Powder isopod questions | Leopard Geckos | Page 1

north tangle Dec 27, 2025, 8:17 PM

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Hello! Im looking to put plants in my tank, and im looking to put isopods in there.
I’d like to know how i should feed them, what plants i should use to sustain them, and how to take care of them!

I’ve had isopods before, but i keep putting them directly into my leopard gecko’s tank. I don’t own a smaller tank that i can put them in, and i’m looking to but one.
All i need to know is:

what’s a good tank size for a starter colony?
what’s soil should i use? Is there a place i can easily buy it?
what are good plants to put in the tank that are easy to take care of and are nutritionally valuable for isopods?
how should i do the lighting? I have an old light bulb im sure i could use.
Should i buy a small low power heater or should i leave it at my room temp? (About 70-80 Fahrenheit)

marsh ibex Dec 27, 2025, 8:27 PM

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@north venture

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 9:18 PM

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I’ll be home soon and can answer!

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 10:00 PM

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so! isopods don't really need bioactive enclosures. C: generally within the isopod community we just keep them in storage bins!

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this is what i have for porcellionides tho :O!
bin size: 6 qt / 5-6 liter bin. (commonly what people use for starter colonies)
substrate: Organic topsoil about 2ish inches or so with some oyster shell (my calcium source of choice) mixed into it! Reptile calcium also works for this 😄
Moisture gradient is about half or a little under half~ with moss staying on the dedicated moist side of the bin.
I have a piece of cork bark on the dryer side for them to hide in and under, with various leaves including: Maple, basswood, oak, poplar, beech, apple tree and some random seed pods my leaf seller gave me.

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i can send pics of my bin as well C:

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:38 PM

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north tangle Hello! Im looking to put plants in my tank, and im looking to put isopods in the...

I recommend a 15qt bin and using a substrate mixed up with organic topsoil, flake soil, leaf litter, moss & a calcium source. if you can get your hands on some white rotwood, that is super beneficial and nutritious for detritivores

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isopods are normally fine at room temp, and porcellio scaber are some of the easiest isopods to keep imo

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they don’t require any special lighting or anything

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fish flake, squash & freeze dried minnow are all good additional food choices for your pods

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 11:45 PM

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jade crow isopods are normally fine at room temp, and porcellio scaber are some of the eas...

from the question it seems like they are wanting to culture their powder blue isopods C: not scabers.

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hence why i sent the porcellionides information above.

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:46 PM

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oops my bad! /gen I think regardless my advice still applies tho

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I really recommend going a bit bigger than the standard recommendations for breeding isopods, it keeps the colony from crashing longer

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 11:47 PM

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main thing i'd say is flake soil isn't needed and a 6 qt bin is perfectly fine to start out in and what a majority of people do.

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:47 PM

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it’s not needed! but I highly recommend it, i’ve got around 15 bins of different species that have all seemed to benefit from flake soil & rotwood C:

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 11:47 PM

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does flake soil help? I'm sure. But it's not something that is needed for an isopod colony.

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:48 PM

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yup! we are in agreement :) I think it’s beneficial and worth adding for your colony

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 11:48 PM

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rotwood is a bit different and definitely something i recommend if you're able to get your hands on it yeh. but you can also do sticks and other types of bark as well if you're not able! nod

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:49 PM

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depending on where the keeper lives, it’s a good season right now for finding rotwood! highly recommend going on a little hike and searching for some :)

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 11:49 PM

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besides those two points ye pretty standard info

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:49 PM

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I recommend rotwood and flake soil for millipedes & isopods

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 11:50 PM

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only reason my powders are now in a 15 qt is because the colony is a decent size for it.

I move my colonies to that size when they're essentially covering bark which is what other isopod keepers have reccomended to me in the past and why i generally reccomend starting out in 6 qts C:

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:50 PM

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north venture besides those two points ye pretty standard info

ye I will say I also recommend mixing the leaf litter and moss into the soil, sometimes I see people just coat the top with moss which can prevent water from running into the soil underneath! so highly recommend that as well ^^

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 11:50 PM

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the way i set my bins up now is i actually have the moss for the moist side going all the way down! much easier than having it sit on top or being mixed in

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wicks better

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:51 PM

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north venture only reason my powders are now in a 15 qt is because the colony is a decent size...

I used to start off in 6 qts and then upgrade, but I found that 15 qt just works better for me and my colonies. it makes things easier in the long run because you don’t have to rush to upgrade when the colony starts growing ^ it’s not necessary but I think it’s worth it if they can

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:51 PM

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north venture the way i set my bins up now is i actually have the moss for the moist side goin...

I mix mine in on one side and it seems to be working pretty good! saves moss too

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 11:54 PM

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jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:54 PM

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I gotta work on memorizing the scientific names better, this is not the first time i’ve said p scaber instead of pruinosus 😅 but I keep both species

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 11:54 PM

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was making a little visual LOL but essentially this is what i do!

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stole the idea from other keepers

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:54 PM

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looks good!

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 11:55 PM

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jade crow I gotta work on memorizing the scientific names better, this is not the first ti...

it can be hard sometimes LOL

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:56 PM

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YEAH i’m way better with the silly guys that I obsess over like the troglodillos

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their name is too fun to forget

north venture Dec 27, 2025, 11:56 PM

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i keep mostly armadillidium and soon to be cubaris KEK so i feel

jade crow Dec 27, 2025, 11:56 PM

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cubaris are fun! I’ve got a lotta those guys

north tangle Dec 28, 2025, 1:49 AM

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Hey! Sorry, was with family and didnt get the notifications. I will check this asap! Rereading everything might be better than skimming it lol

north tangle Dec 28, 2025, 1:50 AM

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north venture

If possible, could you tell me what this image refers to?

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As in, what does the yellow side mean?

north venture Dec 28, 2025, 1:50 AM

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north tangle If possible, could you tell me what this image refers to?

it's how i set up my moss and dirt in my bins!

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the yellow side is my moss

north tangle Dec 28, 2025, 1:50 AM

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Oh!

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Got it!

north venture Dec 28, 2025, 1:51 AM

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yee! so instead of just putting it on top of the dirt i now make a portion of the bin just moss all the way down

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it helps hydrate the soil longer ime

north tangle Dec 28, 2025, 1:51 AM

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Oh! Got it! I’ll see what i can set up for that.

north tangle Dec 28, 2025, 1:53 AM

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north venture this is what i have for porcellionides tho :O! bin size: 6 qt / 5-6 liter bin. (...

Should i use a clear bin or something that’s not clear? I have an old bin i used to use for mealworms that i emptied out a while ago, and it isnt clear. I can grab pictures if you’d rather see what it looks like! I currently use it for storing my leopard gecko’s extra stuff tho lol

north venture Dec 28, 2025, 1:53 AM

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either works really

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i use clear so i can see the pods and the moss/dirt better but

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if you have a non clear one already go for it

north tangle Dec 28, 2025, 1:54 AM

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Got it!

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Another question is that i don’t know how big that bin is. These are some pictures, its got some dirt from my leo’s tank.

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First pic still has my leo’s stuff in it

north venture Dec 28, 2025, 2:09 AM

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for a starter colony that one should be fine? can always measure it

north tangle Dec 28, 2025, 2:13 AM

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Got it!

north tangle Dec 28, 2025, 2:44 AM

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alright! i've set up the bin. i've put my cork piece in there, moved the isopods in, and i've got the nice spot for water.

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i've got no leaves though. should i buy some from a store or should i source some myself? (go outside and grab them from the ground, cook them in the oven)

north venture Dec 28, 2025, 2:46 AM

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as long as you live in a safe area that doesn't spray for pesticides and have trees like oak, maple, birch you can! you want the brown fallen ones nod

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can freeze them for a few days too! no reason to bake em

north tangle Dec 28, 2025, 3:04 AM

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got it! we dont have any farms other than the one infront of us, and our forest if filled with the brown fallen ones! i'll see how many i can grab. should i freeze them for only 3 days or for longer? might be the better option than baking, as baking would probably cause a fire if i put it a little too hot lol

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the one infront of us never sprays anything. its a corn farm from what we know, might just be wheat.

north venture Dec 28, 2025, 3:05 AM

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3 days is typically what i do

north tangle Dec 28, 2025, 3:05 AM

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no pesticides when they grow them, and it seems to be pretty "all natural"

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got it!

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:D

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i'll grab some tomorrow. its currently 9 pm here in missouri, and not the right time for grabbing leaves bc of the wildlife that hunts our chickens

north venture Dec 28, 2025, 3:06 AM

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😭 ❤️

#Powder isopod questions