Gammarus

Gammarus (also referred to as scuds) are a favourite of the larger species. The freshwater species shown here is usually found in ponds and streams and can be enriched with HUFA's by soaking flake food in an enrichment product and feeding to the gammarus prior to feeding the sea horses. An excellent source for freshwater gammarus is here.

The saltwater Gammarus are also an excellent food for the larger species. This specimen was found in our overflow filter and native to most reef tanks that have live rock.

Culturing Gammarus

One way to culture gammarus is by using a 20 gallon tub available at most stores. Place an undergravel plate that covers the bottom reasonably well and use a power filter in the lift tube. It's a good idea to cover the undergravel plate with fibreglass screening to prevent the gammarus from being sucked up into the tube. This is also the reason for putting the suction tube from the power filter in the lift tube. The gammarus do well on floating pond pellets or flake food. Another option is to use live plants or caulerpra (marine). This not only provides a good hiding place for them, but gives them something to eat. Some other options we haven't experimented with yet are to cover the surface with bio-balls (this would give them something to cling to) or to use ceramic tiles with spacers. The thing to remember is gammarus like to cling to things, so the more surface area the better. The culture should do well with little maintenance, as long as the young have places to hide.