This microfauna culture is centered around botanicals and has the added benefit of containing several different species of leaves. Our leaf culture "Bag of Leaves” only come with live oak leaves. "Leafy Bugs" comes with a mix of leaves that may include live oak, willow oak, red oak, sweet gum, various maples, cottonwood and more. The benefit of having many different types of leaves is that they all release different tannin compounds which are believed to be beneficial in general. A variety of leaf litter species will help fill the gap in missing micronutrients when eaten by animals. The different leaves will decompose at different rates helping to provide a steady food source for the ecosystems base microfauna. The leaf quantity in this culture is about 6 oz. and you will also get 2 sweet gum seed pods (Scud Balls) included in the bag.    
 
Increase the diversity of microfauna in your freshwater aquarium with the one and only Leafy Bugs! This is not your average Microorganism culture, But rather a complete sample of our system. The creatures included in this bag of life are snails, scuds, seed shrimp, copepods, beneficial worms, rotifers, stentor, paramecium, gastrotrich and the list goes on and on. The biodiversity in this breather bag will amaze you!
 
Why is it so vital that your aquarium has lots of biodiversity in its microfauna population?
 
First, biodiversity means variety of life in a habitat or ecosystem. Microfauna means microscopic animals. Microfauna in your aquarium are all the tiny creatures that make their home in the tank’s substrate, plants and décor. Most of these creatures are too small to see with your naked eye but they play a vital role in the long-term stability of the freshwater environment. These aquariums we keep can be much more than a glass box with water and a fish. In fact, your fish will do infinitely better living in an environment that mimics Mother Nature. This will always include a large and diverse population of microorganisms. To put it simply, this diverse group of organisms, along with a natural habitat, make up a food web that feeds itself and in turn creates a buffet of live food for your fish. Fish always are healthier when their diet is a variety of live natural foods. By using natural materials Like dirt, sand, coarse gravel, plants, wood, leaf litter, seed pods and other natural objects you can create a habitat that will support a large healthy population of microorganisms which in turn will support healthy fish.
 
This culture contains scuds. As mentioned before scuds are detritivores and they’re not too picky on the food they eat. They love decaying plant material, many types of algae, leaf litter, over ripe fruits/veggies, fish food and much more. They typically don’t bother your aquarium plants but if their population grows too large and they run out of food they may start nibbling on tender plants and mosses. This is typically only a problem in tanks without fish. If there are fish that can eat them in the system, it is extremely unlikely for the scud population to get out of control and become a problem. On the contrary, the scud population will help feed the fish population as they find a balance with each other.