Want to employ some dustmen for my Ts

[Kurt Baird]

Long time since I posted here, been very busy!

Anyway, I'll get straight down to business.

I'm looking into getting some Isopods to live in my T's tanks to help with tank cleanliness. However, having little creatures co-habitating with my T's makes me somewhat uneasy, so I have a few questions.

1) Do any of you use them.

2) Is there any danger, even if it is a .00000001% chance, that they are harmful to T's.

3) Are they safe for use with sling's.

4) Where do I get them from, how much do they cost and any other basic info I am forgetting to ask about.

Thanks!

Oh, and PS: Added a lot more T's to my collection over the past few months.

[Eleanor]

1) Do any of you use them.

2) Is there any danger, even if it is a .00000001% chance, that they are harmful to T's.

3) Are they safe for use with sling's.

4) Where do I get them from, how much do they cost and any other basic info I am forgetting to ask about.

I use them for some of my more messy eaters. They are not dangerous in any way, even to slings. I actually use tropical white woodlice which I originally bought from Dartfrog, which are tiny, and also make good food for slings! They seem to do a really good job and appear immediately after a spider has finished a meal, piling up on the substrate where the remains are, and disappearing from sight when they've finished tidying up. They won't survive if you don't keep at least a part of the substrate slightly moist though.

You may not have to buy them, maybe someone can give you some.

You could use ordinary ones that you can find outside if you wanted to, but I don't know if they'd be as efficient.

[Jamie Cooper]

I have recently started using springtails and tropical woodlice to maintain my sling pots. Go to www.dartfrog.co.uk, you can buy a culture for about £5.00 each. I was a bit concerned to begin with about the safety of my slings (2cm avics) with the woodlice which were almost twice their size but haven't had any problems, I've had them about 2 weeks.

[Kurt Baird]

Thanks for the replies guys.

They won't survive if you don't keep at least a part of the substrate slightly moist though.

How moist are we talking? Are there any cleaner inverts that don't mind it dry?

Also, if they happen to die for whatever reason, isn't that going to be a source for mites and whatnot?

[Eleanor]

How moist are we talking? Are there any cleaner inverts that don't mind it dry?

Also, if they happen to die for whatever reason, isn't that going to be a source for mites and whatnot?

Not very moist, just not bone dry either. If mites can survive then they probably will too. They'll die if it stays bone dry, but then so will mites, so I wouldn't consider that to be a worry. I don't think there's anything that can stand it always bone dry, because everything needs a source of water at some time or another.

[Kurt Baird]

Cheers Eleanor. I guess flooding the water bowls when I change them will solve the dryness issue. I tend to spray tanks once a week or so anyway.

Think I'll go with the woodlice, or maybe get the Spingtails aswell, thanks all.

[ralfkonen]

Are woodlice still safe when the T's are in molt?

[Jamie Cooper]

Are woodlice still safe when the T's are in molt?

I've wondered this too. My slings are approaching moult very soon. I'm assuming the woodlice won't be able to get to the spider due to the heavy webbing. A tad concerned though.

[Eleanor]

Woodlice really don't nibble on moulting spiders. They are totally safe.

[mary walters]

I had woodlice in my adults, did a good job and also bred in there.

Must get some more at some stage.

[Peter Lacey]

I've been using tropical woodlice and springtails for over a year and a half and haven't experienced any problems. On the contrary they've been excellent, cleaning food remains, bolus and moulds and they actively compete with mites. They'll congregate around damp areas eg. water bowl as they require a certain level of water to breathe, but flood them and they'll die. The tropical ones can be used as food but if you decide to take them from the garden make sure you quarantine them for a couple of weeks. They show no danger to moulting Ts and allow you to keep your substrate a little more moist that you would without these cleaners.

[Jennifer Todd]

I also use the springtails from Dartfrog and they're great. I bought one tub and managed to keep the culture going so I always have a supply of them. My tiny slings eat them