info on Ostracods

[Summit MicroFarm]

Hey everyone...
So, I recently started a pair of new 20 g L tanks for my CRS. In one of the tanks I purchased a small portion of mini pellia from an ebayer in MD. Anyway, as the tank has cycled and now maturing I have noticed MANY very small little organisms fleeting/flitting around. After doing some research I believe they are ostracods which I found one thread "What's this?' in this forum. Besides this thread I have been unable to find much info about these freshwater crustaceans and their interaction with shrimp. I do not have a plague of them now but I know from experience that they can bloom. A few posts I have found suggest they pose no problem, but I think that they are unsightly en mass AND there is much information from our German friends in the hobby that suggest that they have had dimished shrimp production and actual snail deaths from a boom in ostracod populations.
So I have a few questions for everyone...

Does anyone have extensive experience with these ostracods, seed shrimp, Muschelkrebse???

Have they been trouble for your shrimp?

Has anyone tried to naturally erradicate them using predators such as Clown Loach? or any other type of fish???

I recently purchased two small clown loachs to erradicate the snails that hitchhiked on my new plants, so maybe they will eat the ostarcods if I put them in the affected tank...

Again, thanks SO much!!!:D

[imke_j]

I have had ostarcods in my tanks too; they expand when water quality is good and when they find lots of food. As they really can disturb aduld shrimp when they have build up bigger colonies, it is better to rmove them. I used my betta offspring for this (when not having shrimplets). Ostarcods are in food concurrence with shrimplets, that's why I think it is better to not have them in the tank.

[Summit MicroFarm]

Thanks again Imke!!!!!;)

I appreciate your advice. My LFS told me to put a few bettas in as I have no shrimp on it yet. I do have a few clown fish as I stated...I may try them first (since I have them) especially because I was going to put them in anyway because I want to erradicate the snails.:D
I really appreciate your help, as always...

[Summit MicroFarm]

UPDATE:
I placed 10 guppy ( I have no access to beta fry :cry:) fry into the 20 L with the ostracods a week ago. At first the guppies went after the ostracods until there bellies were full, but I have not see them eating them at all since. I am not feeding the guppy fry either so as not to acclimate them to commercial food in hopes they erradicate the ostarcods.

Has anyone successfully killed these lil clams on purpose using any treatment??? So far I have heard of no luck as with dewormer for planarian for example. Thanks

[mlgt]

I was told these are fairly safe, but it will occur if you overfeed the shrimps?

I simply do the following. Whilst doing a water change I would use a small siphon tube and use my other hand to waft away the shrimps and then suck up the affected area where I see these ostracods.

Simple and easy way to remove them as they are as small as a grain of sand.

[Shrimpnairf]

I breed a species of micro invert, they are about the half the size of a cyclops when full grown. i have witnessed CRS eatin thier babies. I have not seen them bother my shrimp, ive seen the CRS charge through crowds of them though, they dont last to long in my red claw tank, niether my ghost shrimp tank, i have a nano tank with frogbits where i keep the big colony, these guys will primarily eat algae and dead and decaying matter, thats if we are talkin about the same little guys..shrimpnairf

[frothhelmet]

Interestingly, I had quite a few ostracods in my shrimp tank. But when my shrimps started breeding the shrimplets/shrimps now seem to outcompete the ostracods and there are much fewer of them and they are not an eyesore. To be honest, I like having the variety in my tank, especially now that their population remains in check.