Mixing Millipedes and Isopods??

[rosscleland]

Hi all, looking for advice as I think I've made a huge mistake! I recently bought 6 dairy cow isopods in the hopes they would breed and keep my tank clean. I put 3 in a tank containing a giant African millipede and 3 in a tank containing a juvenile Millipede and some small cockroach species. I was so busy researching if the millis/roaches would eat the isopods- it never occurred to me to check the other way around! A quick Google seems to be suggesting that the isopods may attack or eat a freshly molted millipede - especially if they breed into large numbers. Does anyone have any experience of keeping isopods together with Millipedes and/or roaches? Should I be removing all of the isopods immediately :/

 

[Wesley Smith]

The isopods should be fine with the roaches but I still wouldn't risk it, the millipedes, however, should be separated, in my opinion from the other two but definitely from the isopods. As a general rule, it is good not even to mix species as little research has been done on what species can harmoniously cohabitate. I personally haven't had any experience with isopods eating millipedes but I only ever had one millipede I housed with isopods and when I found out they may eat him I quickly separated them. A great option for cage cleaners is springtails. I personally have springtails in every one of my colonies and tanks and also culture them myself. Springtails, from my experience and research, have never been linked to eating anything we keepers don't want them to (Unless you want fungus). Again, as a general rule, it is good to not co-house any two species unless they have been thoroughly documented as being fine together, but for occasional research purposes, I could see doing it in the name of science.

 

[Arthroverts]

Yes, I would recommend removing the isopods from the mix. Depending on what sort of roaches they are however neither the millipedes nor they should bother each other however.

@Wesley Smith, almost all round millipedes have been shown to be able to cohabit without issues (excepting perhaps for one Israeli species), though some should not be kept together due to hybridization risks. Certain species of roach will also live peacefully with millipedes and each other (if hybridization is not an issue), though burrowing species such as Eublaberus should probably be avoided due to their love of protein.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[rosscleland]

Thanks for all the replies. I managed to find and separate all of my isopods. I'll definitely be getting springtails! I reckon I'm happy to leave my roaches and Millipedes together through. My Madagascan roaches and giant African millipede actually sleep nestled together- despite the tank being large and having many different logs etc. My juvenile giant madagascan Millipede lives with a few question mark cockroaches and a headlight Cockroach. But she will be moved once she becomes too big and might crush the smaller roaches. I've also done a few observation sessions where I place all of the cohabiting species in an empty tank to see how they interact- and they all seem happy enough to wander around and walk past (or over) one another without any nervous or aggressive behaviour.