11 replies to this topic

[Jellyfish16]

So. . . Let me explain. . . I swear I’m not an ac kid.

It all started months ago when I started getting into terrariums. By then I had already been keeping insects for quite some time, and I was like. . . LES COMBINE. ofc I get a lot of hate for that but hear me out. 3 months ago I found a 45 gallon tank and I have since planted Ficus bonsai trees ferns moss vines and vein plants to create a tropical themed vivarium! I let the plants grow for a month before I started introducing a larger cleaning crew!, it’s been a month and a half and I have started adding larger insects and reptiles! Most recent was 2 house geckos I caught in my backyard! Their is a moisture gradient And I run a heat cable along one side! This journal is just going to be me asking for help or contributions towereds this project along with updates on what’s happening!

I AM CURRENTLY SEARCHING FOR
a large price of rotting wood that larvea and other wood dwellers can feed in! If u happen to know if such wood, please dm me, I will pay shipping if u want to help out!

I NEED HELP FINDING A PREDETOR TO HELP CONTROL ISOPOD POPULATION, Current predetor is wood louse spiders
Also the tank is inhabited by 2 house geckos, an I need more info on thier care, such as how can I feed them calcium

List of animals in vivarium
-spring tails
-Ground aphids
-isopods
-common millipeads small
-earthworms
-earwigs
-hissing cockroaches
-more are in but I forgot the names.

Crappy pic will get better one

Edited by Jellyfish16, October 14 2020 - 8:00 PM.

[OhNoNotAgain]

Sounds like fun to me

I've been pondering ways to allow ants to forage (for brief periods of time) in the same outworld to observe how they compete and interact... so you won't hear complaints from me lol.

How are you lighting the tank? Sounds fun. With so many variables I doubt it will be easy to balance, but I doubt you're going for the "most perfect vivarium ever" award, and watching cross-species interactions is really fascinating.

[Ants_Dakota]

i will be doing this for my Camponotus novaeboracensis, so i will be watching!

[ponerinecat]

Hoo boy. I can probably provide a large amount of springtails and isopods and a few millipedes. Earwigs as well, I can get you ring legs or labia minor. Europeans too but I don't think you want those. Just won't be able to ship for an undetermined amount of time.

[Jellyfish16]

Hoo boy. I can probably provide a large amount of springtails and isopods and a few millipedes. Earwigs as well, I can get you ring legs or labia minor. Europeans too but I don't think you want those. Just won't be able to ship for an undetermined amount of time.

thx man! What sp of millipeads and isopods I already have a population of earwigs in thier!

[Swirlysnowflake]

I actually have a small tank (10 gallon) that started out filled with foliage. I had hissing cockaroaches, scarlet and bumblebee millies, and springtails in there. I offered the hissers a full dish of fish food, carrots, and lettuce, but guess what they decided to eat? The ivy, pothos, and spider plant 

[Swirlysnowflake]

About the calcium for the house geckos, you could try leaving out a dish of calcium, and feeding calcium rich feeders like nutri worms (those fly larvae). I’m not experienced with them, but I have kept day geckos, cresteds, and mournings. 

[Kaelwizard]

Dishes of calcium do nothing. The feeder animal has to be covered in calcium, a gecko is not going to eat straight calcium. If you want to put a dish in there, get a mealworm bowl (They can't get out of those.) and fill it with calcium and just dump some worms in. The geckos will see the worms and eat them, along with any calcium on them.

[OhNoNotAgain]

Oooo just read about the wood louse spiders. Nice! Yes, isopods in ideal conditions will breed like rabbits. And aside from isopods that inhabit different strata of substrate, you may find one species outcompetes all the others eventually (or so everyone says on Facebook in the isopod groups). Anyway earwigs also supposedly eat isopods, though maybe not the really big ones. Isopods (esp. Armadillidium) also may eat softer vegetation, while some protein-hungry ones, like P. laevis, are rumored to be dangerous to molting creatures. 

 

BTW almost hate to ask, but since this in the Antkeeping section: ants?

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, October 16 2020 - 8:41 AM.

[Jellyfish16]

Oooo just read about the wood louse spiders. Nice! Yes, isopods in ideal conditions will breed like rabbits. And aside from isopods that inhabit different strata of substrate, you may find one species outcompetes all the others eventually (or so everyone says on Facebook in the isopod groups). Anyway earwigs also supposedly eat isopods, though maybe not the really big ones. Isopods (esp. Armadillidium) also may eat softer vegetation, while some protein-hungry ones, like P. laevis, are rumored to be dangerous to molting creatures.

BTW almost hate to ask, but since this in the Antkeeping section: ants?

About 3 months ago I chucked in some brachy queens cause I was bored and now I’m seeing workers

[Antkeeper01]

wow if I try Terrariums with ant queens they always die all of them being pavement queens lol

Edited by Antkeeper01, October 16 2020 - 10:51 AM.

[ponerinecat]

Oooo just read about the wood louse spiders. Nice! Yes, isopods in ideal conditions will breed like rabbits. And aside from isopods that inhabit different strata of substrate, you may find one species outcompetes all the others eventually (or so everyone says on Facebook in the isopod groups). Anyway earwigs also supposedly eat isopods, though maybe not the really big ones. Isopods (esp. Armadillidium) also may eat softer vegetation, while some protein-hungry ones, like P. laevis, are rumored to be dangerous to molting creatures. 

 

BTW almost hate to ask, but since this in the Antkeeping section: ants?

Earwigs eat everything.