Cleaning crew question...

[DonaldJ]

The vivarium I'm using for B. Orientalis nymphs does not have a substrate; I don't mind cleaning it every week or so, just to get rid of the frass. But I have some potting soil (4 years old, very dry) and I thought it would be interesting to observe them with the substrate, and I would need a cleaning crew.

Which is fine, but does the cleaning crew need it's own cleaning crew? How does that work? I see than many folks use a variety of critters and not just one species.

One reason I like the B. Orientalis is that I don't have to fiddle with maintaining certain temperatures or humidity levels. Would that change with a cleaning crew?

Thanks for any advice!

[All About Arthropods]

The vivarium I'm using for B. Orientalis nymphs does not have a substrate; I don't mind cleaning it every week or so, just to get rid of the frass. But I have some potting soil (4 years old, very dry) and I thought it would be interesting to observe them with the substrate, and I would need a cleaning crew.

Which is fine, but does the cleaning crew need it's own cleaning crew? How does that work? I see than many folks use a variety of critters and not just one species.

One reason I like the B. Orientalis is that I don't have to fiddle with maintaining certain temperatures or humidity levels. Would that change with a cleaning crew?

Thanks for any advice!

Nope, you wouldn't need multiple cleanup crews. You would have to keep it a bit humid, and keep the substrate moist if you were going to use springtails or dwarf purple isopods, but I think if you were going to use a larger cleanup clean like say P.scaber I think you might need some dead leaves in their too.

[Hisserdude]

Nope, you wouldn't need multiple cleanup crews. You would have to keep it a bit humid, and keep the substrate moist if you were going to use springtails or dwarf purple isopods, but I think if you were going to use a larger cleanup clean like say P.scaber I think you might need some dead leaves in their too.

You know, I don't have any dead leaves in my Taiwanese laef roach enclosure, and my P.scaber are breeding like MAD!! Apparently leftover food and dead roach bodies are enough to get them reproducing.

[All About Arthropods]

Good to know, just though I heard that they needed leaves somewhere.

[Hisserdude]

Good to know, just though I heard that they needed leaves somewhere.

Normally they do, if I tried to culture some by their-selves and did not give them leaves, I would not get much reproduction. Something about being in a roach colony seems to negate their need for dead leaves though, perhaps the rotting vegetables I feed them replaces the dead leaves?

[DonaldJ]

A couple of more questions...

I see that springtails are pretty small, and I'd like to see the cleaning crew at work. What is the largest cleaner available, without needing special heating?

How can the cleaning crew population be controlled?

Thanks!

[pannaking22]

I've found that if I have a stubborn species that isn't breeding, dead leaves gets them going. Could be a nutritional thing or it could just be more hiding/safe places to give birth. Hard to say.

A couple of more questions...

I see that springtails are pretty small, and I'd like to see the cleaning crew at work. What is the largest cleaner available, without needing special heating?

How can the cleaning crew population be controlled?

Thanks!

Isopods are about as large as it gets, but the larger the isopod, the longer it takes for them to breed (typically). All isopods do well enough at room temp, as do springtails. To control the populations, you can just let them peter off as they run out of food or you can remove them yourself. Letting the enclosure dry out a bit is an easy way to knock down springtail populations because they're pretty sensitive to desiccation. Finally, if you do decide to remove them yourself, you can sell them or if you have a cleanup crew you caught in your yard or nearby, you can just release them back into that area.