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Scuds grow about 5 mm long on average in my aquariums.
You can see tiny baby scuds crawl on the rock here among adult scuds.
It's amazing how big scuds can grow from the tiny body they start with.
Here is a 1 cm long scud next to a cherry shrimp and guppies.
It takes about a year for a scud to grow that big.
And scuds molt about 9 times as they grow throughout their lifetime.
Scuds live and breed proficiently in aquariums without filters, heaters, or air pumps by feeding on detritus, algae and basically anything growing in aquariums.
That makes scuds perfect candidates for Just Add Water aquariums or Aquarium Gardens.
Let's build one!
In this example, I use a 1 liter glass jar with a lid.
We can use any larger size jar!
Put some gravel or a couple rocks and a seashell.
And add dechlorinated water.
Here I have a small nursery with Scuds, planarian, Marimo moss ball and duckweed.
We can move scuds one by one into the new aquarium or just move everything at once.
Here it goes.
I also like to add snails in all my aquariums.
Though, snails are optional...as any other critters in our setup.
Water and any type of plants are the only things that scuds really need.
And we already have it here.
Well, scuds also need oxygen to breath.
So, make sure the aquarium is open to atmospheric air and try to reduce water evaporation.
That is where this lid / planter comes in handy.
That's it. We have set up the aquarium.
Plants make any aquarium look more attractive.
Plants also keep aquariums cleaner by feeding on waste dissolved in water.
And scuds feed on plants too, including the roots!
Many common houseplants grow with roots in water.
Here you can see scuds are already indulging in the roots of Inch plant and digging into Marimo ball.
Funny critters they are!
As time goes on, the plants grow larger and get larger roots for Scuds to chew on.
The slow growing Marimo ball takes a much longer time to grow.
Scuds do fine all the same no matter what plants you put in the aquarium.
Just remember to add water once in a while to the level.
Plants have water and waste from Scuds and snails to feed on.
And Scuds have plants and algae to feed on.
That is an example of a sustainable aquarium garden.
As time goes on, I like to make cuttings from the plant.
We can grow the new cutting right in the same aquarium.
I have videos about dozens of different terrestrial plants growing with roots in water for you to check out.
And again, just add water to the level to keep this aquarium.
That's basically all it takes.
Here I made the floating Marimo ball just for fun in the same aquarium.
Check my videos about it.
Here are some more examples of Just Add Water aquariums with scuds I have built.
I use these aquariums to learn what land plants can grow with roots in water.
Here you can see land moss on the right side.
And I make every aquarium look different using seashells, marbles, and rocks.
The population of scuds grows up and down as with all other living organisms.
The larger the aquarium, the larger the population of scuds can grow.
And as their population grows, we can move spare scuds into other aquariums.
Scuds are very agile critters - constantly on the move.
They are great swimmers as you can see them dashing through the water here and there.
And you may wonder what would happen if we put scuds in an aquarium with fish.
Well, scuds will feed on leftovers of fish food and breed without you doing anything for them.
And fish will eat scuds.
Young scuds are like healthy protein snack bars for my dwarf Guppies and Endlers.
Taking care for fish takes a bit more than Just Add Water.
Nevertheless, here are examples of aquariums with fish without water changes, no filters, no air pumps.
So, basically it is Just Add Water aquariums.
Have fun and happy aquarium gardens :)
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