Hardy cleaners

M

MassExodus

Second Instar
I just recently started using isopods, I got a free sample of dwarf whites with a scorpion order. Either they're hiding, or just not multiplying well. What isopods do ya'll use? Is there a "best kind" in your opinion? A particularly hardy kind, that breeds well? I have many inverts and cleaning crews are a must now, any recommendations are appreciated.

 
I'm using P.scaber for a lot of my cages, they seem to do a really good job. They thrive in any cage I put them in, and like Salmonsaladsandwich said, they can tolerate a wide variety of conditions.

 
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Freakin sweet! keep us posted man!

Mass, i have the dwarf whites they breed very well in moist conditions! i have thousands, but cant stand dry for very long.

 
I let even my moist sp dry out occasionally. I was led to believe if you just make sure to overfill the dish, the isopods would be ok. I'm not sure that's true now, though..I started with a small culture though, maybe I'm being a bit premature.

 
Maybe thats true im not sure. i just know i mist my avic avic's cage about twice a week and that wasnt enough to keep the little buggers alive in there. unless they are in there and i never see them. guess that a possibility.

 
There should always be an area of the substrate that is moist, if you let the cage completely dry out then the isopods will die. Humidity is not enough, they need actual moisture. Just one corner can be kept moist and that should provide them with a place to rehydrate. :)

 
Hmm. Maybe the scaber will do better. Its part of my routine to let my moist sp dry out on occasion, for many reasons, so if the scaber can't do it ill probably give up on isopods. I can't find a single Roly poly I put in my Amblypigyd enclosure, and that's one of my moist sp..I think they may be killing them.

 
MassExodus said:
Hmm. Maybe the scaber will do better. Its part of my routine to let my moist sp dry out on occasion, for many reasons, so if the scaber can't do it ill probably give up on isopods. I can't find a single Roly poly I put in my Amblypigyd enclosure, and that's one of my moist sp..I think they may be killing them.
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Roly polies will burrow, so that may be why you don't see them. The P.scaber do seem more hardy under a variety of situations, but if the whole enclosure dries out completely, then they may all die.

Still, there was this one container I kept that had some ground beetles in it, when the beetles died off I left the container to dry out for a few weeks. When I checked on the container the substrate had pretty much dried out, yet at the bottom of the enclosure there were a bunch of P.scaber hiding in the last slightly moist area of the substrate. So even if there is a little bit of a moist area under the top layer of substrate, your isopods should survive. Still, I would keep one little spot moist, JIC.

 
Mass i know u like to let ur sub dry out from time to time. as do i. maybe rotating your wet spot form corner to corner would be a solution. i think thats what im going to do.

 
I'm going to try it out :) I've always rotated my water dish placement though, to avoid mold. It gets rather humid here, so ill just make the necessary adjustments, shouldn't be a problem, I just don't like to mess with perfection. Lol :D

 
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