Page 2 of 5 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 49

Thread: THE LOWLY SCUD

  1. #11
    Members
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    S.E. Georgia, USA
    Posts
    51

    Re: THE LOWLY SCUD

    Scott
    Jesup (S.E.), Georgia, USA

  2. #12
    Members
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    S.E. Georgia, USA
    Posts
    51

    Re: THE LOWLY SCUD

    Got the package today. Very, very impressed with the packaging. Well insulated and protected. The postal workers must have paid attention to the "live fish" labels because there was no evidence of rough handling at all.

    To "install," all I did was put the foam under the outlet pipe feeding the grow bed. I put a 3" elbow over the foam (it's all I had) to protect it from the sun. I then put about 1/4 of the water into the grow bed itself when the water was at its highest. (I did move enough gravel out of the way to get access to about a fist size hole.) I put another 1/4 of the water into my settling tank. The rest of the water went into my fish tank where I rinsed out the bag 3 times to make sure. Now we just wait and see. (Story of our lives, right?!)

    What should I be looking for as a "first" indicator that everything is okay? Just like everyone else, you know I'll be looking every day!


    P.S. I was so excited, I forgot to take pictures! (For NCIS fans, think of DiNozzo waiting for Gibbs to smack him.)
    Scott
    Jesup (S.E.), Georgia, USA

  3. #13
    Moderator JCO's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Orange Park, Florida
    Posts
    1,830

    Re: THE LOWLY SCUD

    It's not going to happen over night and don't forget when you go digging around in the media, these are tiny shrimp and can be crushed easily. The best way is to put some more filtering material under where the water comes into the grow bed, they will populate that quite quickly.

    I am glad you are happy with them...I just wish I could find a less expensive way to ship them so I wouldn't have to charge so much.
    JCO
    Irish eyes are always smiling but
    • "In the eyes of the world, you are only as good as your last success"
    so never forget
    • "MAN IS ONLY LIMITED BY HIS IMAGINATION"

  4. #14
    Members
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Tampa, Florida
    Posts
    70

    Re: THE LOWLY SCUD

    JCO - How does this work with the fish feeding? My understanding is that once you introduce them to the system they will freely be floating through and the fish will eat them as they please? Or are they more strictly sanitizing the system and the fish might snack on one if they get lucky? Can I cut back on fish feeding?

  5. #15
    Moderator JCO's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Orange Park, Florida
    Posts
    1,830

    Re: THE LOWLY SCUD

    Then answer is no to cutting back on the fish feeding....Scuds in an Aquaponic System aren't there to lower the feed bill even though, once they become established, the fish will be able to snack on them when they come across them.

    They are useful as a scavenger in eliminating plant debris, algae and left over fish food. They, also in the case of young fish as well as fry such as newly released Tilapia young, are a plentiful live food helping to ensure the survivability of the fry.

    They occur naturally in nature and form a large part of the food supply for some major game fish such as trout. They can also be place in a well planted aquarium and serve as a food supplement for smaller fish such as guppies etc.

    They can be helpful in maintaining a balanced Aquaponic System because once established, they will count in the hundreds of millions and reproduce like rabbits....the more plentiful, the more food for the fish and less debris.
    JCO
    Irish eyes are always smiling but
    • "In the eyes of the world, you are only as good as your last success"
    so never forget
    • "MAN IS ONLY LIMITED BY HIS IMAGINATION"

  6. #16
    Members
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    S.E. Georgia, USA
    Posts
    51

    Re: THE LOWLY SCUD

    I'm looking at it as I've just increased the diversity of the ecosystem. Anything that helps/adds to the process is good. They also "should" slightly reduce my workload in that I won't have to deal with cleaning filters, grow bed, etc. quite as often.
    Scott
    Jesup (S.E.), Georgia, USA

  7. #17
    Members
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Tampa, Florida
    Posts
    70

    Re: THE LOWLY SCUD

    Should the system already be up and running with plants "installed"? I saw you mentioned they live in the grow medium, I still haven't planted what I intend to grow yet. Still haven't had more then one day of running the system. Would it be safe to put in now or wait until the system has had time to grow?

  8. #18
    Moderator JCO's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Orange Park, Florida
    Posts
    1,830

    Re: THE LOWLY SCUD

    Should the system already be up and running with plants "installed"?
    In answer to this question, don't forget the Scuds need something to eat to survive. The plants don't have to be installed, but there will have at least be something in the grow bed or bio-filter for them to eat. If you have algae in the water or bio-filter that will help.

    I saw you mentioned they live in the grow medium, I still haven't planted what I intend to grow yet.
    They don't care if you have planted anything or not

    Still haven't had more then one day of running the system. Would it be safe to put in now or wait until the system has had time to grow?
    Your system will need to mature a bit, at least a couple weeks with fish in the mix. Do you have any fish as of yet?
    JCO
    Irish eyes are always smiling but
    • "In the eyes of the world, you are only as good as your last success"
    so never forget
    • "MAN IS ONLY LIMITED BY HIS IMAGINATION"

  9. #19
    Members
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    S.E. Georgia, USA
    Posts
    51

    Re: THE LOWLY SCUD

    Quote Originally Posted by FloridaChris
    Should the system already be up and running with plants "installed"? I saw you mentioned they live in the grow medium, I still haven't planted what I intend to grow yet. Still haven't had more then one day of running the system. Would it be safe to put in now or wait until the system has had time to grow?
    Just to fill you in Chris on my system. I've been running since last May. I was able to grow tomatoes through the winter with the addition of a temporary green house like structure. I've got strawberries now with one parsley plant that was still alive when I cleaned out the tomatoes. There's plenty of "crud" for my scuds to munch on.
    Scott
    Jesup (S.E.), Georgia, USA

  10. #20
    Moderator JCO's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Orange Park, Florida
    Posts
    1,830

    Re: THE LOWLY SCUD

    In that case, they're probably as happy as a pig in a slop trough.
    JCO
    Irish eyes are always smiling but
    • "In the eyes of the world, you are only as good as your last success"
    so never forget
    • "MAN IS ONLY LIMITED BY HIS IMAGINATION"

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •