Tank cleaners

[Mantislotus311]

Hello everyone, I have a couple questions I seem I can't direct answers for anywhere else. I have read other conversations about this but haven't found a direct answer. If anyone could be so kind to answer them and educate me on the topic it'd be much appreciated. If you could throw in a couple tips I could pass on to someone else someday that would be great too!! Thanks!!

1. If I put Springtails in my terrarium, will they reproduce on an unmanageable scale? 

2. How often do they escape enclosures?

3. Will they be a resource of nutrition for my Mantids? 

4. Is there a specific Isopod species for specific environments? Do some thrive better in more tropic/humid terrarium?

5. Do Isopods serve as a nutritional resource for my Mantids? 

6. I have substrate in this order:

    -Pebbles - Ecoearth soil - forest moss

      Will they survive and burrow well enough in this to survive my terrarium?

 

[MantisGirl13]

I bet @ohaple can answer your questions!

- MantisGirl13

 

[Charoozz520]

Coming from keeping Dart Frogs and bioactive enclosures I can answer some of your questions:

1) They will not reproduce to an unmanageable scale, springtail population is dependent on the amount of food (whatever your mantis doesn't eat), so the population will decrease/increase till it is stabilized.

2) They really like moist conditions so if you are afraid of them taking over your house that is very unlikely, I do however, have them showed up in tanks I haven't seed yet with springtails.

3) They are SUPER Tiny so maybe some small L1 species might eat them but I doubt they will be anything a larger mantis will be interested in

4) Usually Dart Frog hobbyist recommend Dwarf Purple/Dwarf White isopods as they reproduce the fastest/can handle warmer temperatures 

5) Not sure if on this part, as isopods are usually below ground and Mantis like to be high up, I am not sure if they will ever encounter an isopod long enough to want to eat them

6) Yes, I usually use a layer of leaf litter as I think it looks more natural than just all moss, but they should thrive in that setting 

 

[ohaple]

Hello everyone, I have a couple questions I seem I can't direct answers for anywhere else. I have read other conversations about this but haven't found a direct answer. If anyone could be so kind to answer them and educate me on the topic it'd be much appreciated. If you could throw in a couple tips I could pass on to someone else someday that would be great too!! Thanks!!

1. If I put Springtails in my terrarium, will they reproduce on an unmanageable scale? 

Not at all, I have had them almost completely die off in some vivariums. They will reproduce to the food available. They are not like pests that will outlast their welcome.

2. How often do they escape enclosures?

Never in my experience, but they are so small I probably wouldn't have seen them. They require moisture and food to survive, so they will rapidly die on most surfaces in your home. If you live in a tropical area and aren't good about cleaning they may be able to establish themselves somewhere but I haven't seen it happen.

3. Will they be a resource of nutrition for my Mantids? 

No. They are far too small for most mantises and usually are in the dirt while your mantis is on the roof. Some young nymphs may eat them, but I wouldn't count on it.

4. Is there a specific Isopod species for specific environments? Do some thrive better in more tropic/humid terrarium?

Generally isopods are divided into tropical and temperate species. Both have done fine in my vivariums though. Like @Charoozz520 said, dwarf whites are common and are pretty effective. In my opinion, they are the least interesting isopods since they bury themselves and stay so small. I like larger species, but larger species will require supplemental food.

5. Do Isopods serve as a nutritional resource for my Mantids? 

Possibly. Any of the larger species (p. scaber, a. vulgare, p. dilatatus, etc) may be eaten by you mantis. Mine ate all of my powder oranges and ate 1/2 of my p. dilatatus that were in the enclosure. The more plants and cover you have, the easier the isopods will survive. Isopods are a unique feeder due to the calcium they provide, but since they may burrow or vulvate, you mantis may have a hard time getting them. I recommend keeping a culture of isopods that you like and putting some in the mantis enclosure, then replenish as needed. Still feed your mantis like normal and make sure you provide leaf litter for the isopods. If they have a snack on the side, that's fine.

6. I have substrate in this order:

    -Pebbles - Ecoearth soil - forest moss

      Will they survive and burrow well enough in this to survive my terrarium?

Yes, they will do fine. Larger species may get eaten up but if you keep a separate culture its not an issue. I keep two backup cultures of springtails also. They are super low maintenance.

Thanks @MantisGirl13 for linking me. I have typed my responses in-line with the quote. Your setup is fine for bioactive. I haven't found maintenance to be much different but I think the bioactive with live plants and isopods are more enjoyable. Just don't get super exotic isopods since they may end up being expensive feeders and may struggle in the moisture of the vivarium.

 

[Teamonger]

Not the question exactly but related.

I have found that mealworms and their beetles make crazy good clean up crew and snacks. They do not do well in moist environments unlike isopods. 

HOWEVER I would never recommend this for mantises that are not healthy and adult. If a mantis falls during a molt or dies and falls to the bottom of the cage the beetles will eat it so fast you´ll think it disappeared. They are a bit too good at cleanup. I routinely use my colony to dispose of locust and death´s head roach bodies (big boys) and its scary how fast they can tear them apart and make them gone.

Baby roaches work well as an isopod substitute if needed. Isopods are hard to come by where I am so I tend to use small roaches instead in my bioactive cages (til my frogs eat them all). They pose far less danger to mantises, but any cleanup crew will take advantage of a mantis that falls during a molt.

 

[ohaple]

Not the question exactly but related.

I have found that mealworms and their beetles make crazy good clean up crew and snacks. They do not do well in moist environments unlike isopods. 

HOWEVER I would never recommend this for mantises that are not healthy and adult. If a mantis falls during a molt or dies and falls to the bottom of the cage the beetles will eat it so fast you´ll think it disappeared. They are a bit too good at cleanup. I routinely use my colony to dispose of locust and death´s head roach bodies (big boys) and its scary how fast they can tear them apart and make them gone.

Baby roaches work well as an isopod substitute if needed. Isopods are hard to come by where I am so I tend to use small roaches instead in my bioactive cages (til my frogs eat them all). They pose far less danger to mantises, but any cleanup crew will take advantage of a mantis that falls during a molt.

I have read about this too. We had a couple dubia nymphs living in the substrate of our h. majuscula when he dropped them and they burrowed. They managed to hide well and survived on the mantises scraps. I probably wouldn't have done it intentionally, but I have read many other do this, especially in desert style reptile habitats.