Hyalella azteca

About This Species

Basic Description

Scuds, or Aztec Amphipods, are small, active freshwater crustaceans from the Americas. Perfect for beginners, they are very easy to care for. They act as an excellent cleanup crew, constantly swimming near the bottom while eating leftover food, algae, and decaying matter. Because they reproduce quickly, they are also a popular and nutritious live food source for many aquarium fish.

Detailed Description

Hyalella azteca is a hardy amphipod that thrives in low-flow aquariums and tolerates a wide range of water conditions, making it very forgiving for aquarists. It's a prolific breeder, allowing hobbyists to easily cultivate a self-sustaining colony as a renewable live food source. This crustacean is an industrious forager, consuming detritus, biofilm, and various nuisance algae. Hobbyists should note its omnivorous diet may include softer aquatic plants if other food sources become scarce, so it is best kept in breeding tanks or with robust plant life.

Scientific Description

Hyalella azteca, a widespread malacostracan amphipod of the family Hyalellidae, is a key detritivore in North and Central American freshwater ecosystems. It contributes significantly to nutrient cycling by processing organic detritus, biofilm, and primary producers like algae. Its biological profile features a low metabolic rate, minimal oxygen requirement, and low waste production, resulting in a negligible bioload. These physiological traits, coupled with its tolerance to varied physicochemical conditions, establish it as a valuable indicator species for ecotoxicological studies and environmental biomonitoring.