cleaner crew

[dodolah]

a quick question..
how many spring tails and sow bugs exactly needed in 15 gallon enclosure?
is a culture of 50 pillbugs too many/ too little?

thanks

 

[The Dude]

I was thinking the same thing. Can there be too many? One thing i do know is that they will multiply real quickly! I just put a few of each to get things started. Im sure all you need to do is just plant the seed.

 

[kearth]

With springtails I would just add a 16 oz culture. Or Part of a 16 oz culture.

Pill bugs take a lot longer to produce than springtails.

I have witnessed my pygmies eating the springs so I dont worry about getting too many of them.

i would think 50 pill bugs is a good start. Some will get eaten but there should be enough to culture in the tank for you.

 

[dodolah]

is it best to combine both springtails and sowbugs? any other clean up crew (except millipedes) you guys recommend?

Here's one..
Pepita:

Pepita's enclosure (credit to Dirrtybirdy)

I'm going to add a very small orchid soon in the enclosure.
I believe Pepita is expecting..
I am going to buy another female brevs at SD expo.. so Pepe, her husband, can have a company while she is non receptive. Any recommendation on name?

Pepe, Pepita, and "Patata" or "Soledad," or "Rosita"?

4 some reason I want to use spanish names for them.. don't ask me why
But, I would love to have the 3rd female pygs' spanish name start with P.. but for some reason, i am ran out of idea..

 

[kearth]

You can combine the two cleaners. As for what else you can use I am not sure.

I sometimes use the spanish orange isopods as well but they are so slow to culture.

i too am currently looking for another female or 2 to add to my guys. They seem to be so hard to find when I decide to start looking.

 

[ocular_factitus]

Wow i love your viv! Lets see more pics!

 

[dodolah]

here's another pic.. Sorry, my camera is a very ancient one. I need a new one that won't make a blurry pic whenever I move a 0.01 millimeter.
Again, all credit goes to the previous owner.
my contribution there are just the rolly pollies, the future springtails, and one orchid coming up to replace the dried fern

And, the lucky husband.. Pepe

 

[ocular_factitus]

Nice! Thank you, I've always loved ferns, so prehistoric.

 

[dodolah]

they both just woke up..
I'm about to spray them in an hour or so..

 

[The Dude]

where can you buy these insects?

 

[dodolah]

dendroboards forum, joshsfrogs, carolina pet supply, and so on.
There are many people sell these 2 type of cleaners (sowbugs technically are crustraceans.. little tiny shrimps.. and springtails is something else which i do not know what exactly).. I am hoping that somebody will sell one at the San Diego expo so I do not have to buy online.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I purchased my temperate springtail culture from some poison dart frog people at a show.
I know Josh's frogs sells them.
I collect everything else.
temperate sow bugs, tiny millipedes and snails all came from my garden.
I don't use any pesticides and only fertilize with fish emulsion. Not too worried about anything else (ie: parasites, etc). I didn't introduce slugs into these enclosures, but they are there ... whatever. Everyone is living in harmony and I never clean poop or see any mold or rotten detritus.

-Brad

 

[dodolah]

I purchased my temperate springtail culture from some poison dart frog people at a show.
I know Josh's frogs sells them.
I collect everything else.
temperate sow bugs, tiny millipedes and snails all came from my garden.
I don't use any pesticides and only fertilize with fish emulsion. Not too worried about anything else (ie: parasites, etc). I didn't introduce slugs into these enclosures, but they are there ... whatever. Everyone is living in harmony and I never clean poop or see any mold or rotten detritus.

-Brad

With all that busy-ness in the enclosure and how hard it is to actually spot the pygmies, how do you monitor the amount of food they take, Brad? or should we even bother to monitor it at all? Especially since they will eat some of the springtails and the sow bugs...

 

[Dunnigan]

I have a hard time finding my guys when i want to, much less when they decide to eat. I track them all down every now and then and give them a good once over...so far so good!

 

[Brad Ramsey]

With all that busy-ness in the enclosure and how hard it is to actually spot the pygmies, how do you monitor the amount of food they take, Brad? or should we even bother to monitor it at all? Especially since they will eat some of the springtails and the sow bugs...

I don't.
I feed approximately 3 quarter to half inch crickets per pygmy every other day.
I toss them in and let them work it out.

-Brad

edit: there are two brev tanks here.
One houses 6 and one houses 4.
I throw 15 to 25 crickets in each every other day ... I don't count out 3 per.

 

[dirrtybirdy]

Hey, hows the tank coming along? I hope youre enjoying it as much as I did! Your pictures are not working lol our maybe i have a bad connection with PB. Please post pictures up often, I miss this tank already! lol

 

[dodolah]

Hey, hows the tank coming along? I hope youre enjoying it as much as I did! Your pictures are not working lol our maybe i have a bad connection with PB. Please post pictures up often, I miss this tank already! lol

I love it! i have just introduced one female for the guy.

the link is broken. I'll fix it now.

Enclosure.

Acclimating to their new environment.

and the new addition:

 

[tryme]

If you have spring tails and sow bugs into the enclosure will they clean up the feaces etc and keep the enclosure mite free?

 

[tryme]

are sow bugs actually wood lice?

 

[tryme]

anyone know?