Do isopods dig down into the substrate?

[Synapze]

I have a few terrariums that I occasionally put my mantids in as kind of a "spa day". They seem to enjoy the adventure and extra humidity.

Question is if I throw in some isopods in the terrarium, will they dig down into the substrate, in this case multiple moss varieties, and destroy the aesthetic design of the terrarium? 

 

[Predatorhousepet]

They will go under the moss and dig into the top layers of the substrate but they won't damage living moss or plants. They generally only eat dead or decaying material and have a symbiotic relationship with the flora in your terrarium. I have both isopods and springtails in all my planted terrariums and the isopods haven't messed with the aesthetic at all. The isopods tend to come up to the surface and crawl around when you water or heavily mist the terrarium. 

 

[Predatorhousepet]

I also have an isopod culture that I actively feed. While they will eat potatoes and apples they don't eat the skins so if you are worried about roots being eaten they won't bother them as long as there are no breaks in the outer skin and you provide enough moisture so they don't feel the need to look for water in the roots. Their favorite food seems to be the swatted escaped flies I give them.

 

[Synapze]

Their favorite food seems to be the swatted escaped flies I give them.

That's a great way to recycle dead flies!

As always, thanks for the great info!

 

[Synapze]

I have both isopods and springtails in all my planted terrariums and the isopods haven't messed with the aesthetic at all. 

When I look through dead leaves around the compost bin, I see what we used to call rolly pollies. Can those be used? I also see many tiny white critters that remind me of large brine shrimp. Could those be related to springtails? 

A few of my enclosures have gravel as substrate and I wonder if the isopods would be able to clean up the hatched pupae cases and any whole flies that occasionally end up dead, but not eaten.

 

[Predatorhousepet]

Isopods = rolly pollies 

They are the same thing. Those could be springtails or a relative but hard to know for sure. Try comparing to pics online and see if they look the same. Springtails are tiny, maybe 1/3 to 1/4 the size of a melanogaster fruit fly.

Neither isopods nor springtails would do well on a gravel substrate. They don't like being exposed for one thing, it will greatly stress them out. They'll need a substrate such as dirt, moss or coconut husk to thrive. A planted terrarium is ideal. Both isopods and springtails are great at cleaning up dead flies and other detritus left behind by a mantis. I would highly recommend putting them in your enclosure if you have the right environment for them.

 

[Synapze]

Neither isopods nor springtails would do well on a gravel substrate. They don't like being exposed for one thing, it will greatly stress them out. They'll need a substrate such as dirt, moss or coconut husk to thrive. A planted terrarium is ideal.

I usually have a thin layer of sphagnum moss on top of the pebbles. Since I use lightweight recycled containers, the pebbles add enough weight to make the container less likely to get tipped over... one of the downsides of recycled plastic containers.  I'm clumsy. I'd love to have about a dozen Exo-Terra enclosures, but $$.
I'm certainly going to try some isopods in my planted terrarium. Although one of my Chinese mantids will eat a freshly swatted fly from tweezers, none of the others fall for it. My appreciation for flies has greatly increased since I began keeping mantids. ?

 

[Predatorhousepet]

As long as there is enough moss for the isopod to hide in it should be ok. The moss should be kept moist but not wet.

I have red runner roaches and dubias on coconut substrate and I added springtails to clean up after them. The springtails in the red runner colony have absolutely exploded. They clean up dead roaches, mold, and excrement so I don't have to constantly wash their container anymore.