Enclosure cleaning crew?

S

shealy

First Instar
Is there any other critters out there that can keep an enclosure clean? What I'm looking for is not just mold, but what about dead roaches, exoskeletons, and frass? Is there such a bug that can live harmoniously with roaches (not eat them) and clean up after them?

I'd appreciate any help.

 
Isopods, springtails, and millipedes are generally used the most and can live with roaches. They will eat dead insects, rotten food, and help reduce but not totally remove mold.

 
The flat European garden millipede is pretty neat looking. I have a bunch in my Parcoblatta virginica and European earwig container.

 
I have some springtails in my rhino roach bin, but other bins are infested with soil mites. I want to move those springtails to other bins to fight mites, but i have no idea how. How do you do it? They're so small, and i have only seen them crawling on rhino roaches, when I try to catch them, they hide in between joints and gaps of rhino's armour. Any suggestions?

Thanks

 
macbrush said:
I have some springtails in my rhino roach bin, but other bins are infested with soil mites. I want to move those springtails to other bins to fight mites, but i have no idea how. How do you do it? They're so small, and i have only seen them crawling on rhino roaches, when I try to catch them, they hide in between joints and gaps of rhino's armour. Any suggestions?

Thanks
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Springtails are the BEST clean-up crew. They don't harm the roaches, they don't make any obnoxious odor, they breed and compost debris at a fast rate, and they're useful for other things (such as for feeding small predators.)

To catch springtails, feed your roaches well for a bit, and then place a piece of dog food in an area of the enclosure that will not be turned over or bothered by the roaches. Mist the piece of food and wait a few days. By then there should be some springtails around it (along with white soil mites which will be attached to the underside of it). Take this and tap it (very gently so only the springtails fall off) over the container you want to bless with springtails. They will fall off and if things aren't too dry they will colonize the new container.

 
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So springtails are better than isopods? Do they also consume the dead and frass? Also, where could I obtain some?

Thanks!

 
Zephyr thinks springtails are the end all be all of tank cleaning...in truth to get everything you really would need *both* and neither cause any real harm to roaches in my experience. There are probably other things we also dont have in our tanks that also would help...only way is to experiment on your own to find ways to apply solutions found by others in ways relevant to your own collection.

A couple other things I have experimented with are multiple types of isopods, small millipedes, worms, and I think I even tried snails...all work to one level or another but they all also have their drawbacks.

 
Thanks Zephyr, i'll try to catch some of them, and I'll probably try to have a small box to breed them in larger quantity.

 
shealy said:
Is there any other critters out there that can keep an enclosure clean? What I'm looking for is not just mold, but what about dead roaches, exoskeletons, and frass? Is there such a bug that can live harmoniously with roaches (not eat them) and clean up after them?

I'd appreciate any help.
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I've been using Meal worm larva along with Dermy's to keep mine clean...Seems to work pretty well from my angle, Just my two cents though.

Nate

 
How does one keep the springtails contained though? Cloth over the mesh vents? I have springtails in these colonies already. Thinkin about it myself. I also have isopods and those euro flat back millies.

 
My friend Jasper had some springtails at the last show. I didn't pick any up. Now I'm kind of thinking I should have : )

 
I've never had an issue with springtails trying to escape. I've cultured them in containers with airholes 3 or 4 times the size of an adult springtail with no escapes that I'm aware of. I have hundreds if not thousands in my 40gal bog paladrium (along with a few iso's, leafworms and an un-id milli) and never once (in approx 6 mos time) have seen a springtail climbing the glass. I regularly sprinkle brewers yeast (springtail food) in both the paludarium and the smaller viv I keep on my desk. Both viv's smell so clean and fresh....thats saying alot....a bog pal that smells pleasant? When I first added them to my pal I took the advice of the seller and dumped approx 2-3 tbls of brewers yeast all around the shoreline of the pal. I did see a tiny bit of mold when I did that but it was gone in days. Now I regularly (evry few weeks) feed approx 2 tbls brewers yeast. No animals but cleanup crew in these viv's atm so I couldn't say how well they'd do if they had to actually clean up after another critter.

 
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Hello I know this thread is a couple of years old, however I am quite interested as I raise and produce several species of Roach Bin Cleaner Crews that I sell on my site for Active Roach Breeders. A Cleaner crew is one that effectively eats dead insects and molted skins, excess grains before molding and decaying vegetation thus preventing mold. If need be several species also eat mold! For a most effective Roach Cleaner Crew One Should chose All or Some of the following Clean-Up Crews For Roach Bins.

The Roach Bin Clean-Up Crews I raise and carry are a special mixture of 2 types of larvae & beetles that feed exclusively on protein or dead roaches. The other 2 types of beetles & Larvae feed solely on grain. Together they will consume any dead roach, excess grains and remove water from veggies or fruit before spoiling or molding.

Our Isopods are also great decomposers so they work great as Roach Bin Cleaner Crews. A sizeable colony can eliminate a dead roach and skin in hours before smell sets in they are also Much better with the veggies as they readily eat that which is decaying.

Cleaner Crew Caresheet

Springtails like Isopods are also great decomposers and are great for clearing vegetable matter and they also love to eat mold so no mold worries once the springtails set in. I would recommend Tropical Species of Springtails and Tropical Species of Isopods as an addition to Roach Bin Cleaner Crews. Temperate Species of Isopods and Springtails will be ok though you may find they do not reproduce so readily or thrive as long term with the temperatures dubia require, this may be fine depending on the quantities that you need. Overall you will notice tropical species will fair much better. Temperate species should be cultured outside the tank and added when appropriate whereas you can just add tropicals and they will continue to thrive and reproduce.

If you Have Roach Bins & You Need Cleaner Crews they are available at ReadyReptileFeeders.com links available in my signature or you may p.m. me. Hot & Cold Packs are available and Shipping is Priority or Priority Express

Large Roach Bin Cleaner Crews starting at only 14.95

Springtails Starting at only 6.95

Isopods starting at only 10.95

 
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