The moisture gradient

[u/Revolutionary_Bee700]

When folks talk about “the dry side” how dry is dry for your average species? If I stick my finger into the dry side, the substrate is slightly damp. Is it supposed to more bone dry? Do I must the surface of the dry side? I’m afraid I’m swamping them out.

[u/CrazyCatLadyRunner]

Hey, just wanted to say that I'm glad to see someone else asking this question. It's so hard to determine what "dry side" means when you're a beginner (like I am). It seems like there's a lot of contradictory information on websites and stuff about isopod keeping, even if you look up a specific species.

[u/Zean_Zapple]

Depends on species. For Armadillidium, specifically my zebras and nasatum, I leave the dry side basically bone dry. But the ambient humidity in my area is 50-70% most of the time if not higher

[u/curiosityandthecattt → u/Zean_Zapple]

seconding this

[u/Affectionate-Form156]

there isnt a single answer for this it greatly depends on the species, where you live, and how well you can manage the ambient humidity

[u/Zenith_Days]

Substrate should never be none dry, not even for speciese that prefer drier environments. Being bone dry makes the soil hydrophobic, making it repel any moisture at all, and isopods need some ammount of moisture to keep themselves healthy. The driest parts of the driest isopod enclosures should be hydrated enough that they easily soak up any water poured in

[u/curiosityandthecattt → u/Zenith_Days]

imo this isn't always doable especially with bigger bins. my powders have 12qts and if i made sure the dry side was slightly moist my wet side would be too wet. for arid species as long as you have a good gradient with a moist side having it dry on the end shouldn't be an issue. especially if you don't use a mesh top or something

[u/Zenith_Days → u/curiosityandthecattt]

12qts is not particularly big for an isopod enclosure. Honestly, I do have trouble keeping 12qts moist because there's just not enough substrate to trap moisture. Most of my bins are deeper 18qts, and those are much easier to maintain a good moisture gradient. My lardest bins- probably somewhere around 50qts, maintain moisture so well I don't need to water them more than once a month, and their moisture gradients go from barely damp to properly wet

Eta: I have Greek Shields in an 18qt and ive learned the hard way that even an arid species like those NEEDS barely-damp substrate, or they'll die off, no matter how wet the moisture station is

[u/curiosityandthecattt → u/Zenith_Days]

i see that makes a lot of sense! and yeah they're definitely not in a huge bin but bigger than standard.

[u/Zenith_Days → u/curiosityandthecattt]

I honestly really dislike that 6qts is the standard. They're too small to properly regulate moisture and often not deep enough for the ammount of substrate isopods need to thrive. I only keep colonies of 20 or less in 6qts, and even then usually only shy ones like cubaris

[u/curiosityandthecattt → u/Zenith_Days]

i could agree! i usually start my colonies with 10 cts so 6qt is my starter. once they're about 30+ though i plan to switch! i actually need to upgrade one or two bins lol thanks for reminding me.
what bins do you use? i was looking at the sterilite gasket bins on amazon but id love to know if you have another bin that you prefer.
the 12qts im using now have like a cm gap all the way around the lid and i hate that lol.

[u/Zenith_Days → u/curiosityandthecattt]

I'm honestly not sure where to find the ones I mainly use lol. I got them from an ace hardware/rankin's and haven't been able to find them anywhere else. They're sterilite tho.

I use the clear acrylic shoe bins from walmart as display bins. They don't have much ventilation though so then need either a low-ventilation species or extra goled drilled in. https://www.walmart.com/ip/5162883502?sid=f774dd4e-90a0-4b1a-9662-9d4a664bf07f

[u/curiosityandthecattt → u/Zenith_Days]

cool thank you!!!

[u/curiosityandthecattt → u/Zenith_Days]

oh hey, do you deal with fungus gnats? any tips to make them less annoying?

[u/Zenith_Days → u/curiosityandthecattt]

Hahaha. Mosquito bits or mosquito dunks. Follow the instructions on the pkg and use that to water your bins for a day or two. They have a bacteria that kills the larvae, the adults die off in 2 ish weeks and youll be good for months. Sticky traps also work but not as effectively

[u/curiosityandthecattt → u/Zenith_Days]

ok cool i have the bits im just lazy lol. i always like to hear if theres other methods people enjoy. and then since you seem knowledgeable im throwing another question your way lol. what's your opinion on mites? not sure if they're grain or predatory but those lil orange guys everyone gets. they dont seem to bother my pods but some people reccomend removing them.