This guy got me into keeping isopods. His educational videos made me fall in love with those little pill bugs I saw my whole life. I now have huge colonies of differing wild types from my area as well as powder orange, dwarf whites and purples, and peach varieties. This is addicting and so interesting. Thank you for the easy to follow and informational videos!
its funny you mention that cork bark is their favourite place to congregate: they defintely gather there en masse in my colonies but my dairy cows have a big dried lotus seed pod which they actually much prefer. only find several at a time on their cork bark but theres always a few dozen jammed into the holes of the seed pod. it's amazing! also some decor i've recently gotten is very popular with my zebras, its cholla cactus wood which is beautiful and also they love crawling in and out of it! just two items i thought i'd mention :-) keep up the great videos!
I personally use luffa sponges as hides and they work out great. Isopods like to eat and hide under it. I personally started isopod culturing with wild Armadilidium vulgare isopods in October of 2020. I started using luffa this January as I didn't have bark and it has lasted there for about 2 months. I think it'll take about 6 more months or so for it help to complete eat it
One point with this plastic containers is that they usually are covered in some slimy stuff (you can feel it if it gets wet). I guess it's residues from the production process to get them out of the mold easier. I'm not sure if this stuff is any bad but I use to cleaning it thoroughly with water and soap before I use them.
My isopods live in a big ol plastic container full of literally nothing but stuff I've scooped up from my backyard, and in fact that's where I got the isopods too. I plan to find egg bearing females and isolate them in a smaller Luxury container. When the babies are mature enough to where I'd feel right setting them free, I will release the smallest into the wild and put the biggest back into the main enclosure - as well as the mother. I will do this process numerous times, ensuring a lineage of very large Armidillidium Vulgare dubbed "Armadillidium V. Gladius" I also love them they're my little friends :)
@@personeater747 unfortunately no, in fact the first set of isopods died - and then I started again with some proper soil I bought, and all around I made a much better enclosure and kept up with leaves and watering it better. I never started breeding them, I will eventually, but they're thriving :)) population boomed. The isopods I have are actually oniscus asellus, these ones are also wild caught and I've had this colony for like a year and a half at least. Thank you for asking!
Thank you for always dropping links to products, even if in most cases stuff can be found locally. At times I've lived in places where I had to order my bird's food online because I had moved to a new area that didnt have what I needed. Youre very thorough!
I'm really glad you mentioned that Powder Blues can be a pest to other isopod cultures. I started with Powder Blues and have advanced to A. maculatum and klugii Montenegro and I foolishly tried to re-use some of the cork bark from the Powder Blues enclosure........and AAAACK! I keep seeing Powder Blues skittering by! I think I catch all of them, then I see ANOTHER one a week later. Man, they are PROLIFIC!
Zoo med brand makes a great Bedding for isopods and other invertebrates called creature soil. It’s a little on the pricey side but it’s super worth it!
I have 4 colonies of isopods and I’ve used a mix of coco fibre and leaves as the substrate, but now that I’ve run out of coco fibre I’m gonna get some compost and wood pellets and try it out!
Clints reptiles sent me here! I have fallen in love with Isopods and watching your videos plus reading info. You’ll probably seeing an order from me soon 😀
I have been using moss that grows on the bark of oak trees and the isopods really love the combination of the live moss and the rotting bark. I always find that my armidillidium nasatum like to hide in and under the bark.
Thanks so much for this video! In a future episode can you speak to how to maintain a moisture gradient in larger enclosures? I upgraded to a 18 qt (17L) and used your guide for my substrate. Looking g to add sphagnum moss asap but wondering how much to use and best way to optimize that to be sure I have a good gradient.
Two questions if you don't mind me asking: 1. For adding springtails, do you throw in the entire springtail culture, including all the charcoal, into the isopod culture? 2. Does the wood pellets need to be Oak or Alder? Can Maple be used? Thank you
So, I know this video is a little old, but on the off-chance someone sees this comment: what about other coconut palm products? I live in Hawai'i, and I've got two coconut trees in my yard, which results in a lot of old, dried fronds, fibers, etc. I was wondering if tossing in some chopped-up coconut leaves or bark/fiber would be beneficial to the little isopods I've adopted from the compost pile. I'm pretty sure they're safe, but are they nutritious enough? Also, is it possible that husk from a fully-dried, naturally fallen coconut would have better value to the isopods? I'm thinking of setting up a couple of small "trial" bins to test how well they do with these byproducts sometime in the near future, when I have a bit more room in the house. Note: I'm probably going to see if removing the midrib from the leaflets are worth it, or if it's fine to leave them in. They're pretty tough, but the isopods might like it that way, for all I know.
There's a lot of isopods in my backyard, can I just sorta grab some of them and keep them as pets??? (with all the necessary nutrients and care of course, I juts wonder if wild isopods can be tamed?)
Hi Russ. I have a question for you about a specific species. I obtained my first Isopod culture and in hopes of moving towards a bio active setup for my Emperor Scorpion added them to its enclosure. My substrate is fitting based on this video, I’m using magnolia leaves for leaf litter food and hides. I worry they may gnaw on my scorpion though if they have a need for calcium. Do Powder Orange isopods have a high calcium need? If so what would you recommend adding to fill that need? I’m loving your videos and am learning a lot and am excited to announce the appearance of baby powder orange in the terrarium! I can’t find this info anywhere else online that I have checked, and I trust your knowledge on these adorable little additions to my creature family. Thank you!
I am not sure whether they would attempt to gnaw on your scorpion, perhaps when freshly molted, as I have limited experience with scorpions, and none with Emperors. Calcium can indeed be supplied with cuttlebone, or ground chicken eggshell.
Getting my first pods tomorrow and I hadn't even thought about anything past soil and some cork bark! Totally my mistake 😅 Do you think hickory, cherry, and maple would be ok as far as wood pellets go? And for fertilizer, would guinea pig pellets with some mouse bedding/droppings work? I've got plenty of that from my pets 😅😂
Soil, cork bark, and decaying leaf litter might be the best option. Cherry wood may contain some toxins. A very small amount of Guinea pig pig pellets and a little of the mouse droppings would be an interesting experiment. Unless you purchased large numbers of isopods, though, a little will go a very long way.
I know the species I have is prolific - my friend was very eager to give them away! And the tiny ones I see now must have been born here. IDK... how long do they take to grow to juveniles? I need to strike a balance between meeting their needs well, but not too well!
@@Aquarimax "Tropical orange" still not sure on the species, friend said they were sold as Porcellionides sp. but you thought they might be Porcellio laevis. I started with ~12 adults, ~10 juveniles and unknown amount of mancae 6 weeks ago. I assume the really small ones I see now are new?
You are welcome! Peat (which is naturally and very gradually produced from decaying sphagnum moss) is environmentally damaging to harvest, as it takes so long to be renewed. Spaghnum moss itself grows quickly and can be sustainably harvested. Unfortunately, inconsistent naming conventions between these two materials has caused some confusion.
Hi. Would you not reconment to start with a bigger box for a starter colony of, more or less, 25 zebra isopods, and why would that not be a good idea? I mean: don't they just grow into that as a colony? Also: what is that thing on a stam laying in your enclosures? I've seen it on more videos, but don't know what they are. A piece of dried fruit maybe?
If I were starting with 25 zebras, I would probably start with a standard 6-quart tub. If the population /space ratio is low, the isopods can switch into growth mode, and take a much longer time to reproduce. Starting with as large a number as possible is always good…I would much rather start with 25 than with 10 or 12. I a not sure about the item that you are referring to. Could you send me a screenshot on Instagram?
@@Aquarimax Thanks for your advice. I have mixed up two of your vids in my memory because I can't find back in this video what I am referring to. But when I see it again I'll make a screenshot and post that on your Instagram to ask about it.
Just wondering if you would think hickory pellets would work for this?. i can't find either of the ones you mentioned locally and the other's available dont mention the wood used.
hello :) i'm a bit late but i've been looking into making a small isopod enclosure and was wondering if there was a way to keep them from multiplying too fast but also stay healthy at the same time? i understand i could just scoop up the excess and put them outside (i only intend on using wild caught right now so it won't be anything invasive), was just wondering if there was another way to keep numbers in check i don't want a full colony right now, just a few to keep me company thank you for the playlist! :)
Hi! For most species, if you limit the amount of leaf litter they get, they can be quite healthy with supplemental foods…and tend to reproduce more slowly.
I have only been able to find Hickory/Oak pellet mix. Do you think this is ok? Hickory shows up on the non-toxic wood list but I don't know for Isopods. I've been to all the different stores in town looking for just oak. Thanks for all the information!!!
I'm just going to set up some new terrariums for my Armadillidium maculatum and klugii. Do you think I could also add to the substrate some bamboo leaves? Or maybe loquat, since it is difficult to find leaves in this season
Russ, I need help. My kiddos have a want and need for Isopods. I am extra allergic to coconut everything. How can I avoid it in an enclosure without depriving the isopods?
Hello Aquarimax pets, I enjoy and find your videos informative. I was just wanting to know if using biodudes terra firme okay for isopods. I just have some extra left. Thanks.
I have never tried cherry,,since the tree can produce toxins under certain conditions. The wood itself may be fine, but I have never tried. At any rate , you can leave out the wood pellets if you can’t find the right ones, as they are only nutritious once decayed.
Very informative video, i am new in isopods and will order my first culture soon, is it ok to use cocopeat&worm castings mix ? Also capatta leaves ? I have them already. Thank you
We don’t use pesticides in our property and I use mullberry leaves for the fallen leaves my A Vulgare and P scaber and laevis eat the mulberry leaves and usually some are left to turn dry and brownz Would I need to thoroughly boil them since they go through about a dozen large leaves every week and boiling is a tedious. Would it be okay to just give them straight from the tree?
Meaning green, or freshly fallen? There are different schools of thought on this matter. I usually sanitize fallen leaves in the oven on low heat, rather than boiling them.
Good question, and it hasn’t been an issue, as they’ll die in the relatively arid environment outside of the isopod enclosure unless they find another suitably humid enclosure very quickly,
I have powder orange on the way and want to know if the springtails will escape from my vent holes? I have window screen applied over the holes but I'm unsure as am new
Springtails are small enough to pass through window screen, but they generally prefer to stay where it is moist. Most houses, unless quite humid, would not be a place where springtails could survive long outside of an enclosure that maintains humidity.
Is organic worm castings ok to use in place of the organic compost? I cant find a quality organic plant based compost near me... and your amazon link is not showing what it used to
Hello, I tried sanitizing leaves from outside by heating them, and they started to burn and smoke. I took them out and removed the burnt parts, but the leaves still smell faintly of smoke. Do you think it is safe to use them?
@@Aquarimax Cool, thanks for the response! I also read that letting the leaves air dry should kill the majority of microbes, would you recommend it? If so, how long?
I have a springtail outbreak, worried they will outcompete the isopods as read cases of this happening. Any suggestions how to reduce it. Kept with giant African Land Snails (UK)
So if someone were to replace their substrate (as a cleaning process, and making sure there are no babies or pods in said soil) would it be viable as compost for plants?
can you use the compost with Orchid bark? I have coco coir, oak leaves, cork bark, horticultural charcoal, sphagnum moss, and some calcium powder and I'm wondering if I should just switch out the coir.
Do not know if you will see this comment but i have my own iso/springtail mix cultures and i noticed that my isopods congregate and like the large charcoal pieces. I knew springtails like using them for breeding but do Iso's use them as well for that or is there another reason why they gather on the pieces?
There are opinions on both sides about sterilization. I tend to use low heat myself. Rocks are possible, but morel likely to damage isopods when they are moved due to weight.
I use egg crate with many of mine as well. It works as long as you keep it from getting too damp…in which case it will mold and break down rather quickly
@@Aquarimax thx! I made a post in a group on facebook and got some responses, apparently it is better to use hard wood versus soft wood, and I also didn’t know you had to cycle it for so long before adding the critters!
I'm new to the hobby (Rus, I blame u) and read a comment on reddit recommending the propagation of mushrooms (lion's mane and oyster mushrooms) within isopod enclosures. Not sure if this is considered "too clinical" or even good for isopods from a nutrient competition POV. Maybe it makes sense since they would encounter and eat wild mushrooms in their natural habitat? Anyone in the know care to comment?
Good question! I have cultivated edible mushrooms, and isopods of course, but I have not cultivated edible mushrooms within an isopod enclosure. It seems as though it could be a good natural food for them though.
Maybe I'll give it a go when the colonies are more stable. I wonder if the springtails would be affected in any way. Pretty sure the pods are just gonna gnaw their way thru the mushrooms...
Greetings, can orchid bark be added into the substrate? I believe they are also called pine bark, but I am not sure... Oak pellets are not available here, so I wondered if orchid bark can be substituted. Also, can catappa leaves be used?
Orchid bark may not be as nutritious as oak, but it is used in ABG mix, which supports isopods quite well, so I don’t see why not. Catappa leaves can be used 👍
@@Aquarimax Thank you for your reply, and I hope you don't mind but I need to ask a follow-up question. Would more to start a colony be better? I plan to buy either 10 or 20 Porcellio hoffmannseggi in the future and my main concern is genetic diversity in the long run, and my budget is within getting 20 but I want to know your thoughts. Cheers in advance!
@@thedarkabyss100 the more the merrier in my opinion, as long as they have the space and plenty of hiding places (since P. hoffmannseggi males are territorial)
Orchid bark is a byproduct of the timber industry. During my childhood and adolescence, it usually came from our West Coast states, and was usually from White Fir (Abies concolor), and secondarily from Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Pine bark mixes sold in the US today are mainly from Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata). Top quality orchid bark mixes usually use fir rather than pine bark, because the latter breaks down faster and becomes overly water retentive faster, thus orchids and other epiphytic plants require more frequent repotting when grown in pine bark. If you are not an orchid grower, know that this repotting is more complex than repotting terrestrial plants, as the old decayed bark must be remove from the orchid plant's roots before it is potted up in fresh mix. Orchid plants are also vulnerable to virus (a BIG problem with orchid plants!) and or fungal infection from root injuries sustained during repotting. Pine bark is sold in the US mainly as an outdoor mulch. On average, pine bark pieces tend to be flat, while fir bark pieces tend to be irregularly shaped fairly dense nuggets, and are often paler and slightly more reddish than pine bark. Even packaged bark is not necessarily critter free. Bush Snails (Zonites arboreus) are tiny snails with dark bodies and eyestalks and pale semitransparent helicoid shells, that commonly stow away in packaged bark that is not heat treated before packaging. They are the bane of orchid growers, as they gradually damage and destroy orchid roots sight unseen within the bark, but are probably harmless to isopods. Like most land isopods in North America, they were introduced from Europe.
