Isopods (Porcellio scaber) are the workhorses of the bioactive vivarium. Added to a tropical or humid setup, this clean-up crew eats decaying plant matter, waste and mould — turning your enclosure into a small self-maintaining ecosystem and cutting down your day-to-day cleaning.
What they do
- Break down animal waste and shed skin before it can rot or grow mould
- Aerate the substrate as they burrow, keeping live plants healthier
- Reproduce steadily, so one starter culture seeds the enclosure permanently
- Double as an occasional calcium-rich snack — many geckos and frogs will hunt them
Ideal conditions
Isopods need humidity and a moisture gradient: keep part of the substrate damp and provide leaf litter, cork bark or wood to hide under. They pair perfectly with a base of coco peat and thrive in the same setups as tropical geckos, frogs and invertebrates.
Getting started
Seed the culture into an established substrate, keep it misted, and let the colony build for a few weeks before adding heavy waste producers. Springtails make a natural partner species if you run a full bioactive crew.
Shipping
Packed for live arrival and couriered nationwide.
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