how to: isopod colony
- Thread starter kingfarvito
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I've got some philoscia muscorum in a gallon pickle jar. I'm waiting to see if the mites and the small, hovering cloud of gnat-like things that suddenly appeared in the jar will be consumed by them or not before I even think about using them in another animal's cage. I put them in the jar just to be on the safe side since they appeared "clean" when I caught them but I was unable to avoid picking up bits of leaf litter and soil with them. Almost overnight the substrate in the jar was teeming with unidentified critters.
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- Apr 27, 2008
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To everyone who wants to use isopods as feeders:
They make terrible feeders, I don't have any Ts but I have some plain-jane true spiders and they won't touch em.
At least as far as Rollie Pollies go, they can turn themselves into an armored ball. I know when I introduce a polie to a tank the spider often tries to take it down but fails as the polie's armor is far to thick for the fangs to penetrate.
As for Ts, I don't imagine they would have much luck, even with their awesome strength as they are kind of small and, I imagine, hard for the T to grip.
Spiders seem to learn they aren't worth the effort and leave them alone.
Just be careful that you don't have too many that the spider doesn't have a place to get away or else you might stress out your T.
On the plus side the combination of their scavenging nature and the fact that they don't become a meal for the spider makes them excellent tank-mates for arachnids as long as they aren't stressing the T.
They make terrible feeders, I don't have any Ts but I have some plain-jane true spiders and they won't touch em.
At least as far as Rollie Pollies go, they can turn themselves into an armored ball. I know when I introduce a polie to a tank the spider often tries to take it down but fails as the polie's armor is far to thick for the fangs to penetrate.
As for Ts, I don't imagine they would have much luck, even with their awesome strength as they are kind of small and, I imagine, hard for the T to grip.
Spiders seem to learn they aren't worth the effort and leave them alone.
Just be careful that you don't have too many that the spider doesn't have a place to get away or else you might stress out your T.
On the plus side the combination of their scavenging nature and the fact that they don't become a meal for the spider makes them excellent tank-mates for arachnids as long as they aren't stressing the T.
The OP has really opened up a can of worms (isopods?) with this thread! 
I finally took the plunge and went rooting through our firewood this weekend, as Winter approaches us in the Southern Hemisphere. I found dozens of the grey ones living mostly under the bark of logs in the shade where damp was prevalent.
Many were in areas where mould and fungi had grown onto the wood, so clearly humidity is hugely important, and I'll feed them cucumber, leaf litter, dead worms, etc as suggested by Old Hag. *wink*
I finally took the plunge and went rooting through our firewood this weekend, as Winter approaches us in the Southern Hemisphere. I found dozens of the grey ones living mostly under the bark of logs in the shade where damp was prevalent.
Many were in areas where mould and fungi had grown onto the wood, so clearly humidity is hugely important, and I'll feed them cucumber, leaf litter, dead worms, etc as suggested by Old Hag. *wink*
Humidity or damp substrate is a must because these Isopods, Genus Armadillidium (Woodlouse), are land Crustaceans with modified gills that must remain moist for them to breath.
The nymphs do indeed look like a white mite and remain sub-surface for the most part until they get their grayish harder shell.
The nymphs do indeed look like a white mite and remain sub-surface for the most part until they get their grayish harder shell.
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- May 21, 2007
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id be careful with the cucumber it may mold fast
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I solely use the dwarf white isopods. They are definitely too small for my T's to grab. I suspect the T's prob don't even notice them. They do a great job cleaning everything up and I don't have to worry about the T getting confused/stressed about whether or not a critter is considered food, or just a tank maid.
Here are some of mine. They don't roll up, they run pretty fast (compared to other isopods). The mite things in the jar were not baby isopods so I separated out the isopods and put them in a new jar. So far no mites showing. I like the color variations these have. Sorry for the dark pic.
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- Aug 12, 2007
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very nice how to, cody.
i have a somewhat small Armadillidium vulgare colony going right now.
i also have a rather large Oniscus asellus colony going, i, personaly, use a mix of moss, soil, and bark mulch.
i have a somewhat small Armadillidium vulgare colony going right now.
i also have a rather large Oniscus asellus colony going, i, personaly, use a mix of moss, soil, and bark mulch.