# Worms in isopod culture



## PhylloBro (Sep 21, 2018)

These worms killed off a smaller culture I had previously. There’s many threads about these but none with pictures so the responses are unclear to me. I got this one to replace that one and these worms have come back. I don’t know what they are but when they show up the isopods begin to disappear. They are usually eating the fish flakes I drop in the culture but they are abundant.


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

What are you doing to treat your media you are culturing your isopods on?

I personally microwave a few times to nuke the media. I can't stand hitch hikers in my cultures. I never get them from the media I using this technique.


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## PhylloBro (Sep 21, 2018)

varanoid said:


> What are you doing to treat your media you are culturing your isopods on?
> 
> I personally microwave a few times to nuke the media. I can't stand hitch hikers in my cultures. I never get them from the media I using this technique.


I actually never considered treating the media.. some came straight from the store bought bag and some came from a brick of cocofiber. I wish i would have thought of that. Is there anything i can do to save this culture or should i just begin a new one?


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

I would just start a new one if it were me. Carefully pick the adults out one by one and start with fresh treated media. Let the isopods run around a little to make sure that there is no more dirt/media on them. Make sure to moisten the new media before you nuke it or bake it.

I restart my cultures from time to time when my isopod cultures get inevitably invaded by escaped springtails. The springtails don't seem to harm them per se, but I do feel like the production potential falls off a little.


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## PhylloBro (Sep 21, 2018)

varanoid said:


> I would just start a new one if it were me. Carefully pick the adults out one by one and start with fresh treated media. Let the isopods run around a little to make sure that there is no more dirt/media on them. Make sure to moisten the new media before you nuke it or bake it.
> 
> I restart my cultures from time to time when my isopod cultures get inevitably invaded by escaped springtails. The springtails don't seem to harm them per se, but I do feel like the production potential falls off a little.


Thats what i will probably end up doing as painful as it is. This culture was the furthest ive gotten :[ What kind of media do you use? im using cocofiber mixed with cyprus mulch. i think the cocofiber is what might be attracting these little devils into my isopod cultures.


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

PhylloBro said:


> I actually never considered treating the media.. some came straight from the store bought bag and some came from a brick of cocofiber. I wish i would have thought of that. Is there anything i can do to save this culture or should i just begin a new one?


Neither of those should have resulted in this kind of hitch hiker. Have you added anything else?

Solo


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## PhylloBro (Sep 21, 2018)

SoloSK71 said:


> Neither of those should have resulted in this kind of hitch hiker. Have you added anything else?
> 
> Solo


Nope. I kept the isopods in their original container for quite a while and they had found there way in there before i did anything to it which lead me to believe they were the larvae of some kind of flying insect but i can notice them reproducing as worms (I assume this is what they are doing when the larger ones connect and tie eachother). Since ive moved them ive noticed an increase but i think the increase is correlated to the amount of moisture.


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

The second picture *looks* like white worms (Enchytraeus albidus) which *should* be a pretty passive co-existor with the isopods. It is hard to tell which is zoomed or not, but if they are less than 1mm in width and only 4mm to 5mm in length then that is what they might be. There is a goodway to bait them so that they all go to one area, away from the isopods, using the fact that they like much higher humidity than isopods.

Mix
- Sticky white rice (sushi rice, not grain rice) boiled till very soft and then squeeze the water out of it with a strainer when finished
- pour in whole milk or even better, Keifer liquid yogurt (plain) or regular plain yogurt and allow to sit for 24 hours (any unused portion can be zip-locked and frozen for future bait which are typically 2-3 times a week depending on how many worms you are dealing with)
- put this sticky, moist blob at the end of your isopod container that you keep the most humid and spray it daily with distilled water. The worms will go to this bait while the isopods will stay away. You can then either remove the worms or the isopods with some certainty that they won't be mixed together.

Apparently darts will eat these worms as well, but if you don't want to introduce them to your vivarium then you can freeze them or give them to your friends with aquariums.

Solo


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

SoloSK71 said:


> Neither of those should have resulted in this kind of hitch hiker. Have you added anything else?
> 
> Solo


I agree it would be unlikely that someone would pick up anything from a coco fiber brick, but the store bought bag can definitely have hitch hikers. I have gotten hitch hikers from store bought zoo med and exo premixed medias. Both brands I experienced hitch hikers. I nuke/bake everything now that I plan to raise my cultures on.


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## I'mNew2Frogs! (Jan 23, 2019)

My first Isopod culture is finally taking off and I'm starting to see the same worms  So far I have not put any in my viv.

I have a fresh bag of "Isopod" substrate I haven't opend up yet sitting in my garage from one of of the larger online people, how long would you microwave this for please?


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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

I'mNew2Frogs! said:


> My first Isopod culture is finally taking off and I'm starting to see the same worms  So far I have not put any in my viv.
> 
> I have a fresh bag of "Isopod" substrate I haven't opend up yet sitting in my garage from one of of the larger online people, how long would you microwave this for please?


I am very cautious about microwaving things that are not food. I would recommend either pressure cooking (my preference for substrates, soils and leaves) or baking the media (my preference for wood and charcoal)

The 'industry' that requires probably the most sterile media is growing mushrooms at home and they recommend pressure cooking

If you really want to use the microwave, go with no more than 2.2 pounds of moist soil at a time and 90 seconds per 2.2 pounds

For an over, using a traditional oven pour the slightly moist soil into a metal pan so that it forms a layer that is a maximum of 4 inches deep and bake the soil at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes

Solo


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

SoloSK71 said:


> I am very cautious about microwaving things that are not food. I would recommend either pressure cooking (my preference for substrates, soils and leaves) or baking the media (my preference for wood and charcoal)
> 
> The 'industry' that requires probably the most sterile media is growing mushrooms at home and they recommend pressure cooking
> 
> ...


Agree that a pressure cooker would be best. I just don't have one.

My nuke technique is to put in a few lbs and nuke it several times for a couple of minutes. 

I've never baked my soil, but I do bake my leaves after I have boiled them.


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