Edoggerson
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2021
- Messages
- 52
Hello! I have been planning my first millipede vivarium in a 20-gallon tank (I know, way too big for simple millies). Since it's so big, I was thinking about making an open-top bio active vivarium. From a bit of research, I've found that most bryophytes like peat moss will fare very well in a hardy environment. That being said, will the open-top to the tank be enough to normalize the humidity in the tank? I don't want to deprive the millies of any humidity, nor plants.
I've also seen from previous threads that isopods will stagger millie breeding and possibly cause some unrest, so should I split my colony into two when I purchase them and attempt to breed one group? Again I understand 20 gallons is massive for these guys, so I'm wondering if it'll be big enough that isopods and millies can co-exist.
Beyond actual life, I've been putting some time into researching substrate composition, and thought that 1/4 NATURAL TOPSOIL (ones without chemical b.s. in them), 1/4 coco fiber, 1/4 aspen/oak pellet, and 1/4 dead, properly prepared leaves from my nearby forest would do me good. Would there be enough nutrients to support plant life properly?
Thank you for all of the help, and please feel free to ask questions here too for anyone else that needs some advice on keeping these guys!
To extend my original post, I was thinking of a very fine grate at the top to allow air passthrough, but far too fine for anything like the millies or isopods to make their way through. not sure how I'd be keeping it attached for it to be removable, when I put in food.. Suggestions are greatly appreciated! I was also thinking of a very thin layer of gravel at the bottom, enough to sustain some moisture.
Are there any other bugs that would do well in such a large tank? I'm not very keen on spring-tails, because they're going to explode in population very quickly.
I've also seen from previous threads that isopods will stagger millie breeding and possibly cause some unrest, so should I split my colony into two when I purchase them and attempt to breed one group? Again I understand 20 gallons is massive for these guys, so I'm wondering if it'll be big enough that isopods and millies can co-exist.
Beyond actual life, I've been putting some time into researching substrate composition, and thought that 1/4 NATURAL TOPSOIL (ones without chemical b.s. in them), 1/4 coco fiber, 1/4 aspen/oak pellet, and 1/4 dead, properly prepared leaves from my nearby forest would do me good. Would there be enough nutrients to support plant life properly?
Thank you for all of the help, and please feel free to ask questions here too for anyone else that needs some advice on keeping these guys!
To extend my original post, I was thinking of a very fine grate at the top to allow air passthrough, but far too fine for anything like the millies or isopods to make their way through. not sure how I'd be keeping it attached for it to be removable, when I put in food.. Suggestions are greatly appreciated! I was also thinking of a very thin layer of gravel at the bottom, enough to sustain some moisture.
Are there any other bugs that would do well in such a large tank? I'm not very keen on spring-tails, because they're going to explode in population very quickly.