I am on the website about ready to purchase a Bag of Bugs, but I have to admit I'm tempted to get my old microscope out of the attic and see what's already in my aquariums first 😄 I know I don't have scuds, but I have been adding driftwood, pond- and rainwater to old deep substrate tanks full of leaf litter for years- if I'm not swarming with tiny life already I am doing something wrong! I really am curious. It's funny the parallels in fishkeeping and advanced gardening; an old gent in the UK who used to show at Chelsea, with access to the most glorious examples of flowering cultivars in the hobby, when we traded, all he wanted was quiet, natural native American forest plants like arums; really advanced aquarists are like, 'let me show you my scuds' 😝
Love this comment! You are spot on with your approach. I have always loved looking through the microscope. I still come across things I've never seen before and it always surprises me... If you have your aquariums set up like that, they have to be swarming with life!... If you need scuds I'd be happy to help you out. There are several products on the website that have scuds. The "Bag of Bugs", the "Scud Balls" and "Scud Cultures"... Good luck! Thanks again for the comment and watching the videos. I always get so excited when I find other people keeping natural style tanks.
@phillipsfishworks Hello Philip. I has replied to the lady about the critters you can get started outside and wanted to ask something. I have an aged tank in which I pit scuds in to give the fish something to do but the tank I raised them in kept hatching out rainbows. I thought the water would have been to dirty and the scuds might get the fry. I have seen them go after brine shrimp when the babies were bigger and know they will kill shrimp fry. I want to get some muddy stuff from the lake and see if I can find some daphnia and seed shrimp. I plan on keeping it in a tank by itself. My ultimate plan is to seed a 30 gallon with many of these critters to serve as a nursery. I know the rainbows will hatch in there. I was surprised when they hatched in small tank because they were probably a week old before I noticed and they have to eat after one day. That's all folks @
I've been doing everything wrong!! I suck the scuds out when I vacuum and toss in the backyard. OMGosh. My shrimp tank is loaded with them. The pet store told me they eat the shrimp eggs, & fry. I have to rethink everything I've been doing😢. I want the natural aquarium not the sterile one. Well, I'm here now and have been ordering. Reckon I need another order soon as I make mistakes re learning. Thank you for this body of work that you do. I can only imagine it's the proper way it should be. The whole embodiment of the ecosystem circle Thank you for the video and sharing your knowledge
Omg I’m so happy I stumbled upon this! What a fantastic idea! Am so excited to order these, and establish a population so I can go on vacation worry free! IM WORRIED THAT THEY MAY DIE IN TRANSIT HOWEVER, BECAUSE I LIVE IN HOUSTON TEXAS WHERE ITS STILL 100 DEGREES !?
I was wondering if it is possible to build a cover for the scud balls? Such like building it out of Lava rock. My thought is that it would keep larger critters away but allow smaller critters to go in or out
@Dave Yes definitely possible. I tend to pile them up which allows the bottom layer to be pretty protected. You could put just about anything over it even some leaf litter... Thanks for the comment! Keep experimenting.
Mr Phillips. I was just watching you on the FF podcast in the background while cleaning and decided to check out your shop while taking a break. I am a week into starting up my first heavily planted 75g tank and the idea of the Scud balls tickles my fancy. Currently I have 2 small guppies and one little 2" catfish that the fish store gave me for free. How many of these balls should i be considering?
Thank you so much for the interest and watching the live stream. It was a total blast getting to chat with Father Fish and giving a little insight to my operation... 75 gallons is quite a large tank. It could certainly handle quite a few. Comes down to your esthetic appeal and what you want to spend. At least a 9 pack to get you started or maybe double that. Thanks again. Let me know if you have any other questions.
You could soak in water ahead of time so they sink. They don't necessarily need boiled. Unless you want to release most of the tannins before adding them. Thanks for the comment.
So i actually have a friend that has a sweet gum tree in their yard and there are tons of these guys lying around. Is it safe for me to scoop them and add them to my aquarium? Or is there a process that needs to be done before they are aquarium safe
I found some of these seed pods in a parking lot at a family members apartment complex. I took about 5 of them and threw them in my pond. Any chance they'll still spawn microfauna and/or scuds. Seems unlikely to me because they came from area but im curious if you know
If they are coming from dry land they will not produce microfauna or scuds. They will not spontaneously generate from nowhere. The reason scud balls have scuds in them is because they are soaked in our scud breeding barrels for a period of time. Hope that helps
In the right circumstances that can be a possibility... In your typical aquarium, they are going to be eating things like leaves, dead plants, dead animals, left over fish food, detritus, algae... They may turn to eating plants if their population gets enormous and they run out of food. It's not a problem if you have fish in the system eating on the scuds. The scuds will mostly stay hidden trying not to be eaten while they reproduce and their population will easily be in check.
Thank you so much for your support. They can be fed a number of things. Fish food, Many different fruits, and veggies. They will also eat decaying things like dead plants and leaf litter... How often can be a little tricky. Definitely depends on the population of scuds and what else they're eating habitat wise... Obviously, if there's food already in there and they've not eaten it then you don't need to put more in. Thanks again!
Would a culture of these survive shipping them to Europe? I've got cyclops, daphnia, and Asellus cultures, but I can't for the life of me find live scuds.
I'm sure they would survive, unfortunately I do not ship outside of the US. Thanks for the interest though. I'd be surprised if you can't find scuds somewhere in local fresh water ecosystems.
@Oqsy There's no way to really put a number on it. I can give you some arbitrary number but it wouldn't be accurate or really matter. The amount of beneficial bacteria or any of the other microscopic organisms are going to fluctuate and are based on the available resources in their environment at that time. Depending on the types of organism, they can multiply as quickly as 15 minutes to 24 hours. There is some kind of base level of creatures feeding off of what's around them at that moment and as their food resource level changes the population adjusts quickly... I don't like to throw out numbers because I can't really count them. I can count larger items like seed pods. So I know I'm going to give you 6 seed pods if that's what you order but I can't count the thousands or millions of microscopic organisms on them. I can only answer based off my personal experiences. I have spent a lot of time looking through microscopes at pond and aquarium water. It always amazes me when I can look at what can only be described as thousands of little specs whizzing around a tiny piece of detritus in a drop of water. Multiply that by a whole bag of aquarium material. I would describe that as "endless amounts". Thank you so much for the comment and interest. Always appreciated!!!
My first tme ordering live food from anyne but i think u have more potentials u rarely make content but if u ever run out of ideas it will be good to ask all uf us buyers and subcribers of what we will like of u to do brcause we all can learn from one another newcomers wont engage if the lack knowledge that u have and new ideas a newbee or subcribers has in mind ........ i orderd all 3 of your bags but dont know what life looks like of the baq of leafssss...... beside the baq of scuds ...... PLEASE: JOHNNY 5 NEEDS "INPUT"
Thank you for the support! It is very much appreciated. I am working hard every day to keep the ball rolling. To say, I have a 1000 irons in the fire would be an understatement lol... Lots more in the works.
Got a couple of these with a bag of bugs and an isopod culture. These things are LOADED with scuds. Much appreciated and a huge bang for your buck.
Genius idea! Now I really want to start a scud tank!
Just ordered 9 great idea
😁😁😁
My order came yesterday. I was all set. They are having a PARTY 🎉
I am on the website about ready to purchase a Bag of Bugs, but I have to admit I'm tempted to get my old microscope out of the attic and see what's already in my aquariums first 😄 I know I don't have scuds, but I have been adding driftwood, pond- and rainwater to old deep substrate tanks full of leaf litter for years- if I'm not swarming with tiny life already I am doing something wrong! I really am curious. It's funny the parallels in fishkeeping and advanced gardening; an old gent in the UK who used to show at Chelsea, with access to the most glorious examples of flowering cultivars in the hobby, when we traded, all he wanted was quiet, natural native American forest plants like arums; really advanced aquarists are like, 'let me show you my scuds' 😝
Love this comment! You are spot on with your approach. I have always loved looking through the microscope. I still come across things I've never seen before and it always surprises me... If you have your aquariums set up like that, they have to be swarming with life!... If you need scuds I'd be happy to help you out. There are several products on the website that have scuds. The "Bag of Bugs", the "Scud Balls" and "Scud Cultures"... Good luck! Thanks again for the comment and watching the videos. I always get so excited when I find other people keeping natural style tanks.
Put a bucket outside with leaf litter and you will be surprised what you may find. But do cover after mosquitoes have layed eggs.
@phillipsfishworks Hello Philip. I has replied to the lady about the critters you can get started outside and wanted to ask something. I have an aged tank in which I pit scuds in to give the fish something to do but the tank I raised them in kept hatching out rainbows. I thought the water would have been to dirty and the scuds might get the fry. I have seen them go after brine shrimp when the babies were bigger and know they will kill shrimp fry. I want to get some muddy stuff from the lake and see if I can find some daphnia and seed shrimp. I plan on keeping it in a tank by itself. My ultimate plan is to seed a 30 gallon with many of these critters to serve as a nursery. I know the rainbows will hatch in there. I was surprised when they hatched in small tank because they were probably a week old before I noticed and they have to eat after one day. That's all folks @
What about planted tanks. A couple of videos I watched said that scuds do eat the plants. @@phillipsfishworks
I've been doing everything wrong!! I suck the scuds out when I vacuum and toss in the backyard. OMGosh. My shrimp tank is loaded with them. The pet store told me they eat the shrimp eggs, & fry. I have to rethink everything I've been doing😢. I want the natural aquarium not the sterile one. Well, I'm here now and have been ordering. Reckon I need another order soon as I make mistakes re learning. Thank you for this body of work that you do. I can only imagine it's the proper way it should be. The whole embodiment of the ecosystem circle
Thank you for the video and sharing your knowledge
Bought 9 and they just came in today... Definitely would recommend getting some for your aquarium.. 😊
I am learning so much about micro fauna thanks to you! Thanks for the info!
You're welcome! Thank you so much for watching!
Omg I’m so happy I stumbled upon this! What a fantastic idea! Am so excited to order these, and establish a population so I can go on vacation worry free! IM WORRIED THAT THEY MAY DIE IN TRANSIT HOWEVER, BECAUSE I LIVE IN HOUSTON TEXAS WHERE ITS STILL 100 DEGREES !?
They will be totally fine! We check temperatures and use insulation and ice packs in every box. Scuds are tough! They can take a little heat! 🔥🔥🔥
Yipeee@@phillipsfishworks
Ordered a 3 pack that had all of 3 scuds swimming around and the pods floated in the tank. Cut one in half and nothing in there except plant material.
I am currently running an fx6 filter…Will this be an issue when adding these?
Can you put the balls right in the tank?
Any chance this could make it to Japan?
I was wondering if it is possible to build a cover for the scud balls? Such like building it out of Lava rock. My thought is that it would keep larger critters away but allow smaller critters to go in or out
@Dave Yes definitely possible. I tend to pile them up which allows the bottom layer to be pretty protected. You could put just about anything over it even some leaf litter... Thanks for the comment! Keep experimenting.
Yes, the vescular texture is very inconsistent. Some pieces there are none at all. Thanks for the info!
Mr Phillips. I was just watching you on the FF podcast in the background while cleaning and decided to check out your shop while taking a break. I am a week into starting up my first heavily planted 75g tank and the idea of the Scud balls tickles my fancy. Currently I have 2 small guppies and one little 2" catfish that the fish store gave me for free. How many of these balls should i be considering?
Thank you so much for the interest and watching the live stream. It was a total blast getting to chat with Father Fish and giving a little insight to my operation...
75 gallons is quite a large tank. It could certainly handle quite a few. Comes down to your esthetic appeal and what you want to spend. At least a 9 pack to get you started or maybe double that. Thanks again. Let me know if you have any other questions.
If I would to add fresh dry scud balls to my aquarium or scuds culture, any proper preparation before dropping the balls? Such as boiling…?
You could soak in water ahead of time so they sink. They don't necessarily need boiled. Unless you want to release most of the tannins before adding them. Thanks for the comment.
So i actually have a friend that has a sweet gum tree in their yard and there are tons of these guys lying around. Is it safe for me to scoop them and add them to my aquarium? Or is there a process that needs to be done before they are aquarium safe
I found some of these seed pods in a parking lot at a family members apartment complex. I took about 5 of them and threw them in my pond. Any chance they'll still spawn microfauna and/or scuds. Seems unlikely to me because they came from area but im curious if you know
If they are coming from dry land they will not produce microfauna or scuds. They will not spontaneously generate from nowhere. The reason scud balls have scuds in them is because they are soaked in our scud breeding barrels for a period of time. Hope that helps
@@phillipsfishworks no problem! I found that my shrimp love them so it's still a win 😄 I'm waiting on my order of scud balls currently
Will scuds eat live aquarium plants?
In the right circumstances that can be a possibility... In your typical aquarium, they are going to be eating things like leaves, dead plants, dead animals, left over fish food, detritus, algae... They may turn to eating plants if their population gets enormous and they run out of food. It's not a problem if you have fish in the system eating on the scuds. The scuds will mostly stay hidden trying not to be eaten while they reproduce and their population will easily be in check.
I orderd your scuds how often or what can i feed them beside just algae set up: 7.5 gallon cube shrimp tank only scuds sset up
Thank you so much for your support. They can be fed a number of things. Fish food, Many different fruits, and veggies. They will also eat decaying things like dead plants and leaf litter... How often can be a little tricky. Definitely depends on the population of scuds and what else they're eating habitat wise... Obviously, if there's food already in there and they've not eaten it then you don't need to put more in. Thanks again!
Would a culture of these survive shipping them to Europe?
I've got cyclops, daphnia, and Asellus cultures, but I can't for the life of me find live scuds.
I'm sure they would survive, unfortunately I do not ship outside of the US. Thanks for the interest though. I'd be surprised if you can't find scuds somewhere in local fresh water ecosystems.
Can you put a number on “endless amounts”?
@Oqsy
There's no way to really put a number on it. I can give you some arbitrary number but it wouldn't be accurate or really matter. The amount of beneficial bacteria or any of the other microscopic organisms are going to fluctuate and are based on the available resources in their environment at that time. Depending on the types of organism, they can multiply as quickly as 15 minutes to 24 hours. There is some kind of base level of creatures feeding off of what's around them at that moment and as their food resource level changes the population adjusts quickly... I don't like to throw out numbers because I can't really count them. I can count larger items like seed pods. So I know I'm going to give you 6 seed pods if that's what you order but I can't count the thousands or millions of microscopic organisms on them. I can only answer based off my personal experiences. I have spent a lot of time looking through microscopes at pond and aquarium water. It always amazes me when I can look at what can only be described as thousands of little specs whizzing around a tiny piece of detritus in a drop of water. Multiply that by a whole bag of aquarium material. I would describe that as "endless amounts". Thank you so much for the comment and interest. Always appreciated!!!
Urgh I wish you shipped to Canada D: I would love to add something like this to my tanks!
Thank you so much for watching and commenting on the video! Wish that was a possibility!
Just go to the nearest pond or lake and u will find them
My first tme ordering live food from anyne but i think u have more potentials u rarely make content but if u ever run out of ideas it will be good to ask all uf us buyers and subcribers of what we will like of u to do brcause we all can learn from one another newcomers wont engage if the lack knowledge that u have and new ideas a newbee or subcribers has in mind ........ i orderd all 3 of your bags but dont know what life looks like of the baq of leafssss...... beside the baq of scuds ......
PLEASE: JOHNNY 5 NEEDS "INPUT"
Thank you for the support! It is very much appreciated. I am working hard every day to keep the ball rolling. To say, I have a 1000 irons in the fire would be an understatement lol... Lots more in the works.