# Isopods for Crested Gecko Vivarium?



## philge (Jun 16, 2012)

I've recently become interested in using isopods as janitors in my gecko tank. I don't have any experience using them so I wanted to ask about which kinds would be the best to use. The vivarium has coconut husk substrate, live plants, and two crested geckos. 

I've heard about isopods over-breeding in the tank also and wanted to see if many people had issues with this. I wouldn't want to have any of them getting into my T enclosures. 


So, can anyone give me a general run down of what I need to know about isopods?


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## lizardminion (Jun 16, 2012)

Hello philge. 

Can you give us more details as to the setup of your gecko terrarium, such as humidity, temperature, and the species of plants you are using? Also, how big is your tank? (Not too important, but it can help determine the quantity of isopods to place in your terrarium.) Humidity is important because they are crustaceans that breath through gills. I'm sure the live plants are making it humid though. I think you can get away with using springtails with that kind of humidity.


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## Entomancer (Jun 16, 2012)

I'd be a little worried about this, as yeah, they do have a lot of babies. I started out with a smallish culture of 6-10 and now I have more than one hundred, and it hasn't been more than a few months. I have added some "new blood" here and there but not enough to account for such a large population in such a short time.


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## philge (Jun 17, 2012)

lizardminion said:


> Hello philge.
> 
> Can you give us more details as to the setup of your gecko terrarium, such as humidity, temperature, and the species of plants you are using? Also, how big is your tank? (Not too important, but it can help determine the quantity of isopods to place in your terrarium.) Humidity is important because they are crustaceans that breath through gills. I'm sure the live plants are making it humid though. I think you can get away with using springtails with that kind of humidity.


Certainly! The humidity is between 75-80%, and the temperature is around 70-75F. The plants I'm using are diffenbachia and pothos with some live spagnum. The tank is an Exo Terra Mini Tall (18" H x 12" W x 12" D) and the depth of the substrate ranges from 3-4 inches. 

I tried to do some research on the topic myself but I'm having trouble finding good information. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


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## belljar77 (Jun 17, 2012)

I tried it, my cresties ate the isopods. Greedy little guys


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## philge (Jun 17, 2012)

belljar77 said:


> I tried it, my cresties ate the isopods. Greedy little guys


 Oh no! 

Well, I expected that they would obviously eat _some_ of them. My cresties are full grown adults, so I was thinking as long as I keep them well fed they shouldn't go after the little buggers. They get plenty of large crickets to keep them busy! Also, the enclosure has tons of little nooks and crannies for the isopods to escape to.

IDK though since I've never had experience with them. They just might eat them all!


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## billopelma (Jun 17, 2012)

I've kept them in with 4 adults for a couple years now and haven't experienced any problems with over or under population, they seem to maintain a reasonable number. 
Why don't you want them getting in with your T's? I put them in any enclosure that isn't completely dry, they like living under a water dish that gets overflowed on a regular basis.

Bill


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## wesker12 (Jun 17, 2012)

philge said:


> I've recently become interested in using isopods as janitors in my gecko tank. I don't have any experience using them so I wanted to ask about which kinds would be the best to use. The vivarium has coconut husk substrate, live plants, and two crested geckos.
> 
> I've heard about isopods over-breeding in the tank also and wanted to see if many people had issues with this. I wouldn't want to have any of them getting into my T enclosures.
> 
> ...


Some species of isopods can get carnivorous, use the dwarf white ones (forgetting scientific name) that are offered for sale sometimes here and there for the best results!


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## philge (Jun 17, 2012)

billopelma said:


> I've kept them in with 4 adults for a couple years now and haven't experienced any problems with over or under population, they seem to maintain a reasonable number.
> Why don't you want them getting in with your T's? I put them in any enclosure that isn't completely dry, they like living under a water dish that gets overflowed on a regular basis.
> 
> Bill


I've just heard bad things about using them for Ts. The spiders are more delicate than geckos and I've heard they could disturb the spider especially during a molt. I'm still interested though, I just don't know much about it so I want to be safe. I only have 6 Ts right now so it wouldn't be that big of a problem.

Which kind of cleaner bugs would you recommend?


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## Louise E. Rothstein (Jun 19, 2012)

Tarantulas do become very vulnerable at molting time.
Hungry crickets,isopods,and others have sometimes eaten molting tarantulas. 

In most of these cases the invertebrates were both numerous and hungry.

And (unhealthy?) tarantulas had not been eating the "extra" invertebrates.


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