Isopod Care Guide Part 3: What to Expect from a New Isopod Colony
Vložit
- čas přidán 2. 07. 2024
- Isopods are some of the best pet invertebrates! A new isopod colony and an established isopod colony are very different in some aspects of care. We’ll talk about what you can expect from a new isopod colony.
Here is a link to some vivarium substrates I have used with my isopods with great success:
Check out these LINKS to Isopod foods and supplies below. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
#ad here is a link to the sphagnum moss I se for my isopods: amzn.to/36BxXiz
#ad here is some organic compost. I use organic compost as an isopod substrate component: amzn.to/3ptpoPK
#ad here are the oak pellets I use for my isopod’s substrate: amzn.to/2JYaznQ
#ad here are some cork bark hides, perfect for isopods: amzn.to/3kyRaX7
#ad here is the coconut fiber brick that can be used in isopod substrate : amzn.to/38I4si6
#ad I feed my isopods Repashy Bug Burger weekly, they love it:
#ad 6-oz jar of bug burger: amzn.to/2PhSVKg
#ad 12-oz. jar of bug burger: amzn.to/2Mg3Nal
#ad Repashy morning wood is also a very popular isopod food my isopods love: amzn.to/2WdJq23
#ad Here is a link to the 6-quart sterilite tubs I use to house many of my isopods: amzn.to/2syYGZJ
#ad To give your isopods calcium you can use cuttlebone: twin pack: amzn.to/2S9H3hG
#ad Isopods love cork bark pieces as hides: amzn.to/2WaYOfu
#ad One of the best food/substrate ingredients for isopods are oak leaves, such as these heat-treated red oak leaves: amzn.to/2We6GNm
Isopod Substrate ingredients:
#ad 1 part Organic Compost: amzn.to/2Wn4VO1 (You can probably find it much cheaper at your local garden supply or hardware store)
#ad 1 part Alder Pellets: amzn.to/2MBYj9O
#ad 1 part pesticide-free hardwood leaves, you may collect them locally or purchased pre-sanitized: amzn.to/2We6GNm
#ad I make my own isopod substrate, but here is a link to Josh’s frogs isopod substrate : amzn.to/2TfyC1D
#ad For FREE 2-Day shipping on qualifying orders, try Amazon Prime: amzn.to/2N2HuFb
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. In other words, I earn a small commission when you use that affiliate link, at no cost to you.
This is a great thing to watch for a nervous new keeper 😖
Thank you! I realized I was getting these questions a lot...👍🏽
That was great! Every one of those things you mentioned were all things I thought today with my new isopod colony. I started to laugh when you had the untouched food pellet....becuase I just had that same experience today. Everything else : Hiding - yup, A little mold - yup, no babies after a month - checkmate.
LOL! That is a funny coincidence, and I am glad to hear that this has been helpful!
This made me feel SOOO much better about my cultures... I thought I was doing something SEVERELY wrong when I found tons of that stringy mold. And I am glad I found this playlist... Now I can stop bothering with annoying questions haha
Best series on CZcams! I really love your channel. I recently had to let most of my wild P. Scaber go due to fungus gnat takeover. But I kept several to try and isolate a pattern I found. I hope I can avoid the gnats this time.
Thank you!!Gnats can be frustrating, but you can triumph, I am sure!
Great series and channel as a whole.
I recently got two Archispirostreptus gigas and they checked out the entire enclosure almost immediately, so I was thinking:
"Awesome, apparently I'll get to see these wonderful millipedes daily!"
It's not the case, one loves to remain burrowed most of the time and the other loves hanging out in it's hideout; I was even worried it might have gotten stuck in the decoration ... but as soon as I "freed" it and replace the hide with one with bigger openings, the millipede went right back in XD
I also got myself in a separate enclosure a colony of 12 Armadillidim gestroi and indeed I can see individuals foraging but most remain hidden underneath their piece of bark.
Great vids like this one ensure me that nothing is wrong and that patience is key ^^
Great job!
I kinda knew this already, but as someone who just started a rubber ducky colony, this was good to hear!
So I now have 4 spotted isopods from my compost heap living in their new terrain, and these video's are fabulous! I'm so excited for babies! Hopefully will be able to find some more spotted ones to join. Tons of small greys around but I want the larger, spotted ones with the frilled edges. Mine are all hiding and nothing to see, found one sleeping under a leaf. Can't wait to get more! :) Great video's, so glad i found you. i won't panic if i find mold in the future! :)
Great video Rus. This is something I learned from you a while back and has helped me so much.
It was chatting with you about these topics in our collaborative livestream that gave me the idea to make a video focusing on these ideas. 😃👍
@@Aquarimax excellent call!!!! Love the topics.
Love the step by step guides.
I'm wondering if collectors have been keeping completely nocturnal isopods.
I basically sort their enclosures under dim light at night time; opposite to what you do for any other iso's.
Which isopods would you consider completely nocturnal? Some of mine are much more active at night, like Giant Canyons.
@@Aquarimax I got Spherillo danae. They dig deep in the substrate, deeper than A.vulgare, until you see them in tiny pockets at the very bottom of the enclosure. They never leave those pockets until night, where I found them swarming over pieces of pumpkin or apple.
They look like C.murina minus the orange uropods... very shy too.
Rewatching this really good video again because I’ve been feeling very anxious after getting isopods for the first time. I haven’t seen any of them for days now, which makes me think they’re all dead. I have no way of knowing if I’m even doing the right thing for them because I am not seeing anything at all. 😖 Hopefully they’re alright. I followed the basics and everything but I really can’t help but feel they’re dead sometimes! Need to be less worried because I don’t want to disturb them at all. 😣
Which species do you have? It is fairly normal not to see much activity at first for many species…
@@Aquarimax I bought 2 for myself. Magic potions, and clown isopods (colonies of 12). These two species I haven’t seen for three days now I believe.
I got three isopods species (in colonies of 10-15) for free. Dwarf isopods, powder whites, and giant orange isopods. The seller was very nice for giving them for free! These isopods I see a lot.
I’ve done the research, but is it alright to ask how I’ll know if I didn’t mist/water the moist side of the enclosure enough? Is there anything specific I should look out for to know they are hydrated just right? It feels as though I don’t sprinkle enough water. I’ve been told to mist them, but you have suggested to put water on the side! I don’t know which is better for them. When I misted the moss with a fine spray bottle it dried up quick half a day, but when I tried pouring a small amount of water on the side, I’ve been told by people I asked that it’s bad to keep the moss dry. Does that mean I have to mist (maybe one spray or two) and pour water on the side? I only ever open the enclosure to rehydrate the moist area. I do not try to look for them by shuffling through the leaves or anything similar whatsoever.
But I’ve always been a worrier. My folks tell me they’re “just isopods” but I really love them and want to give them the best. It’s why I worry so much, and have so many questions all the time. Thankfully your videos have helped me so much with what to do, but the information I receive from others contradict a lot with each other. It’s making me very confused.
I’m sorry for the long as heck paragraph!!!! Please forgive me. I’m very grateful for your replies.
Great video. I teach my kids, "slow is smooth. Smooth is fast," as a mantra for patience.
Videos like this have helped reduce my anxiety with isopods, because I always worry they're not exploding population-wise almost immediately. Sometimes I see videos like yours and forget about what it took to get those colonies to where they are. Both in terms of time and patience and resources.
Thanks!
Me
I like that mantra! It reminds me of what one of my martial arts instructors used to say…something like ‘slow practice builds fast fluency ‘
@@Aquarimax I'm too dumb to remember all THOSE words, haha. But, I like it!
It's great how martial arts can be applied to so many facets of life.
im a first time keeper and your videos have really helped me stop freaking out and start learning and preparing instead. thanks for making these and i hope you have a great new year!
0:56 had me laughing! And feeling so much better too about the current state of my 2-week old bioactive viv 🤣
Good! That was the intent!
Thank you so much! I would swear that my new isopods are doing a happy dance in their new home
Thanks Russ! I really appreciate the time you put into your isopod content, and the joy you've brought into my life by introducing me to this hobby through finding your videos on youtube!
Thanks for this video! I'm trying to practice patience with my new colony of dwarf whites. (First isos)
thank you for this! my orange powders BOOMED but my dairy cows havent seemed to increase in population at all…weird…
This is very great information rus wow you made 3 parts I am about to go back and watch the other 2 videos🤗🤗🤗
Just subscribed your very helpful I did it all wrong I bought A Montenegro and Pak Chongs but have never cultivated any types. I have some well aged super soil with coir base plus bone meal blood meal kelp meal lenardite (a mined mineral complex with nearly all minerals ) thre kinds of compost. Horse cow and one has organic stuff Just a bit of each. There is several other adjuncts in not recalling I made this soil two years ago and my worms loved it. I did add worm castings etc
So a couple of inches of this with freshly crushed hardwood leaves and a couple large pieces of tree bark so curved surface.
So dry on one end .75 or 3/4 surface area is dry with dry hardwood leaves on top then 1/4 surface area has sphagnummoss and is moist I was planning to put water crystals in a 2” clam shell with edges close to flush to substrate. Also a deli lid with gamebird chow fry small pellets and powdered anchovies. For there dining pleasure I also have powdered egg shells to put on this buffet. What do you think. Am I over thinking. Everything is organic and non GMO. Thanks again Ricky 💃🏼🕺🏼🪳🎸🐈⬛🤷🏼♂️😎
Sounds pretty good to me! The proportions of certain soil additives can be crucial. I would go light on things like blood meal, bone meal could be a larger component. When you say ‘freshly crushed hardwood leaves’ I assume you the leaves were already dead and decomposing?
Awesome series!
Amazing video!
Great video
Thank you Russ. Happy Thanksgiving and stay safe.
The food bit was great. 😂
hello great video
really love this channel! thank u Aquarimax!
Thank you for watching 👍👍🏽👍👍🏽
這部影片解決了我很多疑惑 謝謝
Thanks Rus, I find your isopods videos really interesting, your infos are precise ! (I'm from France)
I am very glad to hear it! Thanks for watching!
Great video! How do you remove uneaten powder food from enclosures? I only put a small amount in but it was left uneaten and went moldy, I had trouble removing it from the bark.
I believe it best to just physically remove the entire contaminated piece of bark and/or the top layers of moldy substrate and then to spray the ground zero with diluted hydrogen peroxide..
(You can always set the contaminated piece of bark in the sun and/or pressure cook it or any infected substrate that you might want to reuse)
Springtails are your best friend when it comes to controlling spore growth.
Next time try putting your powder foods on a large leaf or some sort of easily removable surface.
Very useful, at first, I counted about 9 Isopods in my enclosure but now I only consistently see 3. (1.5 week old setup) I have seen some isopods burrowing, are Zebras burrowers?
Zebras will do some burrowing, not as much as rubber duckies, but they will sometimes burrow.
There’s babies in my WhiteOuts that’s you sent me . I counted 15 animals :)
I captured probably a couple hundred armidillidium vulgare and nasatum under some boards and they have made some babies but not many. I bred snails one time and I still have a lot so I just feed my snails the mouldy food and between them and the nematodes it will be gone in the next couple of days.
i got panda kings as my first batch of isopods....barely see them lol probably not the best first isopods for active ones. but i'm waiting for them to be established
👍😄
Thank you!
@@Aquarimax Love these Videos
I appreciate your support and positive feedback!
@@Aquarimax 😊
How are your rubber duckies doing? Will you make a care video about them? Thanks
They’re doing great now, quite a few juveniles! I’ll definitely make a care video about them in the future. 👍🏽
@@Aquarimax that’s fantastic. I am finally getting some myself. So any tips would be really appreciated. I hear they don’t need much ventilation. But I probably don’t know enough.
Hello, thanks for your share, it’s a great video, I have a few question want to ask. How to sanitize the leaf? What machine and what program? Thank you.
Thanks! I will make sure to include that information in an upcoming video 👍🏽
No dislikes.....ever :)
I’m sure some will show up eventually, but I can enjoy it while it lasts 🤣👍
@@Aquarimax CZcams in general is very toxic, this channel is a breath of fresh air. The comment section is a pleasant place to be
Hello sir do you know any temporary alternative to leaf litter ? I have to wait to order some because the ones from outwide have been exposed to pesticides
do u need to get a temporary home for them or no. Should I just get a smaller and bigger tub so when the colony gets bigger I move them?
Hi i much apreciate your vids and am looking into starting in the isopod world. I live in Portugal. will be probably start with native ones. As soon as i identify the species. i wil go for it. At that point would you like for me to send you some? cheers
The oak pellets, do you use that as food? The ones in your links.
I'd be worried about having too many isopods. If only there were a way to just have a few and that's it. I know some species are much less actively breeding.
It is something to think about. You can limit breeding in many species without affecting health by reducing leaf litter.
How about morphs? Culling them or leaving them?
Good question for the future!
I just added a new culture to a new container today. They are not acting like my other culture, they are literally walking around the edges at the bottom of the container and trying to walk up the wall to escape. They wont be able to bc of the way i set it up, but this just seems to me like they are not happy, or something is wrong... what could it be?:
Will almond leafes help zebra isopods breed quicker or it needs to be leaf litter ?
Almond, or Indian almond?
@@Aquarimax both just incase tho..
Should I put springtails in at the same time as the isopods, or should I wait a few weeks between?
Ideally, add the springtails a few weeks before the isopods, but later works too.
@@Aquarimax Thank you! When the springtail are in but the isopods aren't yet, do I have to feed the springtails?
What should you do if you end up with too many isopods and you don't want to start another colony?
That is a great question. You might consider getting an isopod predator…
@@Aquarimax What sort of predators do you recommend and how would you go about using them?
My pet mantis had started molting he had molted his head and abdomen but his arms and legs were not molting I left him for 6 hours but it was the same so I saw that his skin of his arms were sticky and not coming off so I pelled it and out now his arms were free but still his legs were not free pls help. I don't have much time ⌚or my mantis will die😣😣😫 pls tell me that will he survive
Have you misted the enclosure? At this point, try misting the lega directly too. I had that happen once and was able to fix it by misting the Enclosute and the legs directly,
I have a good question do u know how to see the sexuality of armadillidium vulgari and porcellio?
I need to make a video about that!
@@Aquarimax I will appreciate that allot ty
How much mold is too much mold? I feel like it’s all over the leaves and I don’t know if I should keep taking all the leaves out or let it run its course
Is if fine, short, fuzzy, white mold, or a lot of long threads? Dark in color? Long-threaded mold can trap isopods, especially small ones. Some types of dark mold can be dangerous.
@@Aquarimax It's white fuzzy mold that gathers on the leaves or dirt. I just started the setup about 3 weeks ago about the mold started to be an issue about 1 week in
@@elisam1242 not too uncommon, do you have springtails?
@@Aquarimax I do
What kind of isopods are those at 0:48?
I think they’re porcellio Oreo crumble
Old comment, but those are Porcellio ornatus “Yellow Dot”.
His solution to mold: remove it
my solution: add more spring tails
Me too
Springtails defiiitely help against mold, and I highly suggest using them. If too much mold forms, though, I suggest removing the excess.
Can you show us your white worm cultures again?
Your videos are excellent, but how come most of them have no dislikes? Deleting dislikes undermines your trustworthiness and may do more long term harm than good.
I have no idea how to delete dislikes. I don’t even think it is possible.
Whats your name on Instagram, cant find you😂
#aquarimaxpets