My isopod colony died off after 6 months — what’s the cause?

[NamelessOne]

Every. Last. Pod. They’re all dead and I have little to no idea why, admittedly I am kind of heart broken. I spent one hell of a lot of money on them only to have them die off after not even a year? They are in a Tupperware container (12” L x 6” W x 9” D) with numerous holes drilled through the plastic roofing I made. They have 5” of topsoil substrate mixed with decaying wood, calcium powder, and shed from my reptiles. It had a 1” layer of leaf litter on top of it as well, I misted them 3x a week and had springtails to stop mold/fungal growth. They had countless logs to hide under, as well as three rocks and an array of other plants. I imitated their natural habitat as best I could. Did I do something wrong? There were at least 250-300 babies and at least 75-100 adults crawling around a week or so ago and now they are all dead. I’m so sad what’s wrong?

 

[xXTristinaXx]

What species? If I had to guess they needed a soil change from all their waste and t there was an ammonia build up

 

[Smotzer]

What species? What were the conditions like? Had you ever changed the substrate? Did it dry out: or was it too moist? It sounds like it crashed if you have too many without splitting /upsizing/partially changing substrate to remove all that frass colonies can crash quickily once that tipping point happens, and if they were a sensitive species things can die fairly easily if conditions aren’t kept stable enough.

 

[Dry Desert]

Every. Last. Pod. They’re all dead and I have little to no idea why, admittedly I am kind of heart broken. I spent one hell of a lot of money on them only to have them die off after not even a year? They are in a Tupperware container (12” L x 6” W x 9” D) with numerous holes drilled through the plastic roofing I made. They have 5” of topsoil substrate mixed with decaying wood, calcium powder, and shed from my reptiles. It had a 1” layer of leaf litter on top of it as well, I misted them 3x a week and had springtails to stop mold/fungal growth. They had countless logs to hide under, as well as three rocks and an array of other plants. I imitated their natural habitat as best I could. Did I do something wrong? There were at least 250-300 babies and at least 75-100 adults crawling around a week or so ago and now they are all dead. I’m so sad what’s wrong?

Enclosure way to small for that amount of pods.

Death was caused by a combination of stagnant air, with there only being top ventilation, build up of frass/ammonia and stress caused by over crowding.
Also pods can't live on soil and leaf litter alone, they need protein in the form of fruit and vegetables, fish flake etc.

 

[xXTristinaXx]

Enclosure way to small for that amount of pods.

Death was caused by a combination of stagnant air, with there only being top ventilation, build up of frass/ammonia and stress caused by over crowding.
Also pods can't live on soil and leaf litter alone, they need protein in the form of fruit and vegetables, fish flake etc.

Yup, protein is so vital. As someone who had species like Cuban spikeys and gold duckies and other extremely rare species, protein is what makes the difference. They breed like crazy

 

[NamelessOne]

What species? If I had to guess they needed a soil change from all their waste and t there was an ammonia build up

Okay… is there any clean up crew that would eat waste that’s compatible with isopods? I usually take out the dead ones but when I checked on them last every individual was dead.

What species? What were the conditions like? Had you ever changed the substrate? Did it dry out: or was it too moist? It sounds like it crashed if you have too many without splitting /upsizing/partially changing substrate to remove all that frass colonies can crash quickily once that tipping point happens, and if they were a sensitive species things can die fairly easily if conditions aren’t kept stable enough.

Okay this is all great to know, I’ve changed their substrate once in the past. I was planning on moving them to a larger enclosure (15 gallons) but they all passed before I could get the chance. They were calicos

Enclosure way to small for that amount of pods.

Death was caused by a combination of stagnant air, with there only being top ventilation, build up of frass/ammonia and stress caused by over crowding.
Also pods can't live on soil and leaf litter alone, they need protein in the form of fruit and vegetables, fish flake etc.

Okay, and I was planning before hand to move them into a bigger enclosure that I had waiting (15 gallons) that was in the cleaning process as it was from deep in my garage for many years. As for ventilation, I’ll do better next time! I had no idea, now I feel so bad I have given them fruits and veg frequently, they eat my reptile’s leftovers. I used to use fish flakes but I ran out, all stores near me ran out and the flakes I’d bought online still haven’t arrived.

 

[SpookySpooder]

What did you do differently? What changed in your routine?

Things don't just randomly die. Even ammonia levels take a while to build up, so you must have missed something crucial for a long time

 

[xXTristinaXx]

Okay… is there any clean up crew that would eat waste that’s compatible with isopods? I usually take out the dead ones but when I checked on them last every individual was dead.

Just springtails, next time just do small soil changes every couple months, it should be pretty easy to differentiate the soil between the frass also

 

[Smotzer]

They were calicos

No I was looking for what Genus species they are. I can’t guess from calico that’s just a color morph

 

[birdonfire]

Wood mites from unsterilized outdoor organic collections (wood, leaves etc.) can be a problem.

 

[Smotzer]

Wood mites from unsterilized outdoor organic collections (wood, leaves etc.) can be a problem.

I personally have never had any instance of this and I have never “sterilized” any thing used from the forest

 

[Arthropod Universe]

Probs porcellio scaber “calico”

 

[NewfoundHobby]

I just had this happen to me and I was diligent about their care.....20 gallon tank, change out the leaf litter, removed moldy fruits, regular supply of fish flake, egg shells, bird seed, reptile shed, and fruits and veggies. Regular turn over of substrate to keep aerated and loose. I had hundreds, three stages at least, fed a mix of the bigs and mediums to my bearded and gecko to make room for new adults and babies. First most of the adults died but the mids and babies were thriving and teeming so thought maybe it was just the adults had run their lifespan and then today I went to do maintenance and there's literally three I can see.......however, I think someone thought they were doing good and super soaked them as the substrate at the bottom was soggy and packed......looks like someone dumped water instead of spraying them. Could this be the issue and with the three left in there is there a chance of recovery?

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I just had this happen to me and I was diligent about their care.....20 gallon tank, change out the leaf litter, removed moldy fruits, regular supply of fish flake, egg shells, bird seed, reptile shed, and fruits and veggies. Regular turn over of substrate to keep aerated and loose. I had hundreds, three stages at least, fed a mix of the bigs and mediums to my bearded and gecko to make room for new adults and babies. First most of the adults died but the mids and babies were thriving and teeming so thought maybe it was just the adults had run their lifespan and then today I went to do maintenance and there's literally three I can see.......however, I think someone thought they were doing good and super soaked them as the substrate at the bottom was soggy and packed......looks like someone dumped water instead of spraying them. Could this be the issue and with the three left in there is there a chance of recovery?

Pics might be useful but you say
someone dumped water instead of spraying them.
What does that mean? You could make a new thread too 3 might be enough unless no pairs .

 

[NewfoundHobby]

Pics might be useful but you say
someone dumped water instead of spraying them.
What does that mean? You could make a new thread too 3 might be enough unless no pairs .

That's what I am worried about.....hoping there are babies I just didn't see. I don't mean to hijack the thread just very similar happened to me and I wanted to follow to see what was advised. I am very new to isopods and I have researched it a lot but I know I still have a lot to learn too.

 

[NewfoundHobby]

That's what I am worried about.....hoping there are babies I just didn't see. I don't mean to hijack the thread just very similar happened to me and I wanted to follow to see what was advised. I am very new to isopods and I have researched it a lot but I know I still have a lot to learn too.

Oh yeah and what I meant about the water was I spray them using a water bottle keeping the environment moist but not wet, however it looks like someone dumped water with a cup or jug packing the substrate down and making everything soaking wet and soggy and the substrate too packed to burrow and travel through

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Oh yeah and what I meant about the water was I spray them using a water bottle keeping the environment moist but not wet, however it looks like someone dumped water with a cup or jug packing the substrate down and making everything soaking wet and soggy and the substrate too packed to burrow and travel through

If any survivors left I’d make a thread, op hasn’t returned. Any response from him could be a while away.