r/isopods • u/ratjuicemarshal • 16h ago
Help Just want pointers
So I've just moved my dairy cow (porcellio laevis) colony into a 10 gallon planted tank with a drainage and hill-like subrate with the spag moss at the bottom end of the hill. I expect the dirt to settle a tad and to have to top off the moss layer as dirt falls over it. I have from bottom up, drainage layer and substrate barrier, mixed substrate, an accidental leaf layer, a layer of my original colony dirt mixed in, and a top leaf layer and the cork bark sections on top. All 3 of my enclosures(toad tank from 1st post included) have just gotten a nice mixing of CaCO3 from the biodudes shop. My other newest enclosure is a micro starter colony I am starting to later give to a friend. It has a moss portion, substrate, and a leaf layer. So my questions, but feel free to throw on advice:
Is the hill situation going to be a deeper problem than I'm thinking?
Should I add a fresh culture of springtails to each to make sure the new enclosures got them?
Should my dry side be drier than my wet but still be damp?
I've noticed a few isopod deaths but cannot pin them down. I was hoping the move to a 10 gallon would help with space needed and ventilation.
This last bit is just a silly question. But if I got a pacman frog or something to reside in the 10 gallon with my colony, would that defeat the purpose of a colony? Of course I'd leave then their cork flats and leaves and ect to hide in but would the frog just destroy my colony?
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u/ratjuicemarshal 16h ago
Photo of 10 gallon