# isopods..?



## HiMonster (Sep 22, 2011)

i threw a good amount of isopods in my vivarium and my frogs was going crazy for um!! Only thing is that i don't know if any survived the frog attack.. essentially im trying to start a nice colony of iso's in my vivarium.

If you do have an established colony, do you usually see the isopods out and about in the viv?

How do i find out if they are thriving without having to move a whole bunch of leaves around?

i've noticed that my dart spends a lot of time under the leaves. Is this a good sign that the isopods are thriving?


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

I would try to start a culture of the isopods, that way you don't even have to worry about having to go out to collect them. You can set up a simple culture by getting a shoebox sized container and adding some sterilized (microwaved or baked) dirt and sterilized leaves.

Any pics of the isopods? Any other interesting local microfauna you've been feeding it?


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## brinkerh420 (Oct 2, 2011)

Isopods live under the leaf litter, where it is closer to 100 percent humidity. You might see a few up and about, but in the long run, flip over some logs or other objects and they should be there if you have some.


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

I rarely see my isos out cruising, but I do see them every once in a while. Same with the springtails. I rarely see them out and exposed, except for a brief time right after the lights turn on. All I have to do to see how they are doing is flip over a few leaves.


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

Feeding flies on one end of the tank and throwing isos in the other end helps more of them get to cover, or adding them at night. They'll usually stay in the leaf litter, unless you're feeding them in which case they'll come out to snag the fish flakes/mushrooms/mold etc


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## mordoria (Jan 28, 2011)

Ill dig a ditch in the viv, add some bakers yeast, and then fill the ditch back in with springtail loaded substrate. Then I cover the ditch with new leaf litter. Voila! Froggie cafeteria.

I also have a curved piece of corkbark against the glass. the pocket behind is a great place to drop in a mushroom. I always see springs and the frogs cant get behind he cork.


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## ykh (Oct 27, 2011)

Can I collect isopods from my garden and add to the vivarium? I have tons of isopods in my garden. They might be too big for the frog to eat but I just want them to breakdown the waste.


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## bristles (Jan 19, 2011)

I would be leery of feeding things that I collected outside as they may have parasites or pathogens,,,just saying


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## HiMonster (Sep 22, 2011)

i do have seperate cultures of isopods… but i threw some into my viv to start an in viv culture… but i dont know if my auratus ate them all  i dont see them hanging around


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

mordoria said:


> I also have a curved piece of corkbark against the glass. the pocket behind is a great place to drop in a mushroom. I always see springs and the frogs cant get behind he cork.


In tank refugium for the microfauna esentially.


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## Absolutbill (Aug 23, 2011)

I just got my viv set up, very few plants, no frogs but a good layer of ABG and A good amount of leaf litter. Would it behoove me to purchase and throw in some Isopods now? I don't want to raise them and cannot afford to supplement them. Would they survive and reproduce in the tank on their own?

Thanks


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

YEs its a good idea


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Absolutbill said:


> I just got my viv set up, very few plants, no frogs but a good layer of ABG and A good amount of leaf litter. Would it behoove me to purchase and throw in some Isopods now? I don't want to raise them and cannot afford to supplement them. Would they survive and reproduce in the tank on their own?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> ...


You can't afford to throw some carrot shavings, an apple core, or a moldy grape in once a week? They'll eat almost anything.


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## Feelin Froggy (May 12, 2011)

I throw quite a few pods in each viv as well as springs. If you look through the tank, under larger leaves (I use sea grapes in all of mine as well as banyan leaves) youll see them hanging out. Also, Ive noticed if I loose a brom and let it sit on the viv floor isos AND springs usually are attracted to it for some reason.


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## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

Absolutbill said:


> I just got my viv set up, very few plants, no frogs but a good layer of ABG and A good amount of leaf litter. Would it behoove me to purchase and throw in some Isopods now? I don't want to raise them and cannot afford to supplement them. Would they survive and reproduce in the tank on their own?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> ...


Depending on what frogs you want to keep, I don't know if you can afford NOT to raise them. They are an essential microfauna for most any viv and are rediculously easy to raise. You put in some cardboard over abg or other soil mix, add a couple slices of whatever veggies are laying around, and mist when the cardboard dries out, add more cardboard as it is eaten. You can do it in some cheep zip lock containers and will spend less than 15 minutes a week caring for them. FF are more hassle honestly.


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## NickJR (Jul 28, 2011)

My springs and isos in one tank are always out running around. Lol maybe they are taking oveR!

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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Feelin Froggy said:


> I throw quite a few pods in each viv as well as springs. If you look through the tank, under larger leaves (I use sea grapes in all of mine as well as banyan leaves) youll see them hanging out. Also, Ive noticed if I loose a brom and let it sit on the viv floor isos AND springs usually are attracted to it for some reason.


They are eating it. They're more than food, they are our viv janitors.


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## Absolutbill (Aug 23, 2011)

I meant I cannot afford to purchase them to supplement them. I guess i did not really research into raising them on my own, i thought it was a lot harder.

A bigger question is If I seed the tank while I have no frogs will they reproduce in the tank?


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Absolutbill said:


> I meant I cannot afford to purchase them to supplement them. I guess i did not really research into raising them on my own, i thought it was a lot harder.
> 
> A bigger question is If I seed the tank while I have no frogs will they reproduce in the tank?
> 
> ...


Yes they will, but if you get Tincs or big frogs, it may not take them long to clean them out.


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## Absolutbill (Aug 23, 2011)

I am planning on some leucs, would they ravage the Isopods?


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Absolutbill said:


> I am planning on some leucs, would they ravage the Isopods?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


They will try to. Depending on the size of your viv, how deep your substrate it, and how deep your leaf litter is, your isopods may or may not be able to still establish a breeding population. This is why it is good to culture them on the side. It's really so simple. Read the first couple of pages of this thread and you are good to go. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/66991-how-culture-isopods-woodlice-springtails.html


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## Absolutbill (Aug 23, 2011)

Thanks


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