How to Care for Isopods Day-to-Day
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- Isopods, a.k.a. woodlice, pillbugs, and roly polies, are popular vivarium pets, as well clean up crew members for reptile, amphibian, and invertebrate pets. I made an earlier video on how to care for Isopods, and this is a follow-up video n day-to-day isopod care tips on hydration, ventilation, feeding, and so on. At the end of the video there is a surprise isopod!
LINKS to Isopod foods and supplies:
I feed my isopods Repashy Bug Burger weekly, they love it: amzn.to/2Mg3Nal
Repashy morning wood is also a very popular isopod food: amzn.to/2WdJq23
Here is a link to the 6-quart sterilite tubs I use to house many of my isopods: amzn.to/2syYGZJ
Tomgive your isopods calcium you can use cuttlebone: calcium, twin pack: amzn.to/2S9H3hG
Isopods love cork bark pieces as hides: amzn.to/2WaYOfu
One of the best food/substrate ingredients for isopods are oak leaves, such as these heat-treated red oak leaves: amzn.to/2We6GNm
I make my own isopod substrate, but here is a link to Josh’s frogs isopod substrate : amzn.to/2TfyC1D
Rus Wilson of Aquarimax Pets is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. In other words, Rus Wilson earns a commission when you use that affiliate link.
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Oh my gosh the whole "I got an orange one!" Super cute
GeorgieGG 🤣👍 It was so exciting! It turned out to be a Porcellio scaber that had made its way into the bin, but I didn’t know that at the time. 🤣
Aquarimax Pets how about the result?? Does it work? (:
yah the resalts axarimax!
Of the orange one? It was a P. scaber stowaway. 😂
Of the orange one? It was a P. scaber stowaway. 😂
your family is so supportive. thet sound like me when I'm trying to support my hobby with his hobbies. great video, I'm anxious to start keeping iso pods.
Lisa Douk Thank you! It definitely helps to have supportive family members. 😊👍
It's ok dont worry about it I keep my isopod in a 5 gallon moss tank watch my RUclips videos on my channel called clover deese
So true, I want to keep isopods and my family take the mick. It's so draining, they don't like any of my hobbies .-.
"I've got an orange one!!!"...……...Merry Christmas Rus :)
colinbarsby LOL! 🤣 Thanks Colin, and Merry Christmas to you!
I put a marimo moss ball in with mine after I shut down a fish tank, and my isopods were feasting on the moss ball!
Suzanne Dargie 🤣👍 They will eat nearly anything!
Once my bettas moss ball starts to get old, I’ll put it in my little terrarium where I have isopods, worms and all sorts of other stuff
When did this Isopod craze happen and why am I so fascinated with them!? Brings me back to my childhood when I used to catch and keep them in jars :)
Johnny Galaxy sounds like it happened earlier for you than it did for some! The isopod has really exploded over the past five years or so.
@@Aquarimax as a kid I would collect the red calico scabers and the lava morphs and breed them in bunches just out of sheer faschination. Now it seems their stocks have gone through the roof, I would've had thousands worth. Lol
Johnny Galaxy if only you could go back and warn yourself....🤣
@@Aquarimax all I have to do now is go back there and collect them. The gene pool is still running around the property! 🤩
I love these OG thumbnails
9:29 Me and my 5 year old laughed so hard at the "SUBSCRIBE".
Jennie Lyra That catfish does his job well! I don’t think I pay him enough. 🤣
Silly question, how do you safely change out the substrate in entirety, without accidentally losing any isopods?!
Actually it is a great question...and harder to do than it might sound! I made a video about it.: ruclips.net/video/jZi33AQn1cQ/видео.html
I would love to see a video of how you do a complete substrate change and transfer all the isopods.
Larisa Pfleegor This is a popular request...I had better do it! 😊👍
Aquarimax Pets I think it would be an awesome video. I am wondering when I should change and how I do it without leaving anyone or too many behind lol the little babies worry me lol
Larisa Pfleegor I know what you mean...I may do the entire process during a livestream sometime...👍
Hey Russ, love your stuff! I would love to see a video on how you change out the isopod substrate. Seems like a difficult task to do without loosing a bunch, especially the little guys. Any tips would be great!
Richard Royster Thank you! This is a popular request, I will make sure to do that...possibly even during today’s livestream, if I can make that work. 👍
Oh, and congrats on that little Titan pumpkin :) Good luck with it and keep us posted.
Supreme Gecko Thanks! I will keep you all updated, I am excited!
Loved the vid. Your isopod tutorial made me set up a colony out of wild ones. Only porcellio scaber and ligia oceanica atm.
I cought few very big ones and they all died within a week or so. My guess is that it wasn't humid enough for them as all the small ones are happy out. I had my camera on a timelapse over the enclosure for past 4 days and they have a clear pattern of coming out from under the leaves between 10pm and going back to hiding around 4am. I've figured it's between the hours where most birds would be asleep so they are less likely to be eaten. I'm setting a more detailed timelapse tmorow and I will upload it sometime this weekend :)
Reptear Ligia species seem to be tricky, hopefully the smaller ones will do well
for you. I would
Love to see that time lapse!
I have armadillidium “wild type”! I love them!
great questions Wally and great answers Rus! thanks again for sharing such fun and educational videos.
Thank you, Sean!
Thanks! Wally
Supreme Gecko Was I able to address your questions Wally?
Really great video without any bull. Thanks!
huge help thank you i have no isopods yet but am doing all the research now!
At the end around 9:41, it looks like the Orange Titan launches a springtail just by walking into it *Lol.*
Theropod Hunter That is probably precisely what happened! 🤣 Unfortunately, that isopod turned out to be a P. scaber stowaway.
@@Aquarimax A deceptive Isopod? Lol.
This has helped me so much tanks.
A super helpful video for beginners, as well as more experienced hobbyists interested in learning how others are caring for isopods. Thanks! A similar video about routine millipede care would also be great.
Critter Girl Thank you, and a millipede video is a great suggestion!
Thank you Russ you’ve help me get my millipedes going, now it’s time for the ultimate clean up crew!
Moombuhs Great! 😊👍 With millipedes I recommend springtails, but isopods can be problematic with them.
I've just started a small colony of two pregenant females and a larger male, this helped a lot, Thanks!
Looney Lion you’re welcome! Best of luck with your colony!
@@Aquarimax Thank you!
Wow - the orange Titan! It sure looks like a Titan baby to me with the pale skirt. Congrats! The whole video was very informative. Thanks again for all you do for the hobby.
I caught sight of the orange one again today...it looks bigger already, I think it is a Titan! I will probably separate it into another container with a few siblings to isolate the trait. Thank you Mickie!
Yaaaas, great video! I only have one species (Trichorina tomentosa) and have had them for about 8 months. I learned a few things from your video and got some ideas. I wanted to share a learning experience I just had in the hope other people can avoid the negative outcome I had. I have two shoebox cultures and a third culture in a container with a tighter fitting lid. I wasn't aware this was an issue but as it turns out, the sealed one was so humid and wet that it got overrun by nematodes and they wiped out my entire culture. I was so upset to find thousands of isos belly up about a day ago. Thankfully it was only one of three cultures and I have learned my lesson - keep it ventilated! Also time to split and refresh the cultures/substrate - good reminder!
Another World Terraria sorry to hear about that...too much humidity can definitely be an issue. That is also the reason I sanitize substrate before use...it helps reduce the risk of nematodes and other pests. 👍
Great information. The low ventilation issue is one thing, but keeping multiple cultures is another great tip. Thanks for sharing. Wally
Supreme Gecko yes, multiple cultures can be a lifesaver...great point. I try to build positive redundancy that way as well.👍
Aquarimax Pets I’m knew to this bioactive setup idea and have been watching your leopard gecko setup and update videos. I was wondering when you have your springtails and isopods in your tank, do you need to feed them or does the bioactive setup suffice for them?
Woodlice are very good pets I like them they can eat anything
Never knew isopods could be so interesting, great video!
David Rodriguez Thank you! They are a fascinating tax on aren’t they? 😊👍
@@Aquarimax yes indeed they are!.
Isopods are so charming for some reason. Nice video. I'm inspired now to give mine a substrate refresher. Cheers!
Thanks! A substrate refresher usually stimulates them to breed and grow quickly. 😊👍
Awesome! I am a new Isopod caretaker (not really a breeder, i just enjoy them) as well as a worm farmer. I would like to begin splitting my Isopod bin and start a good colony of Armadillum Vulgare. I beleive they add something truly valuable to the soil food web. and there in is a market for them, their feces, molted exoskeleton, etc. I would love to know your thoughts on it sir. u are obviously very educated.
Chibi Shaw I have heard of vermiculturists adding A. vulgare to their worm bins with beneficial results. Definitely worth a try!
Congratulations on that shiny isopod
Canal Muerto thanks!!
Thank you so much for this video. Needed it! Planning to get some albino isopods.
Midnight Mint excellent! Which species?
Can you do a video on how to replace the substrate so as not to damage and save your isopods.
A weird thing about wild isopods (in the Uk at least!) whenever I'd go outside in the Summer to check for slugs on my precious plants after a rain shower, I'd see woodlice by torch light eating bird poops. Or eating dead slugs that had dried in the sun. I always thought it was weird how they like bird poop!
Good observation ...they will eat very nearly any organic matter 😊
@@Aquarimax lol thanks! :) There would be so many all in a circle nomming away, I guess it's nice they keep my paths clear! I'd keep an eye out for them so I didn't stand on them. I'm kinda getting into isopod care and I love I just found this channel and all your help, thanks! :) That's good to know! They are nature's cleaner uppers, a sort of mini version of the great white shark :D
Thank you so much this was so helpful!!
Out-Standing! Thank you Rus for doing this. I picked up a number of great tips from this video. The ventilation info was especially helpful. Great video that I am sure I will watch again and again. Wally
Great video. I've been meaning to setups a isopod enclosure. Will be looking back when I do for sure.
I've set up mine in one afternoon. Thats including going out and catching the darn things xD Just do it, once u have it set you don't have to worry about much.
Thank you! They are so fun, looking forward to hearing about your new colony when you set one up. 😊👍
Isopods are quite durable, I find them under rocks here in Arizona where the humidity is almost zero and the temperatures go up to 112 degrees.
Blue Squirtle they are, aren’t they? Some species seem the be able to handle those extremes of temperature and humidity.
I was planning on getting a vinegaroon soon and I need some care tips since I can't seem to find many online. I was hoping you could do a care video on them unless you are streaming soon so I can ask there.
Goredeus I am thinking of trying a livestream this Wednesday if possible...any specific questions you would like me to address?
OK awesome just wanted some basic care tips like how often to feed them and the whole hibernation process
How do you change the substrate when there are so many isopods in the old substrate? How do you move them from one substrate to the next?
I cover that here: ruclips.net/video/KD4buBdMgFI/видео.html
Thank you for this video! 👍
Karrissen You’re welcome!!
Absolutely fascinating level of interest/knowledge! Are granny greys, to give the Britush name, are hobby in their own right or do you do it as a food source for other pets?
Tudur Morgan Thank you! There is a thriving (and quickly growing) pet hobby with the more colorful/interestingly patterned of these creatures, abd many are used as cleanup crews for reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates, as well as a supplemental food source. 👍
How do you get rid of fungus gnats/keep them out of enclosures?
Also: your videos are phenomenal and there are so few isopod video care videos so THANK YOU because I enjoy your videos and need all the help I can get 😅
Life According to Me thank you so much! I am glad to hear you enjoy my videos. The small white creatures are Springtails, and they help outcompete fungus gnats. You can also control fungus gnats by making sure the enclosures are well~sealed, with all ventilation covered with very fine mesh. 👍
Great vid, Rus! I’ve only recently set up my first colonies and they haven’t got any ventilation in them, so I’m having to be careful with mould and stagnation. I’ve had some success with tropical greys, giant oranges, and springtails so far, but the dwarf whites don’t seem to have done anything. Do you do anything special to get yours going? Also, why do you have cork pieces in your setups? Thanks!
JTB Reptiles Thanks! I just saw this comment, sorry for the delay. Dwarf whites seem slow at first, but they tend to explode suddenly, slightly warmer temperatures help with that. 78-82 F is an ideal range for them. Because Isopods prefer to be in fairly tight spaces, the isopods tend to congregate under the cork pieces, it makes it really easy to check on them and collect them.
Great video - thanks! I need to replace my substrate and thought I would just add some fresh to the existing. Maybe this is a dumb question but if you start over how do you get all the isopods moved?
I font think you will be able to do it. Split your substrate in two, top it up and start a new colony.
Great video my friend i keep isopods as well ☺☺☺☺☺
Crystal Casares which species do you keep, Crystal?
I know this is an older video, but could you make a video when doing one of the full substrate changes? I’m trying to figure out the best way to do this without hand picking every single isopod to move :(
Tiffany Geiler I will try to make one. It is a fairly painstaking process, but there are some things that can make it a little easier. 👍
One time i found a really big Rolliepoly it was close to a Bottle cap
Hi i love your videos,
My question is what isopod good for snakes bioactive cage and they have larg zise?
Which kind of snake?
Thank you soooo much this rly helped. I have orange, tropical grey, and dairy cow isopods. They are in my garter snake viv. The substrate is sphagnum moss orchid bark coco fiber charcoal dry leaves and compost I just got isopods today. How wet should I make the enclosure and do you think this will work well
How I obtained & care for my isopods:
1) Asked my dart frog breeder for some (I got about a dozen or so).
2) Put them in my dart frog vivarium.
3) Replace decaying leaf litter as required.
Two years later, they're everywhere. No real need to maintain a culture. My vivarium does that for me.
balzonurchin i do the same thing in my dart frog and gecko vivariums. It works great!
Thank you for the info.
Great video!!
Hey Rus! Sorry if you've already addressed this and I've missed it in another video. Have you had over-breeding with isopods? Where there is a surplus in your enclosure? If so, what has been your solution? Thank you, awesome videos!
Holly Garrison Thank you, Holly! I haven’t had to worry about overbreeding with isopods, at least not so far. They do tend to reach an equilibrium based on the resourced available. Of course, in my case I a, often removing isopods to keep up with the demand for them as well. I hope that helps! 👍
How often do u feed wood lice?
ReVerses Bot It depends on how many you have, the setup and substrate you have, etc. If you have a rich substrate and a small numbers of isopods, you may not need to feed them any additional food for months. In my setups, I generally keep large numbers of isopods, and I feed two the four times per week.
I have found some high yellow common pill bugs!
Awesome! Are you going to breed them?
Yes but I only found about 5
Those should be enough to get a colony started 😊👍
Hello, love your competent and informative videos. Thank you. I have a question about ‘hard wood’ leaves, is that a necessity? Would apple or plum leaves work as well? Thanks again
Plum and apple generally count as hardwood, and they both work 👍🏽
@@Aquarimax many thanks!
You look good with a full beard
What if you don’t keep springtails with them and what if you don’t change the substrate?
Therealgoat it is possible to keep them without springtails, although the springtails are helpful. At some point,if you don’t change the substrate, the nutrients will become exhausted and the colony’s production will decline. If you keep adding new leaves and supplementary foods, the colony will still reproduce, but I find better results from periodic substrate replacement.
Great video! What should i feed my armadillium nastudodum peach
Sharky101 A good base of decomposing leaves and wood, and then things like fish food, bits of fruit and veggies, and bug burger. I have found my A. nasatum ‘peach’ are quite willing to eat nearly anything. 👍
Thank you!
Sharky101 You’re welcome! 👍
My isopods aren’t very active, could this be caused by the time of year or are they in trouble? I love your videos btw, I watch every new vid
AJ Cudd Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it! Tell me a bit about your setup. Number of isopods, species, substrate, hides, etc. 👍
Aquarimax Pets I have 6 armadilidiums that I gathered from outside. Their exact species I’m unsure but they’re like the ones you say are the most common in North America. They’re container is about 6x6in and I used compost and leaf litter from my back yard. I feed them fruits and other things (on the side, can they eat fish food?) That’s just about all about them. They have high ventilation and I keep one side damp
AJ Cudd sounds like a good setup. With only six, you may not see a lot of activity. As the colony increases in size, you will see more.
Aquarimax Pets that’s awesome. Thank you so much! :)
my wild caught silver powder are producing orange too 😂
Hi there. I'm brand new to isopods, but so interested in them now. I have pet snails, and I stumbled upon the topic the way many pet snail caretakers do - by looking for a "cleanup crew". However... WOW, these are cool. Now I'm very excited about also getting to choose isopods to go with the snails I love! I have a question for you already, though. I've already gone out into my yard and started finding them, myself. They already had babies, and they're very cute. :) My question: do you think it's an alright idea to isolate the little colony I created, move them to clean soil (right now they are in soil that also has pests I do not want indoors), purchase a small number of similar isopods online and allow them to mingle? I guess what I would want to avoid are things I can't anticipate, like the "wild-caught" isopods carrying anything parasitic that hand-raised (sorry for any noob terminology) wouldn't be able to tolerate or something. Basically, I'm the type of person who feels bad if I break a bug's leg on accident so I really would prefer to treat all of these little guys with respect.
Thanks for your channel, and I look forward to learning more! Those dwarf whites and the ones you called "peaches" are actually really pretty.
You're welcome, and thank you for watching! I think if the wild ones and the purchased ones are the same species, the procedure you describe would work well!
I just came to this channel by sheer luck. It's very interesting. Can these isopods be put in a closed terrarium...? Please advice....
Thanks! Some species can be kept in closed terraria, but most of the large, active, prolific species would not likely do well long-term. So,e of the small, rather secretive dwarf species, like Trichorhina tomentosa, would be more likely to thrive, but I doubt you would see them much.
You only gave me a like... but did not reply to my query...
Sorry I missed your reply earlier.
Dear Aquarimax, love and appreciate your super competent videos and presentation.
I am fairly new to keeping isopods, I have a fluffy fungus that grows in my enclosures despite having boiled everything-except the coco fiber-. It’s this harmful for them? How do I prevent this if it is?
Many thanks
Thank you! Mold of this sort is fairly common with new isopod enclosures. Springtails, light feeding, and feeding foods on a solid surface, such as a magnolia leaf, rather than the substrate, can really help.
@@Aquarimax Thank you, I shall try that
I have one and I am curious how much he needs others around him or if he will be ok on his own. Getting some fish food soon. He has some organic matter and I try to keep the cage moist give it some water every couple of days. His name is Verusus. Hoping he does well and I have a good amount of time with him. I hear two to five years on life span. He was found inside of the Wingstop I work at crawling along the floor base by the soda machine so he was a bit lost.
I want that shirt.
Check out my merch store on spring, I have isopods shirts of various designs available 👍 aquarimax.creator-spring.com/listing/new-isopods-on-the-move?currency=USD&aid=ts-boosted-pla&product=2&cid=581&adgroup=124998294204&matchtype=&network=u&device=m&devicemodel=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwg7KJBhDyARIsAHrAXaFrzuWouf2YfbZSie2nr6-ZSHUqEvCgDt8O5yk5ZgkkU4301km84lsaAsOkEALw_wcB&keyword=&adposition=&aid=ts-boosted-pla&gclid=Cj0KCQjwg7KJBhDyARIsAHrAXaFrzuWouf2YfbZSie2nr6-ZSHUqEvCgDt8O5yk5ZgkkU4301km84lsaAsOkEALw_wcB
@@Aquarimax will do! Thanks
I like your t shirt 🤟🏻
Trudie Risby Thank you!
How do you separate the isopods from the substrate when you change it?
Scott Super it is a painstaking process, just manually sorting through. Finding all of the babies takes a while. 🤣
Is there any risk if isopods or springtails escape into your house.
Kate Ellen not much. They tend not to live long if they happen to get loose in a house, unless the house is very humid.
i need to breed some isopods for my snail habitat :)
roly poly (pillbug) enthusiasts... we're on FB
I have a tank like yours and I have 55 isopods
When my betta passed away I lightly buried him in one of my isopod colonies, after just over a week he was completely gone, no smell.
When you change the substrate, what do you do with the old one if you don't want to seed a new colony? Just bin it? Or would it be good for a potted house plant?
Small forest dweller That is a great demonstration of how efficient they are at their cleanup duties. 👍 once you have removed the isopods, the ‘isocompost’ is great for plants, potted or outdoors.
@@Aquarimax Great thanks :)
Do you have any advice for how to change the substrate?
I'm assuming they'd be throughout the substrate, thus making changing it difficult
Fairy Possum it is tedious for sure...the best thing to do is to sift through the substrate, and remove what you can, and then save that substrate in a separate container for a while. Keep a moist spot in one corner, and offer small bits of food there. Most of the little isopods should congregate there.
I got the cork bark you have linked from Amazon. Mine seem to be eating it. Is that ok? Will it harm them?
they’ll nibble on it, but it will take longer than most woods to erode always and won’t harm them. 👍🏽
Do you think the spent substrate be used for potting medium for indoor tropical plants?
It contains some nutrients, but you would need to make sure you were not adding live isopods to the plant pot.
@@Aquarimax thanks for the quick response! I guess there could be baby isopods in there that could be risky to my plants, or falling out of the planters and dying if they did get in. I get my zebras tomorrow and I’m very excited! Spent a bunch of time on your RUclips tonight!
I added egg shell to my isopod and millipede substrate. Do I need to worry about mold growing on the egg shell?
Great idea!
How do you sort out the isopods from the old soil? Do you just sift them out or do you catch the majority and trash the rest?
Hello! Question, can I boil my water for it to be safe
That will reduce/eliminate some contaminants (bacteria, chlorine l) but not others (such as heavy metals). Boiled and cooked tap water is likely to be better than straight tap water. Carbon-filtered water is what I usually use.
Does springtails have a bad impact with them?My springtails breed like crazy and I'm thinking they may outcompete the isops.
wMgabi generally springtails are very beneficial in with isopods. I’ve never had springtails outcompete the isopods in any of my many isopod enclosures.
@@Aquarimax Well personally I don't see springtails doing any harm.I add them to every enclosure I have but with the isopods they're blooming so much that it looks like It's only for them.I harvest them often but still, should I reset the enclosure or shall I cut the feeding until the springs are less?
wMgabi As long as the isopods look like they are thriving, I would just let the springtails do their thing. They will help keep the isopod enclosure from being infested with fungus gnats or mites.
Hi there, I have a bit of an emergency. My friend asked me to watch his isopods while he was away on holiday. They seemed okay the first couple days but now on day three they are not doing well. The instructions my friend gave me were to, once a day, spray them just a couple times with warm temperature water. I unfortunately do not know what kind of isopods they are but the babies are very small and tan and the older ones are darker and about three quarters of an inch. I have been keeping them in mostly darkness, as he instructed, and have been checking on them. When I checked on them this evening, none of them seemed to be moving. Well I had already tried to made sure I put them in a room that was cool and damp, I made sure their temperature was perfect and got them a humidifier as I wanted to keep them moist while not drowning them in water. The only other thing I can think of that would be an issue is that on the day he gave them to me, I’m assuming they were exposed to below freezing temperatures for a short amount of time as he had to bring them outside to get to my place. I apologize for the long comment, but I am at a loss. I would never forgive myself if I caused harm to his isopods, although I’m afraid I may have already. If there is anything I can do to help them, please let me know.
Sorry to hear that. If they looked okay the first couple of days, the exposure to cool temperatures is probably not the issue. How warm was the water you sprayed them with, and was it chlorinated?
@@Aquarimax My friend gave me a spray bottle with room temperature water in it so I’ve just been using that. To my knowledge it’s just tap water. Thank you for replying.
@@willowcantar6203 how are the isopods doing? Any movement?
@@Aquarimax this guy killed my isopods
When he kept saying he got a Titan, I was thinking of something else reaching through my window and swallowing me whole.
Would repashy detrivore mix be good for isopod?
The Jeffrey 27 Yes, many isopod keepers use it. I have been thinking of trying it. 😊👍
How do you change the substrate and make sure that you don't leave behind any of the smaller ones or the spring tails?
Crumbs boi it takes a while to sift through the substrate. The easiest way is to take 50% of the substrate out and put it into new culture, the you have two cultures and don’t lose any of the little critters.
@@Aquarimax thanks
I've got powder blues in a growing bioactive setup.
What I've found lately is they've started going after my live plants. Focus Benjamina has lost most of its leaves, at first I thought they were dropping, checked just now and the few remaining leaves have had decent sized chunks eaten out of them.
Any ideas why? I've got plenty of leaf litter in there, some old snake shed, cork bark and some broken up cuttlefish. Just not sure what else I can add to protect my plants
Interesting. If the plant is starting to die already, the isopods might be going after it for that reason. Do they need hydration? You could also try offering fish food pellets if they really go after those, they may just be very hungry.
What do you actually use for substrate? I see all kinds of mixes people using. Since I'm a Noob, I've just been using Forest Floor substrate with Dry leaves.
Johnny Galaxy many different mixes are suitable. I use 1/3 organic compost, 1/3 soaked alder or oak pellets, and 1/3 hpfallen hardwood leaves.I then add some crushed eggshells for calcium.
@@Aquarimax thanks. Sounds simple enough. Now I know what to buy today :) Do you sterilize the bark and wood you collect as well in the oven?
Johnny Galaxy yes I do, for about 30 minutes at 200 F. 👍
@@Aquarimax will do then:)
I got 60 Isopods and multiple large containers
Frank Carvajal awesome! 60 types of isopod?!
@@Aquarimax Oh no I have 30 of 2 different types
so I have 60 of 2 types
Frank Carvajal Got it! Well, you are off to a good start. 👍
@@Aquarimax thank you
Out of the isopods that you own, which ones seem to be most tolerant of dry enclosures?
Porcellionides pruinosus is the species I use with my leopard gecko. It is probably the most tolerant of dry enclosures, but will need a humid hide.
I have only one small white isopod and i want to find more. Where do i find them because my house is far away from the forest.
n0ob attacc You can often find isopods far way from the forest as well. Yards, parks, fields...just look under rocks, wood, and leaves that might hold a little moisture. You can also find them on sidewalks in the early morning when it is cool and the humidity is higher. If there are really no places near you where you can find isopods, they are readily available online. 👍
Can you feed crested gecko diet like pangea or repashy?
Also is grape leaves ok for isopods?
Victor G I have offered mine CGD, and they do seem to like it. Dry grape leaves, if free from pesticides, should be fine.
How do you replace the substrate without losing isopods?
Evan Geese it is difficult, but basically I replace 1/2 of the substrate at a time, and go through the substrate I remove very carefully before I freeze and subsequently discard it.
@@Aquarimax Thank you! I just got some vulgare isopods from outside and this was the only question I had.
Hello Aquarimax,
I think I have a culture of blind trichorhina.
I found these specimens in a tropical rainforest in Martinique.
This species digs a lot and they do not need bark.
The population increase is slow.
What foods I must to give them.
Fight Animals Interesting! I am guessing that they would eat the same foods as others (fish food, bug burger, vegetable and fruit) in addition to providing a nutritious substrate.
@@Aquarimax thank you,
Now, I only use coconut fiber for my isopods.
This is the best substrate I have found.
The humidity is better preserved.
How do you change substrate? What i mean by that is how do you capture them?
EHAYES I usually just sift carefully through the substrate, and remove as many as possible. Keeping that substrate for a while, and then putting a moist feeding area to one side, can help collect stragglers.
I have plenty of isopods in my plant boxes, would you recommend adding supplements into those open environments or should I just let them be - feeding on compost, tiny bugs and etc?
What kind of leaves are good vs bad?
Becca Fern Many types are suitable, but oak, maple, alder, locust, pecan, apple, pear, magnolia, and sea grape are some I have used. Avoid the needles of conifers. 👍
Hi Rus. I'm new to the hobby and I have some more questions now. :)
How do you change out the substrate without losing babies?
Is it okay to feed them leaves from ANY chemical free deciduous tree, like fruit trees, japanese elm, aspen, cottonwood, etc? We have several kinds of trees, but I see a lot in the forums about certain kinds of leaves like oak and magnolia, and it's made me a little hesitant to offer them the leaves that I have.
Also, what about pine or fir bark and pine cones that have been baked? Are those safe to add to their containers?
Thanks for all of the great information!
Did you find out how to remove substrate?
Russ I have a question I have a iso pod and I was wondering what can I do if I cant find any of the habitat stuff I can find some but yea 😕
Which parts of the habitat are missing?
So was that orange a Hoffmannseggii?
I thought it was at the time....it turned out to be a P. scaber stowaway 🤣
Well I hope you get that golden ticket lol
@@Aquarimax thanks Rus. I’ve been making set up videos and mention you as a suggestion for resources. Thanks again Ricky 💃🏼🕺🏼🎸🐈⬛🍄
You’re welcome, and I appreciate the shoutout!!
Do you need to keep air holes in the containers?
KingFluffs for most species, yes, some species are ok if you just open the containers every couple of days. Others, like Armadillidium spp. and the Giant Spanish Porcellio spp. need plenty of ventilation.
@@Aquarimax Cheers. I started out with some Porcellio scaber and they're doing rather well so far.
KingFluffs That is a great species to start with, and they need some ventilation but not a lot. 👍
@@Aquarimax Yeah I looked up lots of videos and guides before I began since I didn't want them to be harmed or anything. I noticed one I have has orange colouration on his/her flanks. Looks cool.
KingFluffs nice! Might be a Calico!
Can you put them in a glass tank with a screened in lid?
Do you need to use water conditioner?
Rambo Jambo I typically use distilled or filtered water. If you use tap water it would recommend a water conditioner. 😊👍
@@Aquarimax okay thank you!
Cambrian period
Right?