Six of the Best Isopods for Display Pets!

Isopods can be great as a bioactive cleanup crews, but they can also be some of the best low-maintenance display invertebrate pets, depending on the species of isopod you choose and the setup you create. In this video, I'll talk about six of the best isopods for display/pets, as well as a couple of isopods that deserve honorable mentions.
#isopods
#arthropods
#pet
#aquarimaxpets
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Check out these LINKS to Isopod foods and supplies below. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
#ad here is a link to the Fungus Gnat trap I tested in this video: amzn.to/3qtA2pn
#ad I use this breathable medical tape to cover ventilation of some of my isopod enclosures: amzn.to/35oMTkn
I really enjoy my enclosures from www.tarantulacribs.com/
Vivariums in the Mist makes some great isopod foods: www.vivariumsinthemist.com/is...
Wally at Supreme Gecko makes a great Isopod food: www.supremegecko.com/shop-onli...
superior shipping supplies.com makes the smaller isopod enclosures I show in the video.
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Isopods will munch on dried River shrimp as well!
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#ad To give your isopods calcium, you can use cuttlebone: twin pack: amzn.to/2S9H3hG
I own a copy of book on isopods by Orin McMonigle, a great source of isopod knowledge:
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#ad here is a link to the sphagnum moss I use to help hydrate my isopods: amzn.to/36BxXiz
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Isopod Substrate ingredients:
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[@christiansweden]

I have noticed that isopods actually have different personalities, not least with regard to boldness. Armadillidium vulgare 'Platina' (my own finding/creation, being highly glossy and almost black) is probably the best example. Approximately 1/5 are out almost all the time and hang out as a gang, with some individuals seemingly more closely bonded than others. Another cool species is Porcellio spinicornis, in which an older 'alpha' couple or two sits on top of the most attractive branches or rocks most of the time, seemingly demonstrating dominance. I named the first couple Berth and Bertha, but after some time I realized I had mixed up their sexes 😅 Thank you for introducing me to this hobby!

[@raylaikowski3127]

I used to collect rolly pollies when I was a kid. Now I'm 38 and starting a new collection. I guess I forgot how cool they are! Great info on this channel to get me started again. 👍

[@theZDOME]

Nothing beats a big colony of white ducky’s! I’m getting nightgold in this next week ;) can’t wait to follow in your footsteps on this incredible project.

[@503menagerie3]

I'm doing a display isopod "build off" with Isobuddies productions so this is a very timely video! I think I'm going to pull out all the orange colored isopods from my A. vulgare culture to use. They definitely are always out and about and such a pretty color!

[@Aquarimax]

I will look forward to the build off!!

[@sandysizemore1828]

Very interesting :)) I agree with your choice of P laevis dairies, they are fun to watch! I also love observing A vulgare zebras - mine love to climb :)) I never realized that being accustomed to a display case, and being greater in number, would make a difference in their boldness. Thanks for the tip!

[@user-jp5tl2eg7e]

I think the species Armadillidium Werneri is worth adding to the list, especially its 'orange' morph. They are similar in size to Armadillidium Gestroi and in my opinion, a little bit more active and visible, especially in the evening.

[@klozrforte1528]

Vulgare are my favorite by far! Love the ODMP I got from you for Christmas. My close second are the powders. They’re both so fun. Now that my gestroi have had babies I’ll be putting them in a display soon too.

[@Gogeta2006]

A. vulgare are by far my favourite too. I have 12 different morphs, I'm a bit obsessed, lol.

[@Aquarimax]

Gotta love the ODMPs!

[@peterashby-saracen3681]

Really interesting!! I don't know entirely what factors are involved and I only have about 15 species and morphs at present but my experience has been a bit different. So far, my absolute Number One in terms of combined gorgeous appearance and boldness is Porcellio ornatus High Yellow. They are big, very colourful, pretty prolific and constantly active and there's always something new to see going on - they spend a lot of time hanging out right at the top of the branches and sometimes aggregate in large numbers. My vote on Ornatus High Yellow, 12 out of 10!!! Interestingly, my wild-caught P. ornatus Yellow Dot (I'm in southern Spain) are into their third generation but are still much shyer than High Yellow - I wonder if this will change in time? I'm not sure what's going on with my P. laevis Dairy Cow but even though I have a huge colony of them they have never been especially bold, even at feeding time. Maybe it's just the particular line I have...? Armadillidium: A. vulgare T+ are reasonably active but the stars of the show are definitely Armadillidium frontetriangulum - they're always out and about and like hanging out on the top of their shelters. I haven't kept gestroi but they look fairly similar, I think - my frontetriangulum have a combination of yellow and white markings. Have to say it but I have a bottom three as display pets... Armadillidium perracae, Cubaris murina and Porcellio haasi. If you want something to watch, these are definitely not for you...

[@papillonone1417]

Awesome vid, thanks!

[@frankdughtank8327]

Excellent Video Rus!!!

[@Aquarimax]

😁👍

[@arachnophobe2arachnoholic]

Such interesting little beasts thank you

[@hal-c]

Yes! Been wanting this video since I started keeping isopods. I will definitely be referencing this when I pick out my next ispod additions! I know Cubaris aren't usually considered great display animals, but one I've had really good luck with being out in the day is the Cubaris sp. 'T- Albino Red Edge'. They aren't as active as most of the isopods on your list, but they are the most active cubaris I've kept.

[@Aquarimax]

Interesting! I wonder if the day activity has anything to do with being albino…in many species, albinism increases negative phototactic behavior…perhaps it is different with the red edge?

[@kitsune0rei]

I love my dairy cows! They're so cute :D I think they haven't matured quite enough to be really visible, tho they do come out and swarm food when they're hungry! They had babies after I had them around a month or so, and now those babies are juveniles, and I see some new babies :) I think once more of them hit adults I'll be seeing them more. I definitely see a bunch if I peek under their cork bark. I also sometimes see them buried in the soil. Since it's still fairly fresh I think they still have plenty of leaf and other food in the soil too. They also really make snake shed disappear too, I can put a big piece in and every day large chunks of it are gone till it's gone. They are in a completely clear acrylic box I found on Etsy. I really like the look of the setup, it sits on my desk. I also just set up my P. scaber lotto mix in a more visible container- I'm trying out the Exo Terra breeder box, I recently put some tape over some of the sides because I think it has more vent than necessary. I really like all the colors in the mix :) They're still getting established too. I also have backup plastic bins, so I have a place to put excess isopods when the populations grow.

[@mraquaticnews5676]

These guys have nice markings! Good footage

[@Aquarimax]

Thank you!

[@sumdumdog]

My Nesodillo sp. Shiro Utsuri have been out and about in a display enclosure, usually on the cork bark or cuttlebone. They seem to feel pretty secure on the book case shelf, despite the acryllic. I've seen everything from breeding behavior to mate guarding (they seem to like being hats), and haven't had them long. Cylisticus convexus has been eating out the organic substrate under the leaves, creating neat tunnels. The younger ones seem particularly fond of being underground -- starting to see mancae at times.

[@lizziesmusicmaking]

I have P. scaber and dwarf whites. The P. scaber are bolder and much larger than the dwarf whites, and I find they make decent display isopods in the large plastic jar I keep them in. They've kept themselves going for about two years now, and I have orange ones, and grey and orange speckled ones and plain grey ones. I want a higher proportion of orange ones, so I recently started exiling grey adults to the crested gecko tank where they can be cleanup crew or gecko food instead of just exiling random surplus adults. I think my gecko eats them, given they keep disappearing.

[@hussleman8239]

I’m a hobbyist , collector and local breeder & my favorite species are Porcellio’s dairy cows & Armadillidiums Zebras !! Nothing like them . Great colors & patterns that Stands out to me .

[@Aquarimax]

Hard to beat for sure!

[@MIsopods]

Hello Rus! 2 Things: I was watching a time lapse prior to stopping by this video, and forgot that I had the speed up to 1.5 speed. Hearing your voice in that pitch, compared to your normal one and the hurried tone had me confused for a moment! Next, I often find it fascinating, how perspective can differ. For example. I tend to think P Laevis in general are as voracious and hungry as D Cows and Milkbacks, instead of being the exception. This, in my view, is because while they are not the "embodiment of P Laevis feeding habits" they tend to be slightly over-represented, because they are so popular. I guess I marred the lines between popularity, and population. haha. Thank you! Go easy. Me

[@panicstation8038]

I have a mixed colony of p. Laevis dairy cows and oranges inside a huge acrylic box and I see them crawl around during day and night. I put a block of kinshin inside the box and I always see babies covering it and munching tunnels in it. Also, the colony loves dried chicken a lot lol

[@SupremeGecko]

Great video Rus.

[@Aquarimax]

Thank you Wally! I have you to thank for the Yellow Dots!!

[@DeformedDevices]

Thanks for all the info. Still can't make up my mind haha but it's helpful.

[@PeppersnGlowworms]

That's a great compilation and some wonderful species on the list. On the topic of isopod display tanks: Can you recommend some plants that would do well in those display tanks and won't just end up as leafy greens for the little ones?

[@Aquarimax]

Armadillidium seem to nibble on many plants, so it is more about the isopod species, or perhaps using fast-growing plants.

[@lexxdamm6353]

I find Merulanella sp. “Tricolor" to be a bit odd of a isopod, striking appearance, good climbers (like to climb plants and hangout in them) and I almost always see at least one out about wingling it's antennas. Will be interesting to see how they act when in big numbers as I have only a handful right now, but already have babies so there's hope. And yeah Dairy Cows are my most active and hungry of all my isopods, when there's food, they show up in big numbers after a while. My Rubber Duckies are the worst, when it comes to displaying, but yesterday two of them actually did show up above the soil, I think they must be more active in the night.

[@Aquarimax]

I hear the Merulanella are like that, but I have not kept them yet. They sound pretty great!

[@BugzNBeanz]

I REALLY want yellow Armadillidium maculatum as my very first display isopods. I love the black & yellow varieties but with a skirt.

[@markjones8953]

awesome!

[@martinrich9376]

On an unrelated note, I love your backdrop, and would be very interested in where you got it.

[@Aquarimax]

I got two identical backdrops…one on wish.com, the other on Amazon.com here: #ad amzn.to/3sWNXaE

[@Gogeta2006]

I have Armadillo officinalis "red" in my display enclosure but they haven't bred yet so are still shy. Hopefully they get more bold as their numbers increase.

[@sandysizemore1828]

I have these also, and mine are very shy. I’ve hardly seen any that are not conglobating. They are bigger than I expected.

[@ballehakan]

I got a question about springtails. Can you use tapwater? In your video you used distilled water. Are they particularly susceptible to chlorine and other chemicals?

[@_invertico_]

I have both porcellio scaber and porcellio scaber ghost

[@mysteryunboxing3403]

Porcellio scaber Orange Dalmatian are one my favorites!

[@Aquarimax]

They can be very beautiful when we’ll marked!

[@FungalTox]

Kind of want to get me some isopods now

[@me-also-youtuber]

my no. 1 isopods for display will be P. magnificus. they are large, bold, orange

[@Aquarimax]

They are fantastic, I haven’t seen my very bold yet, hopefully when the colony grows!

[@peterashby-saracen3681]

My magnificus are beautiful but very shy

[@madelinesawyer2186]

Despite only having a small culture of clowns in a little display enclosure they are super active, both at night and during the day. And they’ll eat out of my hand. So i would include them :)

[@Aquarimax]

That are gorgeous! They do seem more bold in display enclosures!

[@shanemadden2430]

Hey Rus, big fan of your content, I was just wondering if you have heard any updates on the lacy act amendments, I've been trying to research but I can't get a clear answer. Thank you

[@Aquarimax]

I need to do an update…at this point I can tell you we need to leave phone messages for our senators. They will take precedence over email. Learned this from the interview on @the_tarrantula_collective

[@shanemadden2430]

@@Aquarimax ok thank you so much :)

[@markjones8953]

Do you think Armadillidium klugii would make a good display isopod? I have klugii montenegro coming in, as well as klugii pudding that I would like to turn into display since they’re awesome looking! I’m also gonna try to mix some of the culture and see if there is a difference in coloration!

[@Aquarimax]

They might, I have heard that they can acclimate well to display enclosures. Purple puddings are descended from wild-type Montenegro, so you would probably end up seeing both in the mixed colony.

[@markjones8953]

Alright thank you! I’ll try it out!

[@pfang100]

Do they cross breed? WOuld you recommend I keep different types of Isopods together ?

[@christinajohnson5572]

How can you keep dairy cow populations at a maintainable level without culling, selling or feeding them to reptiles?

[@meowthekitty321]

Yes, I've been wondering that, I hope someone will answer!

[@Aquarimax]

Food quantity and types of food are part of the answer, but more research is needed.

[@daviddawdy3023]

do you try to keep springtails in all your isopod setups?

[@Aquarimax]

Yes I do!

[@donquixote2072]

I'm thinking of getting some diary cow or zebra isopods but I'm worried about if the colony gets too big. How do you offload excess isopods?

[@Aquarimax]

Dairy cows are crazy prolific! You might consider keeping an isopod predator to help with that.

[@arcaninetyfour2239]

Dairy cows are great, if only there were a way to keep their population reasonable without culling. My intended first colony is P. scaber party mix, but I'm still trying to figure out good materials for a display container.

[@Aquarimax]

P. scaber mix is pretty fun…Tarantula Crib enclosures are pretty awesome!

[@redswordz9131]

hey i have a question, can you put isopods on aquarium? fully aquatic set up? thanks

[@Aquarimax]

There are fully aquatic isopods (both marine and freshwater) as well as some semi aquatic species (some of which, at least, are estuarine), but I don’t recommend keeping terrestrial isopods in a fully aquatic setup. They can survive longer than some other terrestrial organisms underwater, but they can and do drown.

[@SanosukeSagara18]

You mentioned isopods disturbed by movement, when mentioning raising lids n hides and things. One of the things I haven't found an answer for....well, I have 10 Dairy Cow isopods I got about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks ago. A family member had a small aquarium collecting dust so I got them in that. Which is on top of one of those cheap, plastic folding tables you might use at a campout or just outside. Which I don't know if that description is enough but the table is definitely not sturdy. It's not about to collapse or anything but definitely shakes at the slightest touch. Would something like that disturb isopods? Make them more likely to run and hide? Or am I over thinking it? I've heard of some animals getting scared over something like that so I wanted to check

[@Aquarimax]

Dirt Cows tend to be pretty bold. Too much vibration will probably bother them, but a little shouldn’t matter.

[@SanosukeSagara18]

@@Aquarimax it's pretty wobbly. And they definitely aren't being bold. But then I just started so it's probably just that. I did watched your vid about starting vs an established colony very helpful. Either way. Thanks for the reply

[@Aquarimax]

That could account for it. Let me know how it goes over time!

[@lincoln_lifts]

I haven't watched it yet, but I'm guessing gestroi is on this list

[@Aquarimax]

You got it!

[@jonnyb.animationstutorials7119]

Which Isopods are the big orange ones? That's Porcellio Scaber right?

[@Aquarimax]

There are many large orange isopods these days…do you mean in this video specifically?

[@jonnyb.animationstutorials7119]

@@Aquarimax Yeah, which ones are those?

[@sunshinecarnivores1919]

Some isopods remind me of ants when feeding 😂

[@Aquarimax]

I can see that….

[@ALAMLUSVI]

What type of isopod is suitable for a cage containing lizards? so that the isopods are not eaten by lizards

[@Aquarimax]

Which type of lizard?

[@ALAMLUSVI]

@@Aquarimax I keep blue tail skink, and anymore small lizard in for Indonesia

[@Aquarimax]

@@ALAMLUSVI with a BTS, I’d try something small so that it isn’t of much interest to the skink, like dwarf whites

[@ALAMLUSVI]

@@Aquarimax what type of isopods do you recommend?

[@Aquarimax]

@@ALAMLUSVI dwarf white isopods, or Porcellio dilatatus, or if it isn’t a planted enclosure, Venezillo parvus or Cylisticus convexus

[@zeidWork]

Looking to buy some isopods to be shipped internationally, if any one selling kindly let me know.

[@Aquarimax]

I hope you find some!

[@jonnyb.animationstutorials7119]

They'll probably be dead before they get to you. In my experience, Live critters don't do so well through international travel. Best of luck though!

[@Supergiantgeckos]

Can’t believe the money people spend on rolly pollies

[@Aquarimax]

Fair, but the same could be said if many more frivolous things 🤣

[@jettajetta877]

We would rather see the actual isopods and have you narrate in the background. Thank you.

[@khuumeleon1457]

Are you inside a @leaphabitats 😁

[@Aquarimax]

How could you tell??

[@fantomaz1408]