Cubaris sp Pak Chong ***Warning***

Fingerlakefeeders

Fingerlakefeeders

Third Instar
Here is an excerpt from an email I sent Rus Wilson. This is not a joke. Yes, they can climb glass in my experience. I found many at the bottom of an old pickle jar I keep on the same shelf as the Cubaris cultures.

They are the pruinosus of the Cubaris world. They can get out of most enclosures. They can climb plastic and glass. On one side of my invert room I have my Cubaris cultures on the top shelf above 3 shelves of Mediterranean Porcellios. The invaded nearly every Cubaris and Porcellio culture. Before I realize the extent of their capabilities, they damaged several cultures. They have all but wiped out my Red Edge, Shiro Utsari, flavomarginatus, spatulatus, bolivari, and expansus (totally wiped out). They also wiped out a bioactive enclosure that included Death's Head Roaches. I now keep them in a bin within another larger bin with 1" of water in the bottom. Every week there are a couple dozen drowned Pak Chong. Bad news.

 
I am assuming they ate the roaches when they molted. I started with 20 large mixed Death's Head nymphs, 100 Pak Chong, and approximately 200-300 Sinella curviseta in a 64 quart bioactive enclosure. 4 inches of top quality substrate, and the rear of the enclosure had several vertically oriented pieces of cork bark. There was always my dry roach and/or isopod food, pulverized crab and lobster shell, and sweet potato in the enclosure, so they had plenty to eat.

The Pak Chong breed like rabbits. Over the course of a few months, the initial 100 have multiplied to well over a thousand. I keep other Cubaris with roaches with no issues. Duckies, Blonde Duckies, Pandas, and C murina Papaya all do great with the roaches.

My experience may not be yours. My invert room is kept at around 78 degrees during the day, 72 degrees at night, and 70% humidity on average.

 
Aw man! that's such a bummer. So are they more protein hungry or do they just have a very fast metabolism? I'm intrigued by you bioactive enclosure. Do you have pictures?

 
I can't speak to how protein hungry they are or not. I believe many people mistakenly think certain isopods are "protein hungry" when they are actually seeking minerals, not protein. Regardless, they are voracious and very adaptable.

My enclosures are nothing fancy. 64 quart Sterilite with 2" screen vents on both ends a couple of inches from the top. The substrate is 4-5 inches in the front and 2-3 inches behind the cork bark. It works great for the roaches. I am not a roach collector. In fact I only work with craniifer and parabolicus with the bioactive enclosures.

BC x CPC x SC 04292022.jpg

 
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I've only got hissers, A. nasatum, and phidippus regius so you've still got me beat. 😄 Great enclosure!

 
That's crazy, mine blew up and then died out. Even when there were uncountable numbers never saw them anywhere else.

 
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