Make sure you check out our new Isopod Store- supremegecko.square.site/shop/isopods/5?limit=180&page=1&sort_by=price&sort_order=asc

@mellewedin8221

2 жыл бұрын

Wouldn't adding charcoal or activated carbon help out with cultures and filtering. Charcoal is used as a filter in many ways.

@mellewedin8221

2 жыл бұрын

Oh I really love your videos too by the way. You and Russ have both helped out so much.

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

@@mellewedin8221 Yes, yes it will.... in the long run.

"why are your bugs on the counter again?" "For the last time they're crustaceans Marie!"

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

:) Right? (after filming, we ALWAYS wash and sanitize any table area).

If you are constantly transferring in new nutrients and transferring out old poopy soil in small quantities (10% or so of the substrate), you can keep crashes from happening. It's the equivalent of small water changes in your aquarium. I scoop out soil and leave it in another container for a couple of weeks with bark on top so that I can return any babies that are still in the removed soil back to the main colony before using the old substrate as potting soil or top dressing. My plants go nuts for old isopod soil! If you don't garden, give it to friends who do.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Great points Gloria. You are right on with this. And, I like your analogy of small water changes. Thanks.

@siyg

10 ай бұрын

Thanks! Usually I see people change out half to 3/4 of the substrate every 6 months to a year. I’m going to try lots of methods to prolong the life of the substrate and maybe use your method every 2 months of so!

You can also use a small plastic cup and make a pitfall trap for your isopods when transferring, just add protein on the cup and they would go right in but cant climb out

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Oh! Great idea.

I’m an isopod breeder from Taiwan, I absolutely agree with your opinion with the accumulation of Amonium over plenty of months which leads to the crash of colony, nice video, wish to see some renewal soon!

@user-su9xz6mv1h

2 жыл бұрын

Ps: I do the exactly same procedure that you’ve done when switching them to a new container, 100% agree with you!

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the wonderful comments. Good to see confirmations on the videos.

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Very cool! Thanks

I’m new to the hobby.. building my first enclosure (no isopods just yet) I am enjoying all of the education you are giving.. thank you

@SupremeGecko

9 ай бұрын

That is so cool! Thank you for watching and the nice comment. If you EVER have any questions, please let me know.

I have always tried to use some of the old substrate when I upgrade my colonies. Probably a carry over from my years of aquariums where you never want to add animals to a new tank because of ammonia spikes. Sounds like this is a similar situation and I was unintentionally doing it correct.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Yes!!! And mentioned that in the video (similarities with fish keeping and new tank seeding). Great point!

Thank you Wally. I imagine that is what happened to my powder orange isopods.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

I am guessing this happens more often than is talked about in the hobby.

Thank you for this info. I started 10 different isopod cultures in 6 qt bins at the beginning of January. I learned most of what I know about them today from you and Russ. Keep the great videos coming. They are GOLD for a novice isopod keeper like myself.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you DFW. They absolutely ARE addicting.

Great Video! Thanks for Sharing all the amazing info

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching buddy.

Very valuable information!! Thank you for posting!

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

You are most welcome.

I just watched more of your vids and this one. It helped me a lot. I like this one not only for the tips on to avoid isopod colonies from dying but I can now see several of the bins you have and try to find similar ones.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the great point! I am so glad you commented and shared this. Helps me know I am on the right track.

I was wondering if this would be an issue with mine. Thank you for putting this great video out.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind comment

very helpful. Such good information!

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much. Hope this helps.

Hey Wally good to see a new video! Been missing your videos!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Barbara. Nice to add one finally!!!

great resource as always! thanks!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Great to hear.

Thanks for the great info Wally. I have a few bins that are overdue so I suppose I should find something to watch and get to it!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

:) Just binge watch my videos :)

Another great video Wally and I am sure it has helped many isopod peeps.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Dale. I am getting so many great PMs on this!!!!! Makes me feel good that I can help.

Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge 🙏😊

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Well, thank you for watching.

Very awesome information wally thanl you so much for the tips

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

License? You Crystal for checking it out.

Great video as always!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks again.

WOW!!! Wally I have had several colony crashes and now I wonder if it was because they needed a new enclosure. Thank you so much for teaching us all some new things!!!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Sorry Tiffany. I read this issue over and over again in the FB forums and decided to mention this.

I'm so happy you put this video out that help ppl like me that dint know alot

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

If it helps one or two people to not lose their pets, it is a success! Thanks.

This is so much helpfull information about how to properly set up an isopod enclosure, even after I already watched and read a lot about it for weeks now. Thank you.

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the nice comment. This is why we do these videos. Thanks again.

I seriously appreciate your content!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much. This makes my day!!!!!

Great information as usual Podfather!!! Great to see you back on the tube. CONGRATULATIONS ON 6K SUBSCIBERS!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, thank you, and thank you Bob. The best part of being back is seeing comments like this. Hope you are doing well as is your family.

@BOB-ud4gy

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko All is well here, thank you! Hopefully all is well there as well. We are missing our "weekly Wally watching" from #12SDOC 😄 Hopefully you caught up on some rest...oh yeah no sleep for the Podfather!

@PeppersnGlowworms

3 жыл бұрын

Podfather? That's an adequate honorific term!

Great video Wally and excellent information... good to see you back on air... 😎

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ken. Missed everyone. Missed you!

@captfantastic

3 жыл бұрын

I think everyone will agree that... We all missed that goatee...

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

@@captfantastic what a coincidence... next week will be "Geckos and Goatees".

Wally you're HIRED!! LOL what date would you like to come over and do mine?😂

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

:) Thanks. Let's schedule a time right after I finish all mine. 😉

@karen.s.w5307

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko 😂😂😂 I miss seeing you both!

Thanks so much this is a question that needed answering

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I hope it helped.

I am guessing this is what happened to my Dairy Cows and Powder Oranges, they were booming and then crashed soon thereafter. Wish I had known this sooner but I am glad to have figured it out. Thanks for sharing!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Nico, it is sad to hear this (and you are not the first). I hope this helps you (and others) in the future.

I really love your videos Wally!

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so very much. Love doing them.

Fun video, Thanks Wally

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. This was fun to make.

Hi new friend, we talked on FB cant wait to try your product!!!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! What ID on FB?

That was helpful, thanks

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic. Thank you for watching.

Great content

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I know this vid is old but thank you. My first colony (Dairy Cows) is now over 6 months old and there are a ton. So I figured it's time to learn about the problems that can come up with large colonies.

@SupremeGecko

9 ай бұрын

Yes! A bit of preemptive action. Well done.

Good points! I'm pretty sure that's what happened to my powder blues a couple of times.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Sorry to hear.

Good info Wally. 👍 What are your thoughts about removing and replacing partial substrate and reusing the same enclosure rather than moving all the isopds to a new bin?

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Great question Charles. I think this is a good way to prolong the life of the enclosure. It would be equivalent to partial water changes in a fish tank. But eventually, I believe you would need to finally move them.

ive had my colony for years, as they inevitably outgrow an old bin i simply upgrade them to a bigger one, keeping the old dirt but adding more to fill up the new space. this way i keep 100% of them (no losing babies in the soil). I used to keep them in something shoebox sized, but now they are in a large storage container meant to fit under a bed. Of course, I cant keep upgrading forever, so if i ever need to change the soil i think re-using the old soil as dirt in a bioactive enclosure would be a great use for it! Its already got clean up crew and springtails

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely perfect. Great idea and good for you.

Old is good... sometimes! WooHoo I have value! Awesome video Wally! I couldn’t agree more

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

What is the saying.... "With age comes great responsibility" :) or something like that.

@themadaquarist

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko with age comes great pains in my feet, legs, back... you know the drill

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

@@themadaquarist HEY, I resemble that remark!

I started the colony in May for a science class lab. Just had a massive die-off this month. The timing fits. It also got very dry (winter apartment heating) but even after heavy misting before all were completely dead, the numbers seem to keep going down. Thank you for providing another possible condition to take into consideration!

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. Just an FYI, there MAY be mancae in there.

@turtleman190

9 ай бұрын

​@@SupremeGecko i almost always end up finding mancae in a crashed colony its happened 3 times to me and all 3 times i ended up with a thriving colony again

@SupremeGecko

9 ай бұрын

@@turtleman190 Very nice

I’m looking to get into isopods as a low cost low maintenance hobby I can participate in with my physical health limitation. I’ve been reading and watching as much content as I can to gain an adequate understanding of what’s involved. This video was very informative but raised a question I’ve not seen asked or anything elude to anywhere else… how does one dispose of used substrate and so on which may contain isopods so as not to introduce them to your local environment as a non-native species? We have severe issues here in south Florida with non-native animals and fauna and barring an unintentional escape/release I’d hate to simply dump old substrate with isopods into the local landfill or garden.

@SupremeGecko

8 ай бұрын

Isopods are certainly a fun hobby! For disposal, you can either bake or freeze the substrate before disposing.

Good to know. Great video

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks TC for watching and for the comment. Hey! Did you know you won a gift from the KZread end of year giveaway? I announced in the GiveAway $500 video and added a message on one of your videos.

@ChantalsCritters

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko no I did not know

Hey Wally you're the man!! I'm really looking forward to updating/splitting my cultures but I'm just out of space for bigger or more tubs. Lol.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

So am i!!! :) Good luck finding space, and when you do, let me know how ya did it.

You guys have a lovely home.

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

Oh, thank you very much.

first off its great to see you putting videos up ....I have to send you some of my substrate so you can review it for me .. I love your vast collection of Isopods wow and I know you remember when my culture died off after 10 to 12 months and I think this is what happened to mine and you told me that when we talked what a great video and awesome editing I love how you used 2 camera angles wow you have risen to a new level I love how you compared it to fish keeping and you do fish keeping old school you now can cycle and aquarium with a liquid out of a bottle now they sell bacteria in a bottle for that but I like the old school way that's what I do sorry for getting off topic lol..great video and information....and no ball game put on Hockey lol I sent you a message on instagram

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Bacteria in a bottle. Who would have thunk it! Yes, I am old school. What do they say.... you can't teach an old dog new tricks. ;)

@DEAexotics

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko I am the same way old school

Hey Wally, very helpful video! I have been having some die off troubles with some of my cultures, so looks like I'm doing a transfer this weekend. Was very curious to ask you, what purpose does the garden lime serve in your tubs? I considered getting some clay to mix in with my P. spinicornis, but never would have thought to add lime. Thank you for sharing such helpful information!

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Sorry to hear. Feel free to ask any questions. The lime helps stablize the ph of the mix.

@tellorcha

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko Thank you for your help! I just found out the natural area I last collected leaves actually gets sprayed for pesticides, so I suspect that could be my problem. :(

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

@@tellorcha Oh no!!!! So very sorry to hear. At least now you know for sure.

Thank you. What size are the NEW containers you are using?

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Mark, I use 12/15s mostly

That comparison with the cycling of an aquarium reminded me of some recent videos by Chris ' The Mad Aquarist ' Biggs. He made some good points in that regard as well...

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

I actually had about the same exact video ready to roll out this past Friday before Chris' video so I decided to pull it back and do this, similar one but add more meat to the session. I actually commented on Mr. Biggs video. I had made the aquarium --> isopod comparison about a year ago :)

@PeppersnGlowworms

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko I just had the Biggs videos fresh in my memory. What I meant to imply was that great minds think alike.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

@@PeppersnGlowworms I understand. And that you.

I have a question- I am using isopods as a cleaner crew (with springtails) in a 40 gal snake vivarium. Due to the size of the enclosure, how would I go about "refreshing" the substrate to avoid crashes? Would it be similar to a 20 percent water change in an aquarium? And if so, how often for that sized habitat? Once a year? Or longer, 18months? Or even sooner, every 6-8 months?

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Great question and great analogy. I wish I would have put this in the video. Always 20/20 hindsight :) Yes! I would take out @20-30 % of the substrate maybe every 6 months or so- depending on the # of isopods. I think you would have to play with this a bit to nail it down. Again, great question!

I wonder if you could set these bins up with some moss, or small, low light plants, to help keep the substrate more cycled. Maybe some small worms and springtails too? What does everyone think?

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

I love this idea. Unfortunately with these tubs, and how I have them setup, I doubt enough light would be provided for plants.

@ellybanelly3656

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko Ah, true. Though I've seen Java Moss grow in damn near anything haha. It would probably be more hassle than it was worth, but might be a fun experiment nonetheless! Maybe a tote/container that had a clear front or top could work, similar to those plastic containers they use in restaurants for food prep.

makes so much sense. I wonder if when I add my isopods to my bioactive if I will have the same problem in months and months. I know I wont want a crash (I do plan on making another 4x2x2 bioactive in the next year and then when I move my boa I will make her an adult 8 foot enclosure bioactive so I guess as long as they last until then without crashing.) I will have cultures set aside in case of a crash though.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

See my answers above.... you may want to routinely remove some substrate from different parts of the enclosure and replace with new.

I have a large variety of trees on my property. What leaves do you find are best.

@SupremeGecko

9 ай бұрын

Always hardwood.

What about using a sifter like we use for worms (1/8 inch probably) so that the dirt sifts to a container below, but the pods stay on the sifter?

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

This would work if using a find dirt but most keepers use other materials in their substrate like charcoal, bark pieces, sphagnum moss, etc.

I needed this video so bad today!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Emily. I hope it helps.

PERFECT VIDEO SIR

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks

Thank you for the information , btw im from Philippines

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

You are most welcome. Thank for the nice comment.

Heya Wally :)) What did you cover the ventilation holes with on those blue lid bins?

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

I use one of two different materials- 1. a chiffon type of cloth I find at any sewing/clothes store (but it has to be very fine holes- almost like cheesecloth) or 2. I use the cut up bags I receive my mealworms in.

You Made Excellent Points wally

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Just reaching back to the experiences I've had over hundreds of years I've been animals ;)

Would just having a good bottomw layer of springtails at the bottom take care of the ammonia build up?

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

No. They do a great job but the buildup of frass from the isopods would take over. Good question.

I put my kiddos isopods on a window screen mesh over a new tank. That's how we sort them out of the substrate from our catch tank. Seems to work.

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

Cool. Do you get a bunch of soil falling through as well?

@meganking3762

Жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko The finer particulates do. Leaves and stuff don't. The larger particulates, moss, and adults don't make it through. They're easy to pick off the screen though. It makes it take less time to sort through them. With 3 kids, we can catch too many at a time. This makes it easier to keep the ones we want to keep. The Nasatum and Vulgare work well with this, but the faster types don't do well. They bounce out and scatter. Mind you, the kiddos and I have only been doing this for about a month. 4, 5, and 8 yr olds enjoy catching them. I sort them out from a quarantine tank the kiddos put them in. I bought 5 fish tanks for this hobby because the kids wanted to do it. So far we have Blue Death Feigning Beetles, Armadillidium Vugare and Nasatum, Porcellios Scaber, and a couple of others in smaller enclosures than the 5 and 10 gallons that we already had.

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

@@meganking3762 This is so great to hear that your family is so involved. Good for you!

@meganking3762

Жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko Thank you ❤️ It's taken me some time to get used to the idea (I raise sheep, rabbits, chickens, and our garden) because bugs in the house. The kids have thoroughly enjoyed it though. I'm surprised by how fun it is.

I use a sorting screen with a frame on it and sift the old soil through it and isopods are left on the screen..... its how I sort my really small Dubai Roaches also

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

Fantastic. Sounds like it works great for you. Thanks.

@lisasparkman2924

Ай бұрын

If it's something that could be purchased could you leave a link to it

Nice pointers!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks a bunch!

@jwslippman

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko so what do you do when the larger tubs get overpopulated? You can’t always go bigger.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

@@jwslippman Right. This was an example of moving up some isopods. But, more commonly, I move to 'same sized' enclosures.

Different sizes of strainer might help speeding up! Just a thought. Thanks for this education!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

What would the strainers do?

@strayargus9382

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko I would dump half of the culture in the strainer then slowly and gently shake the strainer to get rid of the substrate leaving only isopod. Different sizes of strainer (holes) should help straining different sizes of isopod.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

@@strayargus9382 Good idea. Unfortunately sometimes the isopods, and especially the mancae are too small to do this.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

@@strayargus9382 Right. I understand. But in the end, no matter how many strainers you use, you will still have mancae the same size as the dirt and that's where it becomes difficult

Do you add springtails to your colony? I’ve found this can help with the ammonia build from the isopod waste.

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

As you watch the video, you will see that there are springtails in just about every container. I completely agree that they help with maximizing the livespan of the enclosures.

You should make a video about your trusted places to buy isopods.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Great idea. But, if you watch my unboxing videos, you kinda get an idea where I get my animals. There is one place I do NOT get isopods from and I will not name them- as I am not Smug enough to get their Bugs :)

Brand new to isopods. Like brand spanking new. Just got a culture of milkback and blue powder yesterday and tossed into my Guyana BC bio-active 5x2x2 enclosure. How long should it take for the colonies to take off? The enclosure has plenty of humidity, a wet, and dry zone. Spaghnum moss, leaf litter, bark, and snake sheds. Was told I didn't need springtails, though I'm thinking I need some.

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Congrats Matt! You will love them. Usually, it will take a month or two for them to really take off if they are adults. You don't need springtails but I always find them so useful to add to an enclosure.

@MattMacKo

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko thanks!!! I'm like an impatient kid 😅

This was also a fun way to show us the process

@headhunterxotics4365

3 жыл бұрын

What up Frank, where you been buddy? I have missed you homie. You been ok?

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. This could have been 2-3 video but it all related. Thanks again.

@frankdughtank8327

3 жыл бұрын

@@headhunterxotics4365 That individual was someone messing with my account any other persons stream besides Rus and Wally is someone that has messed with my account

Great video Wally! Just a thought here but could the possible addition of any plants help combat the ammonia buildup? Specifically I am looking to build a bioactive snake enclosure thats 100% sustainable, with isopods in it so a crash in a culture would set off a crash in the enclosure ecosystem!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Great thought. I think plants would certainly help slow the process down. However, eventually the substrate would need to be refreshed. But, if you equate the enclosure with an aquarium, where weekly water changes suffice, you could consider removing 10 -20% of the substrate every couple months and replacing with new.

@pontespythons

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko Sweet sounds good thank you Wally!!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

@@pontespythons glad to help

I think my diary cows are crashing as I had hundreds of babies a few days ago but now I can only find a few. I don't know if they died naturally or if the dirtimus beetle larvae killed and ate them, I'm hoping that they're just burried in the substrate (as I forgot to turn my heating off this morning so the substrate dried out) and will come out again soon.

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

I'm so sorry Sasha. I hope they are ok. Keep me posted.

Where’d you get the new containers?

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

On line from Fleet Farm.

so is this the equivalent to needing a water change in a fish tank? sure sounds like it- ammonia build up, changing the substrate but keeping some of the original, building bacteria colonies, etc. would it be possible to, like in a fish tank, do more frequent (so every month or something) partial “water changes” of the substrate instead of one big change every 6-10 months? related question: when you water the substrate to get it more humid, could you use established fish tank water since it already contains ammonia-eating bacteria that could help out?

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Olyvia, thanks for watching. Yes you are right on! I wish I would have added that to the video (more frequent, smaller changes). I do this to some enclosures too. Great ideas always come AFTER I put out the video :) You could use the water but the bacteria is a bit different (aerobic vs. anaerobic) and wouldn't quite work as well (in my opinion). If you try this, let me know. GREAT point!

@olyvia1380

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko very cool, thank you!

So they basically ate all the nutrients off the substrate or there's a lot of frasse

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Great question. Not exactly. Isopods burrow too so they are utilizing all the substrate. There is a lot of frasse but the bigger concern is tge byproduct of ammonia.

my substrate is only dirt, so i use a strainer to move them = >

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

good idea

Hi Wally! I've had my magic potions in a large bin for over 6 months now. They've taken off and had lots of broods, but don't seem to be fully crowding their enclosure. However, I noticed that other than their wet and dry spot leaves, their substrate is pretty digested up with frass. Should I move them to a new container? Should I top off with fresh soil or rotted wood? How do I know when my substrate is entirely spent/too high levels of ammonia

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

Better to catch it now than when it crashes, right? Yes, Setup a new enclosure with all fresh material. Move some of the old substrate (10% or so) into the new enclosure. Knowing when the substrate is 'DONE' is not a quantifiable thing unfortunately. The slightest smell of ammonia is a huge key. But the build up of frass (like you mentioned) is a big one too.

@arigroobman9814

Жыл бұрын

OK! I'll get started on that, thank you!

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

@@arigroobman9814 Keep me posted on how it goes.

So do you change the isopods to new bins every 6 months?

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

It really depends. If the culture is growing well, then yes... or sooner. If the culture is still establishing with fewer babies, then I don't.

Wally, 5001,5002,5003 - just couldn't resist :-) Seriously though I presume that you would advocate sticking to a two size system and not PERPETUATE the increasing tub size - just checking :-) Regards, Jim.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

:) I would.... sorta. :) I absolutely advocate consistency. I like 3 tub sizes- 6 qt, 15 qt, and 27 qt. I actually like the 27 qts for the Giant Spanish isopods. I also like the 6 qts for starting colonies and now for some isopods that like their own territories (like Hoffs). I actually did a video on this a few months back.

About a month ago I put approximately 30 slate grey white mottled adult isopods from my yard in a container and now they are overwhelming the enclosure. I used compost that must have been filled with tiny babies.

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

Very cool. Congratulations, and thanks for sharing.

@makeracistsafraidagain

Жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko Thank you.

Newbie isopod enthusiast here- if you don't move all of the soil over, and are doing it by hand, how can you be sure you get all the babies that burrow in the substrate?

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the question. There is only so much I can get into these videos (without making them 48 minutes long! And no one wants to watch me for 48 minutes! :) What I do is move over all you can, feed a piece of zucchini or carrot or potato, set aside the older enclosure, then go back the next day, pick up the veggie and scrape the remaining isopods into the new enclosure. Rinse/Repeat until you feel comfortable you've got em all.

@hoped5424

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko thank you for the tip! I've already watched over 48 minutes worth of your content, don't underestimate the power of bug footage and helpful advice!

I am sure the answer is "depends". I have started everything in 6qt containers. I have 5 different species. I have most of the powder blues and dairy cows. Probably somewhere in the 30-50 range of each. How many is to many in a container?

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

It dep..... :) Seriously, there are a lot of factors, like age of the substrate/mix, etc. But, how many makes ME feel like I should split.... powder blues- around 3-4 hundred! dairy cows (size) around 100-150 ish.

@JeramiahPearce

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko Perfect. So I have some time. I still set up an 18qt container to get it seeded with springtails and to "cycle" it.

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

@@JeramiahPearce Nice.

I currently have a infestation of fungal gnats living in my terrariums. All my poor isopods have died slowly over three months, (i had the isopods for probably 5-6 months) i am wondering if gnats can kill isopods when in large numbers I kept my isopods with my snails, they live in a humid environment. I usually don’t kill any little critters even flies but i have 13 sticky fly traps in my room and they are full of flies. The infestation is pretty bad I am going to buy spring tails and hope this controls it a bit. I was thinking of buying 40 isopods and adding them at once to see if they could out compete the gnats, but it seems that its recommended to start of with a small colony first I also have houseplants in my room so they are just living in everything terrorising me!! Thank you for the awesome advice, i wanted to gain more knowledge before buying anymore isopods. I feel terrible knowing they died under my care.

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

I am so sorry!!! No, gnats cannot kill the isopods. But that night be a sign that the substrate was too damp... perhaps. Also, springtails will not control the gnats. You can try the Katchy- amzn.to/3NhxR2Z As long as you treat this as a learning experience, to not feel terrible. If you have questions, please let me know.

@mollyelzie613

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko Thanks Supreme Gecko, Just watched another of ur vids about isopods it showed up in my recommendation. Gained a sub ur awesome

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

@@mollyelzie613 Thank you Molly so much!

I still don't understand why you wouldn't use all of the old substrate. There's so many benefits to using all of that old, and adding new to it, when moving them over into a larger bin.

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

Think of fish as an analogy. Would you take all your water, and fish to a new enclosure every time you would need to do a water change?

You should have setup two new totes. Split the old tote in half and made two colonies out of the one old colony. It would have saved you all that sorting from the old soil. Sure you are using the old waste soil but considering you will have two new clean totes that waste wont have that much of an effect on the new colony homes. Trying to dig them out of the soil without some sort of sift is way too much effort for me.

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the wonderful suggestion. I appreciate your comments.

What does one do when you don't want to go to a bigger container.?Guess there is no way in controlling the population levels. I moved them to a bigger container but what happens when they over populate that one? I don't want to keep splitting it to create more because i don't need more.

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

A couple of things- you can either start moving the excess (feeding, start other bioactive enclosures, sell to your local pet store, etc.) or you can cool them way down to slow down the population.

@phdyoutubedegree1939

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko what is the lowest temperature can they withstand without dying?

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

@@phdyoutubedegree1939 Well it depends on the isopod but I would think in the 60s they should slow down a LOT.

I have some rubber duckies that I’ve had for months. I stopped seeing them so I uprooted the box, could only find 3. I have no idea what happened. Really bummed.

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

So sorry to hear Tait

@taitcarrillo8926

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko it’s okay, hopefully those 3 can rebuild.

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

@@taitcarrillo8926 hoping so

I just had to move my p. Bolivari to a huge bin after starting with 12 and now having 100’s!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Nice. Congrats

You have lots of isopod bins. May i have one? 🤔

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely! Stop by and pick one up.

Greetings, I wanted to ask why my Pumpkinhead Isopods are dying? They are a local species in the philippines with high humidity requirements, and I just rehoused them a week ago. It's still a small amount dying but I want to stop the deaths as early as possible. Most I found dead are half-molted, bottom side still has molt and the substrate is still damp but not soggy. I have also tested if the substrate I have made is safe by using superworms as test animals and they did not die at all in two weeks in a sample of said substrate. There are multiple calcium sources such as cuttlebone and eggshells, and they have been doing great for me at least until after the rehouse. EDIT: Most of the deaths were also mancae and juveniles but there was also one adult dead, I wish that they are the only ones but I also saw a couple more juveniles struggling with half a molt

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

Sounds like they are having a tough time molting. Maybe TOO humid. If you like, set up a Buy Me A Coffee Session and we can discuss one-on-one.

@thedarkabyss100

Жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko I decided to send an email instead so that neither of us have to pay, I hope you do not mind

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

@@thedarkabyss100 I answered your Email. I do not get charged by BMC. And the compensation you contribute goes directly into making this channel better. It's a simple charge for the time I will research and provide you with.

My dairy cows babies and juveniles were gone, I found some of them dying and died... I think I should move my dairy cows to a bigger enclosure...

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

How long were they in the setup?

@goaterrorritualust7270

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko circa 1 week

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

@@goaterrorritualust7270 very odd

I lost a thriving orange smoothie colony cuz I gave em a baby carrot that was washed but still had some pesticide on it😕

@SupremeGecko

Жыл бұрын

Oh no! Sorry

@lisasparkman2924

Ай бұрын

I've heard you always peel then wash your vegetables

YESSS PURGE THE STEMS!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

:) I can never look at an enclosure that has stems in there, ever again.

@rynguyn7469

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGeckoAGREED!

Instead of trying to get them all, why not split the culture? Or instead of picking the last few out, add new substrate, etc, and let them repopulate? I'm new to iso's, but what I generally do when creating a new colony. I save some of the original and top it off, just in case something doesn't go right in the new enclosure. Unless of course, you are trying to free up the smaller bins for different cultures.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

I like that, and it would be easier... but instead of 100 cultures, I would have 200 :)

Oi dont throw tape and pens at us how dare you!!! Lol but 2 questions if someone doesn't have a second container is there another way to manage ammonia levels? The second question is where did you get the label printer that thing would make things so much easier for labeling snakes for shows

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

:) I'll throw the tape and marker if I wanna ;) 1. You could do partial substrate changes every 2-3 months (@20%). That would help a lot. 2. I believe for @ $16 at office max.

@rk-romania2297

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko meanie lol and ok makes sense and awesome I'll have to buy one soon its almost snake baby season and a labeler like that would make the whole process easy just touch and go

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

@@rk-romania2297 :) another option- if you have a laptop/desktop computer, create a label, print it off, and tape it to the container. We actually do this for deli cup labels for reptile shows so we can peel off the label without leaving all that gooky stuff.

@rk-romania2297

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko we do and ah true on that one

This is a very informational video. I posted my take on Isopod Of The Year! I really hope you can feature Oniscus asellus “Mardi Gras” soon pls. So we from different parts of the world will be acquainted again with them. I posted the Isopod Of The Year on my Facebook Page: TerraPlantae Thank you Supreme Gecko! Hope you can feature my post! Appreciate it!

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Will check out tomorrow

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Great site! It looks like you put a lot of work into what you do and it shows. Let me know if you are ever interested in a collaboration

@terra.plantae

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko wow!!! Oh my god the honor is definitely mine!!! Am looking forward to that collab. Please send me a message in Facebook: Froilan Aloro for the plan

To get to the point 7:20

@SupremeGecko

29 күн бұрын

Thank you for the comment. I believe many people (looking at the analytics on this video) enjoy the background AND information they receive on each isopod bin they get by watching the whole video. But again, thank you Jotto

Can I feed my white dwarfs isopods a whole dead walking stick ?

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

I've never done it but unless the walking stick is toxic to them, like millipedes, yes.

@amalierove7466

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko Thank you for responding so quickly 😁

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

@@amalierove7466 I always try to within a day at the most

Wally I thought you were gone forever

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Not that easy to get rid of me. :)

I think you need to share some of these cuties with me lol, and check your spelling ol man! Comming?! 😁

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

No way to get around it. I am a terible speler. Anytime you want some, if I have extras....

@angieschwartz5294

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko good lawd lol

Wally, A small favour. With the lids removed, could you please run your feet and inches tape over the 3 sizes, and give them in inches L x W x Height please. That's your 6, 15, and 27 qts as quoted by you. That litres, qts, and all that decimalisation stuff is all over my head - I'm a feet and inches man, 6 feet one and a half inches to be precise in my youth :-) probably a bit shorter now with age Mmmm. A constructive observation, I view the videos several times and it is quite surprising what you miss on the first or second pass. I usually make one pass a stop/start pass just to make notes, observations, drawings etc., in my trusty reporters note pads - one for each Y/T Guru followed & also even a separate one for a critter (example, Springtails has a dedicated one. These are probably going to be my first inmates (I mean Guests) when I finally get all this excess hoarding junk cleared out to make space. It's a long hard process sorting and throwing out stuff that you have treasured, and kept for years - Just in case it's needed one day in the future - decisions, decisions :-) Rambling again Wally :-) Regards, Jim.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comments Jim. What do you mean by missing on the first pass?

@jameswalls2696

3 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko Wally, I should have said the first VIEWING of the video, second viewing etc. Hope that clears up the confusion. Regards, Jim.

@SupremeGecko

3 жыл бұрын

@@jameswalls2696 Ahhhh, I gotcha. As Wally points to his coffee cup and slowly moves his finger down from the top to the bottom "I'm not thinking until riiiiiiiiiiight about here"

Why can't you just add more carbon and detritis to the old culture?

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

Is your container that large?

@MrFatist

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko it could be

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrFatist I would at least take some out and replace with new.

@MrFatist

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeGecko Thanks heaps for the advice :)

@SupremeGecko

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrFatist Absolutely glad to help. Anytime.