say whether or not they hunt shrimplets, a scud explosion can limit some plants' ability to thrive as they'll feast on new growth. My HC carpet, java fern, and AR mini all suffered during a really bad outbreak I had a while back. 

If you are able to catch and kill them now, do it. Very quickly (it may even be too late) you will be at their mercy because there's no tank-wide solution you can use to kill them without affecting your shrimp.

Always dip new plants before introducing into the main tank, I learned that the hard way.


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

ok, after some research, i don't think these are scuds. The creatures I'm finding in my tank are tiny, less than a mm in length, or about 1/3 the length of the ~2 day old shrimplets that are in the tank. However, in looking for the baby shrimplets in my tank, I am noticing a bunch of these critters. Not sure if my not noticing them beforehand is that I haven't been intently staring at my tank or that they weren't there and their population is expanding.

In the photo below, the critter is the one to the far right, right next to the brown limpet. Baby shrimplets on the leaf as references, and a big ole adult shrimp photobombed the shot too!

possibly seed shrimp? http://www.planetinverts.com/what_is_that_bug_in_my_aquarium.html


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

aotf said:


> While I can't say whether or not they hunt shrimplets, a scud explosion can limit some plants' ability to thrive as they'll feast on new growth. My HC carpet, java fern, and AR mini all suffered during a really bad outbreak I had a while back.
> 
> If you are able to catch and kill them now, do it. Very quickly (it may even be too late) you will be at their mercy because there's no tank-wide solution you can use to kill them without affecting your shrimp.
> 
> Always dip new plants before introducing into the main tank, I learned that the hard way.



They are hard on moss as well.


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

Yep, I'm thinking these are seed shrimp:


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

aubie98 said:


> Yep, I'm thinking these are seed shrimp:


Ding Ding Ding Ding I think we have a winner!


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## aotf (Dec 19, 2016)

thedood said:


> They are hard on moss as well.


I have some mini pellia that's been sitting in my main tank that is neither increasing or decreasing in size (it's been months, I know this stuff grows slowly). Whenever I check on it, I always see scuds grazing on it and I rage silently.



aubie98 said:


> Yep, I'm thinking these are seed shrimp: Ostracoda "seed shrimp" - YouTube


Yeah, those aren't scuds. Great news!

I know nothing about seed shrimp, unfortunately.


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## Reeferjohn (Aug 14, 2010)

I dealt with a seed shrimp explosion in my 10g cherry cube. They seemed to slow the rate at which my cherries bred. I cannot say for sure but they may overtake shrimp that are sick or dying. I noticed they would sometimes try to crawl up on feeding shrimp but they would snap away. Stop feeding completely and they will go away. It takes a loooong time for that though 


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