# Do Isopods Float?



## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

I need to re-do my isopod cultures and switch from all coir substrate to ABG mix with leaves. My problem is, how to I separate the isos (mini whites and striped) from coir. I don't really want to go digging through and pick them out one by one.
I thought about using the coir in the cultures as the base for the ABG and just throw in bark, tree fir, carbon and leaves and then divide it up into new containers, but that would make about 10 new cultures from one and I think that would thin the isopod population too much.

So, my question is, is there an easy way to separate isos from coconut coir?


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

I would try baiting them. Don't feed your culture for a week. Then take a mango seed with a decent amount of flesh still attached, and toss it in. Put the culture in the dark overnight and pull it in the morning. Do this a few times and you'll get a large percentage of them out.


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

Thanks Doug. I don't normally have mangos lying around the house (although they are easy to find here). Is there any other "bait" you could recommend?


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Well, I said a mango pit because the are big and broad, and isopods love it. Whenever I have a mango I throw the pit in for them to chew the flesh off of. When I pick it out, it has hundreds to thousands of isopods stuck to it. Now the pit it hard so I can just whack it on the bottom of a collection bowl. Walla, a thousand Dwarf Whites ready to feed, package, or restart. In my opinion, it's well worth the buck or two.

That's not what you asked though, so if you want to try something else, I find them highly attracted to banana, and they go nuts over Ocean Nutrition Formula One fish flake. Funny thing is, they hate the Ocean Nutrition Formula Two fish flake. 
I haven't tried it, but a peach pit may work well. Peaches and Mangos have a somewhat similar flavor.
Apple hasn't done much for me, though they will finish it off over time.
How about soaking a piece of corrugated cardboard in grape juice and laying it on top of the substrate for a couple days. They love cardboard anyway. I keep cardboard in my cultures and when you peel them apart, there are usually hundreds of isopods hiding inside the cardboard.


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

Mine love watermelon. Granted i haven't tried mango or anything, but if i put a thin flat piece of watermelon, i can see a good number on the watermelon


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Since I mentioned all these fruits, I should also say to be careful feeding too many sugary fruits long term. They can bring in a persistent mold that takes forever to clear up.


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