# Does anyone ever actually see their isopods crawling around in the tank?



## 2Lorenzoss (11 mo ago)

Just wondering. I have them in there, under out three layers of leaf litter and the substrate ut never see them anywhere. I'm assuming they're in there doing the 
work. Anything I should look for?
Thanks


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

2Lorenzoss said:


> Just wondering. I have them in there, under out three layers of leaf litter and the substrate ut never see them anywhere. I'm assuming they're in there doing the
> work. Anything I should look for?
> Thanks


I never see mine out and about, but dwarf white Isopods are very light sensitive and tend to avoid going topside while the lights are on.


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## solidsnake (Jun 3, 2014)

I have some giant orange isoods. I see them crawling around once in a while. I don’t have frogs or anything actively hunting them though. The dwarf white isopods that I have stocked are never seen unless I start lifting up leaves and such.


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## 2Lorenzoss (11 mo ago)

fishingguy12345 said:


> I never see mine out and about, but dwarf white Isopods are very light sensitive and tend to avoid going topside while the lights are on.


Thats good to know. I didn't really expect to see them out and around. I wondering if all I got was a lot of dirt! Just as long as they do their cleaning its all good.


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## Anon123 (Jan 13, 2022)

Since my substrate is gravel, I see dwarf whites hanging around the glass sides sometimes.


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## crbonade (May 13, 2021)

I see my dairy cows wandering around (jeebus those guys got huge, glad I only have them in with my azureus), and sometimes my powder orange (and sometimes the zebras that somehow found their way into frog tanks). My dwarf species all stay in the substrate though, and my cubaris and nasatums stay deep in the leaf litter.


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## hansgruber7 (Mar 23, 2020)

I see them if I life a piece of wood or something off the substrate. But I don't see them crawling out in the open.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

I typically never see mine (dwarf white and purple). I took the frogs (thumbs) out of a viv once but didn't get to tearing the viv down right away, and within a couple weeks there were many isopods visible. In a new viv, they take a while to ramp up, and in an established viv the frogs keep their numbers down.


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## TeddytheFinger (May 8, 2019)

I put 40 dwarf whites in my 180g tank....I'm pretty positive the tank ate them.
Btw...how big do those dairy cow get? I may have to look for some next weekend.


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## atelopusman50 (Jun 26, 2016)

What I do every once in a while is put in old fruit or vegetables in the tank and with in a couple of days the are all over it


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

TeddytheFinger said:


> I put 40 dwarf whites in my 180g tank....I'm pretty positive the tank ate them.
> Btw...how big do those dairy cow get? I may have to look for some next weekend.


Big. Like 3/4" body length. No way I'd put them in with any other animal inhabitants.


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## TeddytheFinger (May 8, 2019)

Nice!!! Since I only have plants it may be nice to be able to SEE some sort of inhabitant in my tank....I'll be at tinley park next Sunday I'll see if they have any.


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## JasonE (Feb 7, 2011)

I see my dwarf purples crawling around from time to time. You'll almost never see dwarf whites unless you dig down into your leaf litter.
I used to have giant oranges in with my terribilis and I saw them constantly. Mostly dangling out of someone's mouth.


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## crbonade (May 13, 2021)

TeddytheFinger said:


> I put 40 dwarf whites in my 180g tank....I'm pretty positive the tank ate them.
> Btw...how big do those dairy cow get? I may have to look for some next weekend.


They can get up to 3/4" long. I have a couple of adults who are definitely that size.


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## TeddytheFinger (May 8, 2019)

crbonade said:


> They can get up to 3/4" long. I have a couple of adults who are definitely that size.
> View attachment 306053


Big bois!


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## SeaAnemone (12 mo ago)

@TeddytheFinger it might be worth seeing if P. laevis is inclined to eat living plant material. I keep a couple of armadillidium species. From what I’ve read they’ll definitely eat green plants so they have their own tubs, separate from my plant only tank. I don’t know if dairy cows pose the same risk to plants and/or maybe you’re fine with some plants being eaten. I can’t imagine trying to remove isopods from a planted tank if they become a problem later on though.


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