# Can too many giant orange isopods be a problem?



## cowboy232350 (Mar 14, 2011)

I have a 20 gallon horizontal that has my trio of leucs. I have giant orange isopods in there and I can see them from time to time but lately they are out in large numbers. I know they will eat the plants (already doing that) but they won't hurt the frogs right?















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## cowboy232350 (Mar 14, 2011)

Was going to offer some for starter cultures but due to the risk of potentially spreading pathogens or mites that was brought to my attention I will not.


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## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

Won't hurt the frogs and all the BABIES are perfect food.

While starting cultures for free is a generous offer, people should be careful about this being a possible vector for transfer of pathogens and cultures started with ISOs from a vivarium my harbor mites.


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## cowboy232350 (Mar 14, 2011)

Ah! I didn't think of the pathogens, I was just trying to share the wealth. I will edit that part out.


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## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

cowboy232350 said:


> Ah! I didn't think of the pathogens, I was just trying to share the wealth. I will edit that part out.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No worries, there, just whoever gets the ISOs from you should be careful. And this isn't to insinuate that your frogs are sick. It's just about avoiding the potential. The best way to start a culture is from a frog free culture.


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## cowboy232350 (Mar 14, 2011)

I didn't take it personal. Just slipped my mind how easy something like that could cause a lot of problems


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

Besides the babies being food for the frogs, I also think they would stop reproducing if their food becomes more scarce, so I wouldn't worry about them.


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## cowboy232350 (Mar 14, 2011)

Besides, I have a master culture I started when I first received these guys, so now with my tanks seeded well I can just build it up!


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## cowboy232350 (Mar 14, 2011)

just took this picture after spraying the tanks and adding flies. Guess they wanted to come out and see what is going on.


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## scoy (Jan 22, 2013)

JPccusa said:


> Besides the babies being food for the frogs, I also think they would stop reproducing if their food becomes more scarce, so I wouldn't worry about them.


I dont think theyll stop reproduction based on food but the frogs should keep them in check. I once forgot about a giant orange culture, when I found it they still reproducing and feeding on there dead.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

If the population of oranges gets so high that it is causing too much damage with your plants, a trap is simple. Put a 4 oz deli cup nestled into the substrate. Put a half inch of water and a pinch of fish food in.
Clear the trap of bunches of drowned adults every 3 days or so. Continue until the population is where you want it. You can take care of a pretty big problem in a couple/few short weeks.
It seems to mostly attract giant oranges, but you may lose a few other isopods, too. The Dwarf Gray/Striped seem to fall prey to water traps pretty easily. 
Springtails float so they are completely immune to the traps.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

scoy said:


> I dont think theyll stop reproduction based on food but the frogs should keep them in check. I once forgot about a giant orange culture, when I found it they still reproducing and feeding on there dead.


I can verify that. Watching giant oranges consume their own dead is what led me to begin using more and more protein in my isopod cultures.


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## cowboy232350 (Mar 14, 2011)

They are bold! That is for sure.









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## hillblazer (Jul 1, 2013)

Pumilo said:


> I can verify that. Watching giant oranges consume their own dead is what led me to begin using more and more protein in my isopod cultures.


What are your feeding with more protein?


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