Gammarus Pulex

[fishy16]

Hi i found some of these in my tropical tank the other day. Are they going to be peacefull and get on with my amano and red shrimp or are they going to be a problem? Any info would be helpful, thanks

 

[nurglespuss]

Hi there

How did the Gammarus sp. get introduced to your tank? they usually inhabit fast-slow moving bodies of water accross the UK (or wherever you might be).

They are sometimes a good indicator of water quality, especially in terms of lack of chemical/metal/agricultural waste.

They are fairly harmless, will scute along the bottom lmainly, and like places to hide. they prefer a vegetable based diet, and mainly feed on rotting leaves.

The only thing to consider is, they are disease vectors (for your fish/inverts) and if they were 'wild caught' it might be worth eyeing them, up for visual parasites etc. before introduction.

 

[fishy16]

Hi there

How did the Gammarus sp. get introduced to your tank? they usually inhabit fast-slow moving bodies of water accross the UK (or wherever you might be).

They are sometimes a good indicator of water quality, especially in terms of lack of chemical/metal/agricultural waste.

They are fairly harmless, will scute along the bottom lmainly, and like places to hide. they prefer a vegetable based diet, and mainly feed on rotting leaves.

The only thing to consider is, they are disease vectors (for your fish/inverts) and if they were 'wild caught' it might be worth eyeing them, up for visual parasites etc. before introduction.

I have no idea where they came from, possibly from plants? My tank does have a lot of plants and i only found them when i cleaned some bog wood i found them, they were in my filter sponge too.

 

[nurglespuss]

Ah cool

Well, they probably have plenty to munch on so! Just remember not to medicate the tank or they'll die off.