I need help making a bio active terrarium

[Bigbrothet1$$]

I’ve tried making a bio active enclosure before but I was never able to see the isopods and when I tore it apart there were no ispopods at all. What I’m doing differently now is thst I’m going to add coco bark and sphagnum moss, my question is: besides the isopods and springtails should I add earth worms and what are the best isopods to use that are easy to breed and hard to kill?

 

[jamest0o0]

If you want straight cleaning efficiency, giant canyon isopods hands down. They will establish fairly fast and have poop gone within hours or less.

I don’t think earth worms are a good idea for enclosures, eventually they lead to soil compaction as they turn everything into castings. Seems odd since normally you think of them aerating soil, but over time it does the opposite. Basically the soil becomes too rich and dense and almost becomes muddy.

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

If you want straight cleaning efficiency, giant canyon isopods hands down. They will establish fairly fast and have poop gone within hours or less.

I don’t think earth worms are a good idea for enclosures, eventually they lead to soil compaction as they turn everything into castings. Seems odd since normally you think of them aerating soil, but over time it does the opposite. Basically the soil becomes too rich and dense and almost becomes muddy.

Oohhhh I’ll definitely look into the giant canion ones. Do you have any tips and tricks on keeping them alive though, like do they require a lot of leaf litter, water, and etc?

 

[jamest0o0]

Honestly they’re very hardy, they survive well in dry(with spots of moisture) or humid conditions. They eat just about anything as well. I had some survive in a bin in my garage over winter which gets below freezing at times lol.

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

Honestly they’re very hardy, they survive well in dry(with spots of moisture) or humid conditions. They eat just about anything as well. I had some survive in a bin in my garage over winter which gets below freezing at times lol.

Oml that’s perfect then. Does your chameleon ever try to eat them? And what would you recommend as a starting cluster? And besides leaf litter do you use anything to help get them breading faster?

 

[jamest0o0]

Oml that’s perfect then. Does your chameleon ever try to eat them? And what would you recommend as a starting cluster? And besides leaf litter do you use anything to help get them breading faster?

Yeah my Cham’s would eat them, but they’re good at hiding and generally reproduce fast enough that it’s not an issue. Starting with just a dozen or two should get you a thriving population in a relatively short time. Cuttle bone and higher protein foods alongside moisture and warm temps should get them growing and breeding pretty fast.

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

Yeah my Cham’s would eat them, but they’re good at hiding and generally reproduce fast enough that it’s not an issue. Starting with just a dozen or two should get you a thriving population in a relatively short time. Cuttle bone and higher protein foods alongside moisture and warm temps should get them growing and breeding pretty fast.

Got it the l you so much!!!! Your amazing

 

[jamest0o0]

Lol anytime !

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

Lol anytime !

Im so sorry to bug you but I have one more question!!! Where do you buys your isopods and is there a good website to buy them from?

 

[jamest0o0]

You could probably find some on eBay. Back when I sold feeders/cleaners I had thousands. Josh’s frogs, rainbow mealworms, and I’m sure tons are on morphmarket as well.

 

[MissSkittles]

I try to keep a nice thicker layer of leaf litter and some decent sized pieces of cork bark for the isopods to hide under. Just this morning I caught my two girls hunting their clean up crew. Occasionally I’ll give the cuc some of whatever I’m feeding my feeder insects - I put it under their cork bark so they can stay hidden as they enjoy some fresh veggies. Every now and then I’ll find an escapee isopod strolling down the hall. I’ve determined that some came out when the leaf litter had become sparse in one of my chameleon enclosures as once I refilled it, they stayed put. Others may come from my leopard gecko tanks if things get too dry for them. I took @jamest0o0 suggestion a while back and bought giant canyon from him. Not sure how many generations it’s been, but their offspring are in all of my chameleon enclosures and leopard gecko tanks and I keep a small colony of them for future use.

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

I try to keep a nice thicker layer of leaf litter and some decent sized pieces of cork bark for the isopods to hide under. Just this morning I caught my two girls hunting their clean up crew. Occasionally I’ll give the cuc some of whatever I’m feeding my feeder insects - I put it under their cork bark so they can stay hidden as they enjoy some fresh veggies. Every now and then I’ll find an escapee isopod strolling down the hall. I’ve determined that some came out when the leaf litter had become sparse in one of my chameleon enclosures as once I refilled it, they stayed put. Others may come from my leopard gecko tanks if things get too dry for them. I took @jamest0o0 suggestion a while back and bought giant canyon from him. Not sure how many generations it’s been, but their offspring are in all of my chameleon enclosures and leopard gecko tanks and I keep a small colony of them for future use.

Oh si THSTS not to bad then!!! I’ll definitely look into getting some I. The future