earhtmother
Aquarium Advice FINatic
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- Mar 22, 2010
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Looking for first hand experiences with these two species. Grandaughter/daughter have set up a vivarium for her crested gecko that contains them and I'm curious about them.
Isopods/Springtails
- Thread starter earhtmother
- Start date
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okapizebra
Aquarium Advice Addict
I've never used isopods but I have springtails in all my reptile enclosures and they are great. What kind of info were you looking for?
I have them! I have some up for grabs too In case you are interested! Powder orange and springtails!!!
Am I just an overgrown child that I like these? lol
Only keeping Powder Orange very active in the daytime, but I hear Dairy Cows are really active in the daytime as well.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/foru...ome-aka-fancy-roly-poly-pill-bugs-369504.html
These are fun but one might not need toooooo many.
The large colony is a 3G Anchor Hocking Heritage jar (comes with a lid and in the large version I use it). It stays nice and moist.
The medium same kind of jar but a large and no lid, trying it and it get dry pretty fast. It is fairly dry, not humid where I live. In this jar I added a hunk of dead grass from the garden.
There are alot more details on that thread, I just added a bunch of stuff but hurried, so if there is any thing I forgot or you still wonder about. Let me know.
Still a newbie but successful so far with these 2 easy ones. Powder Orange Isopods and Springtails.
I really wanted Rubber Ducky or similar Isopods but do not want to spend that kind of money for the really sought after / more rare, hard to get stuff, lol. $100-300 for a roly poly is too rich for my blood.
Millipedes are cool too!
Am I just an overgrown child that I like these? lol
Only keeping Powder Orange very active in the daytime, but I hear Dairy Cows are really active in the daytime as well.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/foru...ome-aka-fancy-roly-poly-pill-bugs-369504.html
These are fun but one might not need toooooo many.
The large colony is a 3G Anchor Hocking Heritage jar (comes with a lid and in the large version I use it). It stays nice and moist.
The medium same kind of jar but a large and no lid, trying it and it get dry pretty fast. It is fairly dry, not humid where I live. In this jar I added a hunk of dead grass from the garden.
There are alot more details on that thread, I just added a bunch of stuff but hurried, so if there is any thing I forgot or you still wonder about. Let me know.
Still a newbie but successful so far with these 2 easy ones. Powder Orange Isopods and Springtails.
I really wanted Rubber Ducky or similar Isopods but do not want to spend that kind of money for the really sought after / more rare, hard to get stuff, lol. $100-300 for a roly poly is too rich for my blood.
Millipedes are cool too!earhtmother
Aquarium Advice FINatic
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2010
- Messages
- 975
Okipizebra
I'm trying to get an idea of how they will work in the tank with the gecko. I understand they eat dead plant matter etc. but other than that I'm clueless and with all this *no contact* crap I rarely get to connect up with the daughter who is busy with her own life with a 10 & 12 year old. I have 600+ gallons in tanks so it will be easier for me to keep/breed more if that is going to be needed.
AUTUMNSKY
I was hoping you'd pop your .02$ in as I knew you had Rolys. I wish I was closer to grab some from you but I'm not sure I could even get them over the border right now, let alone get them here alive [emoji20]
*if* I do decide to try raising them I want to have all the necessary facts from *real* people not just website info. As I said above I am trying to pin the daughter down on what she learned/read on YouTube but it's like trying to catch a Hummingbird these days, the kidlets keep her pretty busy. My goal is to get things going well and then pass it on to them once established (assuming it is something she wants to take on)
I'm trying to get an idea of how they will work in the tank with the gecko. I understand they eat dead plant matter etc. but other than that I'm clueless and with all this *no contact* crap I rarely get to connect up with the daughter who is busy with her own life with a 10 & 12 year old. I have 600+ gallons in tanks so it will be easier for me to keep/breed more if that is going to be needed.
AUTUMNSKY
I was hoping you'd pop your .02$ in as I knew you had Rolys. I wish I was closer to grab some from you but I'm not sure I could even get them over the border right now, let alone get them here alive [emoji20]
*if* I do decide to try raising them I want to have all the necessary facts from *real* people not just website info. As I said above I am trying to pin the daughter down on what she learned/read on YouTube but it's like trying to catch a Hummingbird these days, the kidlets keep her pretty busy. My goal is to get things going well and then pass it on to them once established (assuming it is something she wants to take on)
The ones which reproduce well are the ones usually offered by the hobbyists. Dwarf Purple are often used for the smaller /tree frogs and read Crested Gecko (I don't know anything about the Crested Geckos.) That part I am not familiar with.
Raising the Powder Orange, Dairy Cows and Zebras are plentiful from all I have read and first hand accounts from keepers. Many of the other cool ones will hid a lot during the day making them a bit less interesting.
If your plan is to raise a couple shoe boxes of them / at least a couple cultures going helps ensure the survival in case of a catastrophic failure. How cute /colorful / or active might not matter if the use is for food only.
They are fun to peek at as you do daily houseplant watering, tank maintenance.
Always cool to lift up the cork bark or wood chunk and see all the little ones.
Why do I have "Wood Louse" in containers, they are interesting and I can appreciate the janitorial care ability. Keeping them and the Springtails makes sense.
They are very clean and tunnel around in my deep substrate. Look powdery /matte or shiny and have some variety of color within their color group. I have a couple almost white and white in there.
They use and eat things which I already have or are easy to source and not very much cost if I do need to purchase. The Roly Poly are easy.
Aquarimax on youtube is a wonderful source of information, many videos of all sorts of varieties and how their care is.
You can do a moss and fern container if the moss can live in a not super wet jar.
I have needed to replace the Springtails 2x in my 3G Anchor Hocking Heritage jar terrarium. Not sure why the first time, but the second I accidentally over watered and needed to add a couple more Isopods in as well. Only added a few the first time and the second I added maybe 5.
A few months ago and now there are a few roving around. I do not look in there very often, maybe every 2 weeks feed a couple pellets and see if there are any moving around, add a couple leaves if they are degrading.
The Powder Orange can deal with more moist substrate or a little dry. They seem to do best medium damp but not wet and not dryish.
I keep a little water in the bottom of the jar, just a layer not touching the substrate, with the Hydroton of an inch or 2, and the charcoal next, then substrate mix.
Raising the Powder Orange, Dairy Cows and Zebras are plentiful from all I have read and first hand accounts from keepers. Many of the other cool ones will hid a lot during the day making them a bit less interesting.
If your plan is to raise a couple shoe boxes of them / at least a couple cultures going helps ensure the survival in case of a catastrophic failure. How cute /colorful / or active might not matter if the use is for food only.
They are fun to peek at as you do daily houseplant watering, tank maintenance.
Always cool to lift up the cork bark or wood chunk and see all the little ones.
Why do I have "Wood Louse" in containers, they are interesting and I can appreciate the janitorial care ability. Keeping them and the Springtails makes sense.
They are very clean and tunnel around in my deep substrate. Look powdery /matte or shiny and have some variety of color within their color group. I have a couple almost white and white in there.
They use and eat things which I already have or are easy to source and not very much cost if I do need to purchase. The Roly Poly are easy.
Aquarimax on youtube is a wonderful source of information, many videos of all sorts of varieties and how their care is.
You can do a moss and fern container if the moss can live in a not super wet jar.
I have needed to replace the Springtails 2x in my 3G Anchor Hocking Heritage jar terrarium. Not sure why the first time, but the second I accidentally over watered and needed to add a couple more Isopods in as well. Only added a few the first time and the second I added maybe 5.
A few months ago and now there are a few roving around. I do not look in there very often, maybe every 2 weeks feed a couple pellets and see if there are any moving around, add a couple leaves if they are degrading.
The Powder Orange can deal with more moist substrate or a little dry. They seem to do best medium damp but not wet and not dryish.
I keep a little water in the bottom of the jar, just a layer not touching the substrate, with the Hydroton of an inch or 2, and the charcoal next, then substrate mix.
