Isopod Question

[nwilk688]

Hi! I'm thinking about adding isopods to my tank, and I'd like to gather them from my backyard. However, I just remembered they did the aerial spraying for mosquitoes not too long ago, and before I go out isopod hunting, I was wondering if I could even use the ones from outside, or if the mosquito spraying would be a problem. Thanks in advance for your help!!!

[GotButterflies]

Hello! You would need to raise them in a separate tank, and then rear them for a couple of months so you aren't feeding any pesticides to your crabs. Or exposing any pesticides to your crabs. Hermits will eat the isopods if they can catch them. Isopods are very easy to take care of, and imo entertaining to watch. I personally prefer powdered blues!

[nwilk688]

Hello! You would need to raise them in a separate tank, and then rear them for a couple of months so you aren't feeding any pesticides to your crabs. Or exposing any pesticides to your crabs. Hermits will eat the isopods if they can catch them. Isopods are very easy to take care of, and imo entertaining to watch. I personally prefer powdered blues!

I don't even remember posting this thread, but you answered the second question I was going to ask!! Is a 5 gallon tank okay for an isopod habitat?

[soilentgringa]

Hello! You would need to raise them in a separate tank, and then rear them for a couple of months so you aren't feeding any pesticides to your crabs. Or exposing any pesticides to your crabs. Hermits will eat the isopods if they can catch them. Isopods are very easy to take care of, and imo entertaining to watch. I personally prefer powdered blues!

I don't even remember posting this thread, but you answered the second question I was going to ask!! Is a 5 gallon tank okay for an isopod habitat?

5 gallons is fine.

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[Teddscau]

Not to try to hijack this thread, but how long do you have to raise them in captivity before they're considered pathogen-free? I caught some of those roly-poly guys well over a month ago, then I caught the guys who can't roll into balls a couple of weeks ago. I call them land lobsters and water pigs, respectively, to keep things simple.

[GotButterflies]

Not to try to hijack this thread, but how long do you have to raise them in captivity before they're considered pathogen-free? I caught some of those roly-poly guys well over a month ago, then I caught the guys who can't roll into balls a couple of weeks ago. I call them land lobsters and water pigs, respectively, to keep things simple.

I would recommend a couple of months at the very least.


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[wodesorel]

Ideally long enough so that you're using the babies or grandbabies of the ones that were originally caught. I have no idea how long it takes them to reproduce, mature, or die though!

[Teddscau]

Hmm, so October then? A bunch of the isopods I caught were already pregnant, so I had a bunch of little babies pop up after less than a week. I'm actually thinking of maybe putting the babies in a different jar (I have them in a gigantic jar right now), let them mature a bit, then dump them in with the hermit crabs.

As for how long it takes before they reach sexual maturity, some species can take well over a year to become fertile. The average lifespan is 2 years, but some have been known to live as long as 5 years.

Anyways, thanks!