Cohabitating Isopod Species

Roshan Vignarajah

Roshan Vignarajah

Second Instar
I am new here. I have started a new bioactive terrarium for insects. I hope to house Armadillidium gestroi and Porcellio scaber together along with several millipedes and some hissing cockroaches. Would a setup like this work? Is there anything I should be wary of?

 
I don't think it's usually recommended to house different inverts together and I've heard that isopods can be especially dangerous with other species because they'll munch on them while they're molting, but maybe if the roaches and millies had plenty of space they'd be okay? What size tank and what sort of numbers are we talking about?

 
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Thanks for bringing this to my attention.  The tank is 30 inches long and 1 ft both wide and tall.  I will provide many climbing areas above where the isopods will be hanging out for the millies and roaches.  Also, there is one other roach species I am thinking about, Gyna centurio.  I only would have 1/2 hissers, 1 florida ivory millie, 2 bumblebee millies, and 3 centurion roaches.

 
I'd probably keep the isopods in a separate enclosure entirely as they can be surprisingly acrobatic. I've even had Armadillidium species make their way to the lid of my terrariums. I don't keep any millipedes so hopefully somebody who has experience with them can chime in on how they'd do with roaches, but I would think that as long as the roaches are none-burrowing species you should be good. Springtails may be a good choice in place of the isopods and they come in a few different colors.

 
Can the 2 isopod species stay together, or should they also be in separate enclosures?  Just want to know since I already ordered the isopods, so I would like to know as much as possible before I assemble the entire enclosure.

 
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I think it can be done if you make sure that one (probably the P. scaber) doesn't overtake the other by culling them occasionally. Assuming that @Blastcat is the Blastcat, they can probably give you some of the best advice anyone can give in the isopod hobby.

 
Blastcat used to be on the YNC discord server, and I loved seeing his isopod pics, so it would be great to get some advice getting started.  I haven't really kept isopods, but I have kept roaches, millipedes, mantises, and currently keep tenebrio.  I am probably going to keep millipedes in a tank with the roaches and separate (small) tanks for the display isopods (unless the millipedes can't live with the roaches.)   I plan to, as the population grows, sell some of the A. gestroi and P. scaber online as well as get more breeds to culture as well!  @kadupulThanks for all your help!

 
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They can cohab but sometimes they will out compete other species so that's why it is not recommended.

Ex. Keeping cubaris murina and powder blues together

After few months, more powder blues coming and cubaris murina population become lesser and lesser. 

 
Roshan Vignarajah said:
Can the 2 isopod species stay together, or should they also be in separate enclosures?  Just want to know since I already ordered the isopods, so I would like to know as much as possible before I assemble the entire enclosure.
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Separate them because sometimes they will out compete other species so that's why it is not recommended. 

Ex. Keeping cubaris murina and powder blues together

After few months, more powder blues coming and cubaris murina population become lesser and lesser. 

 
kadupul said:
I think it can be done if you make sure that one (probably the P. scaber) doesn't overtake the other by culling them occasionally. Assuming that @Blastcat is the Blastcat, they can probably give you some of the best advice anyone can give in the isopod hobby.
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Yes, I am the Blastcat 😆. Sorry for the late reply, I hope to be more active on this forum. For future reference: yes, 2 isopod species can cohab; however, one species will usually outcompete the other. 

 
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