# Millipede questions..



## da_illest (Apr 14, 2004)

i set up it's tank with 3 inches of substrate (i just measured) is that enough or do i need more? here are pics.. is this a proper setup? also can you ID it for me and tell me how often i should handle it etc.. and how...


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## da_illest (Apr 14, 2004)

i know the proper care for them because i did a search but i want to know if the setup in the pic is proper? and if it is an african giant milli.. i saw one in the search that looked like mine and it was said to be an a. gigas i think.. is that enough substrate though? anyone? oh... how do i handle it and how often to make it stop sliming me with cyanide>?


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## Mendi (Apr 14, 2004)

Looks like you've hit the nail on the head with this one. As for care, I posted several links in the thread below asking if someone can ID these millipedes. Am I right thinking this was rescued from the same nasty shop?


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## da_illest (Apr 15, 2004)

Mendi said:
			
		

> Looks like you've hit the nail on the head with this one. As for care, I posted several links in the thread below asking if someone can ID these millipedes. Am I right thinking this was rescued from the same nasty shop?


yes you are!   all his pets where in good conditions except t's because he doesn't sell t's, he just happened to have these 2 i mentioned because some1 brought them in.. he had them in the back of the store.. the millipede was in good conditions just the substrate was a little dry.. i've given it tomatoes, orange slices, orange peels and a huge piece of romain lettuce.. the funny thing is, out of this big buffet of food it decides to munch on the orange peels! lol.. i'm really liking this millipede and wanna get a few more and throw them in the tank..


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## Mendi (Apr 15, 2004)

That's good to know that it isn't the nasty little shop my imagination had pictured... Mine actually like the white area of the orange rind as well, and grapefruit. This summer if you think they love cucumbers, give it a small piece of cantelope


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## Steven (Apr 15, 2004)

I would trow in some rotten leaves (big ones,.. oak etc..) 
the rest of your setup looks OK


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## Critterfarm (Apr 15, 2004)

gongyles said:
			
		

> I would trow in some rotten leaves (big ones,.. oak etc..)
> the rest of your setup looks OK


I agree.  Some high quality flake fish food sprinkled across the top of the substrate would be a good idea as well.


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## sunnymarcie (Apr 15, 2004)

*Welcome to the other side *

Hey Alex,

Looks pretty good to me

I'd go easy on the fish food it tends to mold quickly.
I use softened cat food instead. Offer it in a bowl that
way you can easily remove what they do not eat.

A nice big water bowl would be a good idea to. Mine drink
a lot of water.

Here is a millie thread for you

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=11694&highlight=millipede+care

If you need any more help just PM me or post in this thread
and I'll get back to you A S A P


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## Critterfarm (Apr 15, 2004)

Doink....didn't make myself very clear.
Sunnymarcie is right, It will mold in a damp milli tank.  I meant do it *once*.  It will mix into the soil with the leaves and provide some nutrition while your waiting for vegatation to begin decomposing.  Even with a food dish the milli will root through the substrate looking for decaying plant matter, though an AGB won't be as dependant on it for food as much as other species of milli are.


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## Mendi (Apr 15, 2004)

Yea, Oak (prefered) or other hardwood "fallen" leaves are very much loved by pretty much all millipedes. Thay actually make up the majority of the food mine get, being chosen over many other veggies by mine. Oh, they like fresh leaves ok, but mine will eat the dried first. They will even eat the  leaves over apples and the orange peel whites, though not over cucumbers or melons.


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## da_illest (Apr 15, 2004)

i don't know if i can get oak leaves  :?  i know we have oak trees here but i don't know hot to identify them.. also i don't think i'll find rotten ones.. what is this decompose business all about? am i suppose to leave the lettuce and all that in the tank till it rots? i'm confused now.. i don't want mites or mold but i do know that milli's have mites on them as it is..


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## da_illest (Apr 15, 2004)

also how many millipedes can i house in that 5.5 gallon tank? and can i mix species?


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## Mendi (Apr 15, 2004)

If you need oak leaves I can get them for you and mail them for postage. I have access to too many of them   

PM me


As for mixing the millipedes it's probably better to stay with in the same species as they might have defensive secretions that aren't good for the other species, other times they are alright in that aspect, but interbreed loosing the individual qualities of the breed. I myself keep species seperate but there are other here that don't, so... it's up to you

I'd think a 5.5gal would take 5 adult AGBs comfortably, maybe even more


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## da_illest (Apr 15, 2004)

Mendi said:
			
		

> If you need oak leaves I can get them for you and mail them for postage. I have access to too many of them
> 
> PM me
> 
> ...


thanks a lot.. i'll pm you now..


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## skinheaddave (Apr 15, 2004)

Mendi said:
			
		

> If you need oak leaves I can get them for you and mail them for postage. I have access to too many of them


Just be aware that shipping plant matter accross the border may be illegal.

Cheers,
Dave


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## sunnymarcie (Apr 15, 2004)

No need to send anything in the mail

Check your local garden supply place for an item called Oak Leaf Mold.
It is just cleaned dried oak leaf litter Thats what I use and the bark
that I use is for orchids (found in the same area of the garden center)
Just make sure the bag is only bark some have other things added for plants.

You'll find balance in the tank after its set up a while. Don't worry too
much if there is an uprising in the mite population. It usually comes to
a normal level with little help from you If it gets bad there are simple ways 
to deal with it Don't worry about it unless it actually happens


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## Critterfarm (Apr 15, 2004)

da_illest said:
			
		

> i don't know if i can get oak leaves  :?  i know we have oak trees here but i don't know hot to identify them.. also i don't think i'll find rotten ones.. what is this decompose business all about? am i suppose to leave the lettuce and all that in the tank till it rots? i'm confused now.. i don't want mites or mold but i do know that milli's have mites on them as it is..


Use elm or poplar or maple if you cant find oak.  Oak is higher in chitin so it's recommended more.  Just pick a handfull from the base of the tree and get the brown dead ones.  Careful how much black slimy gunk you put in there though, it could have nasties waiting for a warm place to grow. Of course watch for pesticides etc.  You can go to a home improvment place and buy a small untreated oak board and lay a flat piece in contact with the damp soil to help suppliment if you feel the need.  I use elm leaves in my milli tanks and I dont worry about it.
Don't leave molding veggies in the tank, pull them out when they get hairy.  The leaves will start the decomposition in the soil just fine.  Mites will show up sometimes, but they are in competition for the same food as the millies, so they won't likely get to a plauge status.



			
				da_illest said:
			
		

> also how many millipedes can i house in that 5.5 gallon tank? and can i mix species?


I'd put 2 AGB's in it, with the knowledge that you'll need a bigger tank once they mature.  Sex the one you have and get a mate for it. For tankmates, collect some potato bugs and small soil millies from under logs and dump them in.  If you put any larger species of millies you run the risk of them "inking" each other and AGB males have been known to  try to breed with large females of other types, often times injuring or killing their unwilling partners in the process.


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## da_illest (Apr 16, 2004)

hey thanks a lot everyone.. i'm gonna check out a garden centre near my home and see if they have oak mold..  about the mites, i don't want them and won't let them grow.. i'll take out food way before it molds and i won't dampen the substrate too much for humidity instead keep a large water dish and seal just over 3/4 of the tank with plastic wrap.. what i don't get and know is what in the world decomposition is and why it is needed for the milli... i haven't handled it yet but everytime i turn the light on it curls up into a ball so i'm gonna let it get used to the tank for at least a week.. 

i just added a bit of sphagnum moss in there to lighten things up a bit... the milli is sleeping under his cork bark right now... i had collected a whole bunch of leaves from the park across the street but there's so many different kinds and i then realized that dogs piss where i went collecting all the time    so i threw all the leaves down and went inside in a hurry to wash my hands real quick..   damn dogs! why couldn't people take their t's for a walk in the park instead..


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## Critterfarm (Apr 16, 2004)

da_illest said:
			
		

> what i don't get and know is what in the world decomposition is and why it is needed for the milli...


It's what happens when beneficial organisms eat and pass the leaves or other organics and turn it into 'dirt'.  Think of a mulch pile...same idea.


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