Isopods & Hexapods & Opiliones, oh my!

Check out the rest of the ISOPOD GARDEN videos: • ISOPOD GARDEN
The highly anticipated, hotly contested, hastily hacked together follow up to perhaps what will turn out to be this year's best seller!
In this one we check in on our Experimental Isopod Colony, play around with moss, and discuss a few other critters that have piqued my interest.
If you are a Springtail expert or an Opiliones expert then leave a comment!
Thanks for watching!
Subscribe to my RUclips - / @marcusacampos
Follow me on Twitch - / marcusacampos
#isopod #isopods #springtails #opiliones

[@siyg]

What’s up, a pro tip for moving isopods around or when hunting for pods, is to put a moist paper towel at the bottom of the Tupperware to prevent the isopods from drying out.
3:23 This looks like an albino pod to me, usually babies develop some color after a week or two and are only that white in their first few days, when they are around the size of a large springtail
3:59 When isopods are first introduced to a new environment, they are a lot more shy. It takes them a few months to get breeding, get familiar with the environment, etc. Usually after this the isopods will come out more and be more bold. Yeah I’m not sure about that nocturnal thing, I’ve never heard of anyone that had isopods that primarily came out at night, usually there are less isopods out in the morning but there’s at least a dozen or so out and about at all times in my mature enclosures. They are sensitive to light, airflow/pressure. When you open the lid, most of them will scatter, then come back out after a few minutes, and I’ve heard isopods are known to take shelter when they sense a storm coming
5:25 Yeah, opening the lid too much, maybe multiple times per day for an extended period of time like a week will disturb the isopods, make them feel less safe, and definitely slow down breeding. Popping open the lid once a day or multiple times per day every one in a while is a complete non issue though. Flipping over hides and digging through the substrate will also disturb the isopods
6:00 okay this is actually really cool
9:33 okay, your going in the right direction with this but did you make sure to check the ingredients? Garden soil and potting mixes usually contain artificial fertilizers (especially Mircacle-Gro) and have excess nitrogen. In the future, try getting organic compost from a local hardware or gardening store. You can get a massive bag for like 12 bucks. Edit: I didn’t see it was for a moss propagation bin, where this should be fine since moss really doesn’t care about the substrate, just make sure to not overwater
11:10 Yeah i originally tried catching springtails in my own yard but gave up after finding like 4, and just bought a starter culture online
12:52 This was a great Segment and I actually learned some stuff here, didn’t really know about the different groups of springtails based on what niche in the ecosystem they play in. Springtails are great with isopods, they eat pretty much everything that isopods eat, along with mold, mold spores, etc. introducing them into an enclosure promotes beneficial microorganisms too!
13:05 uhh, microwaving to kill all the springtails? In the future, if you want to sterilize anything, just soak it in a bucket of water for s few days, this will drown any pests and promote the growth of microorganisms, which create a healthier ecosystem, less vulnerable to mold, and more nutritious for isopods.
13:25 A great thing about springtails is they barely need any ventilation, I usually just leave my springtail container with the lid not sealed completely, and that works. Some people just sell the lid completely to prevent pests from getting in, but then you’d have to open the container every day or two. Punching holes works too. The main thing that gives off waste isn’t even the springtails, the decaying food released gases that choke out the springtails. This is why you can ship springtails in an airtight container for days as long as there is limited/ food that doesn’t release much gas when decaying
14:01 yeah, that’s why some people keep their enclosures sealed, I’ve never had an issue with this because I keep mine in Tupperware, but they start to climb it due to some residue on the side of the Tupperware bin. Springtails don’t actually eat the rice itself, they eat the mold that grows on the rice. Some other foods include nutritional yeast, baker’s yeast, and premade springtail food.
14:09 Okay I guess they do crawl up Tupperware, but I’ve never had an issue with escapes, even with my lid not sealed all the way, maybe because I have a larger species

[@MarcusACampos]

Hey there! Thank you for the awesome comment and amazing info 😎 There’s always a new perspective on things and more to learn.
3:23 That’s very cool to have an albino in the mix, I wonder how prevalent that mutation is in the Isopods around me.
3:59 A lot of the info I’ve gone off of is the tidbits I’ve read online, somewhere I saw them described as nocturnal and I’m like hmmm. Like you say, I’ve noticed they seem to respond more to temperature, moisture, and light.
5:25 Definitely don’t want to bug the little critters too much! Good to know that there’s some wiggle room there though.
6:00 Hell yeah it’s cool 😎 lol
9:33 Oh yeah, the small tub is just for farming moss...hopefully. I definitely would need to think about the substrate for another Isopod bin in the future. Organic compost is on the list now.
11:10 Yeah, sitting out in the rain for a few hours to catch like 18 or however many wasn’t the most amazing thing. But it was rather meditative and relaxing.
12:52 Thank you! It’s my goal for anyone who watches one of my more produced videos to learn at least one new thing, and then I get to learn lots in the comments from it and steal all the good info!
13:05 Yeahhh that was another gem from somewhere online, microwaving the substrate that you will put your Springtails in to kill off any potential bugs. And soaking in water, that’s an awesome tip to do instead, probably what I will go with in the future.
13:25 If I ever punch holes in the future I have a plan now. I got my hands on some micro-pore medical tape that will seal up the holes but still give plenty of ventilation. I’ll have to try that out next.
14:09 So I have read online that if they are very happy with their environment, then they have zero reason to leave it. If it’s set up perfect for them, theoretically you could leave the lid popped. In perfect conditions they choose to remain. So maybe you haven’t had escapees because why would they leave the sick setup you made for them? Or maybe that’s more bunk from the internet, who knows!

[@siyg]

Okay I ran out of room on the other comment
14:25 Yes, lump wood charcoal is a great, cost effective way to keep springtails. The charcoal keeps the environment clean, soaks up moisture easily, and has lots of surface area. You may need to break up some of the larger pieces to fit in the Tupperware container though, make sure not to breathe that carbon stuff in
14:40 okay this is actually a really good setup
15:44 I haven’t don’t much research into this but harvestmen should be great pets, they don’t bite, and primarily feed off of decaying material. I’ve even heard people cohab them with isopods
17:01 Ohh, I guess I was mistaken
This is a great video for one of your first videos, and second video of this format, the non-monotone voice is refreshing and the edits are cool

[@MarcusACampos]

Lol, no sweat 😎 I appreciate all the comments I get.
14:25 Yeahhh buddy, I did way more research on attempt #2. I want my homegrown Springtails damnit!
14:40 Thank you, I hope it goes good this time.
15:44 I am jazzed about these guys, I really want to make a bin for them. And I believe that they can cohabit with Isopods, sure.
17:01 I guess it depends on the goal. If you want a naturalistic environment, then predators are a must. They would keep the population evolving and cut out the weaker genes. I don’t know a nicer way to put that lol, nature is mean. I don’t think a small population of Harvestmen would devastate a tub full of Springtails and Isopods completely, I don’t think they could physically eat enough to counter all the breeding. But I also don’t want to set up what would essentially amount to a kill box. I’m no expert, so I’m just going to try to take it slow and do a good job for whatever critters I choose to keep!