We NEED to make some changes in how we keep ISOPODS!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
- In recent years the diversity of ISOPODS available to the trade has grown by staggering amounts. Species from all over the world, a myriad of habitats, new discoveries of incredible hot species and colour forms are being found almost daily.
With all these new discoveries our knowledge base of how to best care for them is growing and changing just as fast.
Since the beginning most of us have done pretty standard or basic care. we've been told to collect and dry leaves, cork slabs, plastic shoeboxes etc...
we need to do better! The ISOPODS need us to do better!
We have a lot more habitat information on the variety of species and we have a strong community of support sharing their experiences.
It's time to make some changes!
Thanks for watching my friends,
I look forward to your comments.
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I have been looking EVERYWHERE for a video that discusses isopods in their natural habitat, but every video I've seen only talked about husbandry-related topics. I am incredibly psyched that you made a video discussing isopod ecology!!! The diversity of isopods, roaches, parasitoid wasps, etc. as they exist in the natural world is a subject that I can't get enough of. Typically, I have to stick to reading research articles. It is very refreshing to be able to watch a video like this. I look forward to more of your content!
This is how I set up all my terrariums, including pouring in some liquid compost tea and mycorrhiza starter to create a good base microbiome. I find that it makes the whole system more stable, resilient to changes and the flora thrives much faster in a new system. Sometimes you also get mushrooms, lichens and fern spores popping up like they would in nature. The more complex you make your system, the better it works. Of course sometimes you get some hitchhikers such as soil mites or nematodes but they also add to the complexity of the ecosystem by filling in the gaps in recycling biomass leftover by the isopods. If you want your critters to act as they would in nature, try to observe and recreate their natural habitat as closely as possible. Same goes for aquariums.
It seems that a lot of people like to depend on care sheets. Its nice to actually do some natural history of said animals. Props to you.
That’s truly kind Don, thank you. I’m fairly compulsive by nature so always striving to learn more. Culturing Isopods in captivity we have so very much to learn still. Thats what he big part of the fun
It would be great if you could do a video focusing on these misconceptions and proper techniques in a less conversational form and more structured, like a list or something, bullet points. I know that would help out a lot of us.
Great video though. Learned something new.
Great video though. Learned something new.
he has a video from about 4 months ago on isopod substrate that is detailed
th-cam.com/video/xMIOYTcRv9M/w-d-xo.html
I’m so glad this is being suggested now, Iv been collected bark strips from downed trees with lichens & moss growing on them for years now & the only sterilising Iv done like you’ve suggested is submerging in water. Iv never had any issues.
I read that many isopods also feed on the bacteria, fungi and biofilm that covers rotting leaves and wood. If we boil them or cook them we are destroying this!
Really good video, as an invertebrate and reptile keeper i’m always trying to balance fashion and function, I like setting my animals up in nice large display enclosures, but the materials have to benefit the animals, it can be a hard balance to achieve but the animals needs have to come first!
Well said!
Nice hat.
Thanks for this vid.
After I baked my first few batches of leaves I was struck by the oddness of giving my isopods cooked food. I don't have many (or even big) enclosures so I decided I would rinse and check the leaves instead. I have plenty of stringy moss in the lawn - my P. scabers LOVE it.
Amazing video I don’t even own isopods I keep arachnids and centipedes but just listening to ur enthusiasm and knowledge is fascinating and would definitely love more videos like this style.
So nice of you
Thank you, great information. I have been doing it your way for awhile. Works great.
I've had tarantulas for a while and experimented with use of springtails for clean-up. I recently bought some armadillidium gestroi for my first fully bio-active isopod only terrarium and am loving it. Your videos are great and have helped me a lot.
I’m truly honoured my friend
I put together my first enclosure last week using your methods! Thank you for these videos
That is awesome! How did it turn out? Do you love it? was it a super fun build?
It turned out so good!
Don't forget deserts! You can find isopods in deserts too.
They don't have access to leaf litter unless it's from a tree we humans have planted and you might have a hard time finding any above ground unless it has recently rained. But they live and thrive here too!
I live in SW Kansas and we are in an semi-arid to at time’s almost arid environment. I found isopods in my neighbors dry, scrub dirt yard, next to a shed and under five gallon buckets that probably hadn’t been moved in a couple years, and when I lifted the first bucket up, there were hundreds of isopods underneath the bucket, and hundreds of babies on the bottom side of the bucket. I have never seen so many in my 65 years. I scooped some of the babies, and was able to capture about ten huge adults, before they got under some old leaf litter, and put the bucket back. I moved the second bucket that was about four feet away, and there were as many if not more isopods, and some were so tiny I thought they were eggs, and some were so huge I was shocked! We had not had any rain for at least four months, but we had had the wettest spring in many many years. I’ve lived here over seven years, and just this summer i found five or six isopods under some bricks where my air conditioner dripped. I lived for 58 years in Iowa, and isopods, or roly polys were a part
of my childhood and adult gardening. I know have two thriving colonies of my isopods, and have put some in two of my jumping spiders enclosures, my Tlilocatyl Albopilosum tarantula enclosure, and a wolf spider enclosure in a low moisture terrarium. I can’t use soul and leaf litter from outside, because of the chance of picking up fire ants. I did collect a lot of elm bark from downed tree limbs, and scalded it and baked it, and was able to crumble up a lot and mix in the potting mix I use. I feed fresh vegetables and fruit, and if I find a dubia moly, or deceased dubia or cricket, I toss in my isopods and they devour them.
: Edit: I collected my isopods on a 78 degree F day in mid October.
Same here guys. I live kind of on the edge of a desert but it’s still dry, dead bushes for miles and miles. I’ve found isopods in my front yard (there’s trees there and lots of leaf litter) but still very dry under the leaf litter. It’s surprising how dry it can get and the isopods are still alive.
i don't think people are so worried about bacteria or fungus on the leaves or wood, its more so for all the unwelcome guests you will get in your enclosures if you don't. Such as predatory mites, or other small pests that are hard to catch with the naked eye. other than that cool vid
He mentions submerging in water for 24 hours before using it, do you think that won't be enough?
@@chaoman122333 I'm also curious about this. I just did a revamp of my enclosures and went further toward the sterilization route, because my prior enclosures all got completely overrun with soil (i think) mites to the point they were exploding out the the boxes and I had to keep them stacked on a tray of diatomaceous earth to prevent them getting all over the house. The mites seemed to kill off my springtails and I could barely get any to survive after some point. So now I am focusing on making sure the springtails are well stocked and have 14 separate springtail cultures going to keep the supply available... will see how it goes. If it's successful after some time, I may try experimenting with introducing some non-sterilized forest products and will test the water submerged idea.
Excellent video, the hobby needs to realize that these are dirt lovin detritivores not sterile lab animals
Thank you, very true.
If most of them weren’t so incredibly resilient I doubt the hobby would be alive
Love the hat!!
lol it’s a combover
Great video! It’s obvious that you take a lot of time to learn how to best keep isopods through research and trial and error. Lots of people just follow strict care sheets and how people have been keeping isopods for years even if it’s not the best.
Some comments:
4:05 The main reason I and lots of other people use cork bark instead of decomposing wood/bark is because cork bark takes forever to decompose and isopods eat it extremely slowly. Cork bark is used as a hide that you only have to replace every few years.
4:17 Could you clarify on the benefits of naturally harvested live moss over sphagnum moss? I generally use sphagnum moss to retain moisture, I find that it retains moisture very well and isopods eat the sphagnum moss (although somewhat slowly, especially if there is lots of other nutrients in the enclosure). I do sometimes feed live moss (especially to Armadillidiums) which I harvest from some of my moss cultivation bins and it’s eaten up extremely quickly.
3:00 What isopod is this? I’m guess maculatum but I’ve never seen these shades of yellow before.
6:30 Good look with your Merulanellas! I’ve heard of very experienced keepers having lots of crashes with these guys and struggling to keep them long term. Looks like they’re coming back to me!
8:00 I’m loving this conversational format!
11:50 Excellent advice! I do like to keep the leaves underwater for more than 24 hours, usually for a few days or even over a week. The leaves get slimy and smelly, film starts forming, etc. Isopods love this stuff.
14:50 cool hat
Great video as always.
Thank you, how was the expo this weekend?
@@themadaquaristsrealmnatura2556 it was great. Busy for the size. Thanks for asking.
AS A VERTEBRATE, i approve of this message
Lol
How do you dry the leaves after soaking prior to adding to vivarium? I have been collecting from the woods for years but have moisture issues with my pods that need dryer environments so bake them. Would like to skip that step.
I dried mine on a back tray out in the sun.
That’s how you get “springtail” size tree ants that you will not see until it’s to late.
I still have the ants in a fishbowl they don’t climb. Ruined a whole colony’s worth of substrate.
A lot of the things marketed for isopods and other pets are rubbish.. Just there to make someone money.
This was really validating to me, you basically took all the 'controversial' things I do with my pods and said "yes, this is okay, you're doing the right thing" 🥲
Well that’s wonderful news! Thank you