- Joined
- Mar 23, 2011
- Messages
- 1,064
I've got 3 pede tanks now, but there's always room for improvement, so I wanna hear your opinions on enclosures.
Firstly, do you guys think a drainage layer is really necessary? All of my tanks have a layer of hydroton covered by some gardening fabric. I suppose it keeps the lower levels of substrate from getting soggy, but the hydroton usually seems pretty dry, and I'm a little paranoid about pedes climbing between the fabric and the tank wall to get stuck down there.
Next up, climbing branches, good or bad? I've got several cork bark climbs in my big pede tank with the D. macracanthus and C. spingerus, but nothing in my other tanks. The ivories seem to enjoy the climbs a lot (the pinkleg less so, sorry excuse for an arboreal). I don't have any sort of decorations/climbs in my Thai rainbows' tank, and one male spends a lot of his time pacing around on the surface. I feel kinda bad for him not having anything to explore/climb. I've heard that branches can become a hazard to molting millipedes, but I would assume it'd be safe if you buried the end of it very deeply in the substrate and propped the end against the side of the tank.
On a related note, cork bark vs other branches? I know cork bark is pretty much the only kind that won't mold, which is vital when keeping other animals. However, providing a rotting branch means an additional food source for the pedes, right? I put a boiled rotting branch in my tank once, but grain mites exploded over it so I had to throw it out. Would a good springtail population help combat the mite issue?
Also, what do you consider the minimum acceptable enclosure size (proportional to the millipede)? I know that some sources recommend at least as long as the pede by twice as long. I personally like to give my bugs more space than that, and since they're so small, giving them more space is generally easy. I got a 7.5" x 11" tupperware for my 3.5-4" Thai rainbows, and I would like to give them more space than that, especially since I've got one male who paces incessantly (I think he's looking for more mates, since he's probably already tapped all 3 females he lives with).
Lastly, how do you rehouse large numbers of pedes/breeding pedes? I'd like to rehouse my Thai rainbows into a bigger enclosure someday. I've only got 5 at the moment, but I think the females may be laying eggs, so I don't want to disturb them. If I wait though, I'll have to rehouse all the babies as well. What course of action do you guys recommend?
If you guys have any other ideas/suggestions/enclosure issues, let's hear em!
Firstly, do you guys think a drainage layer is really necessary? All of my tanks have a layer of hydroton covered by some gardening fabric. I suppose it keeps the lower levels of substrate from getting soggy, but the hydroton usually seems pretty dry, and I'm a little paranoid about pedes climbing between the fabric and the tank wall to get stuck down there.
Next up, climbing branches, good or bad? I've got several cork bark climbs in my big pede tank with the D. macracanthus and C. spingerus, but nothing in my other tanks. The ivories seem to enjoy the climbs a lot (the pinkleg less so, sorry excuse for an arboreal). I don't have any sort of decorations/climbs in my Thai rainbows' tank, and one male spends a lot of his time pacing around on the surface. I feel kinda bad for him not having anything to explore/climb. I've heard that branches can become a hazard to molting millipedes, but I would assume it'd be safe if you buried the end of it very deeply in the substrate and propped the end against the side of the tank.
On a related note, cork bark vs other branches? I know cork bark is pretty much the only kind that won't mold, which is vital when keeping other animals. However, providing a rotting branch means an additional food source for the pedes, right? I put a boiled rotting branch in my tank once, but grain mites exploded over it so I had to throw it out. Would a good springtail population help combat the mite issue?
Also, what do you consider the minimum acceptable enclosure size (proportional to the millipede)? I know that some sources recommend at least as long as the pede by twice as long. I personally like to give my bugs more space than that, and since they're so small, giving them more space is generally easy. I got a 7.5" x 11" tupperware for my 3.5-4" Thai rainbows, and I would like to give them more space than that, especially since I've got one male who paces incessantly (I think he's looking for more mates, since he's probably already tapped all 3 females he lives with).
Lastly, how do you rehouse large numbers of pedes/breeding pedes? I'd like to rehouse my Thai rainbows into a bigger enclosure someday. I've only got 5 at the moment, but I think the females may be laying eggs, so I don't want to disturb them. If I wait though, I'll have to rehouse all the babies as well. What course of action do you guys recommend?
If you guys have any other ideas/suggestions/enclosure issues, let's hear em!