The orange laevis are dummy easy to produce. I now have them in 4 places BY ACCIDENT because one of the bio active enclosures I have was originally seeded with armadillium yellow zebras but somehow when we moved houses a few orange laevis got in there (literally like a few individuals) and now they are thriving happily alongside the zebras. They are also my largest colony despite being the second species I started working with. So I am convinced if the world ended the orange laevis would survive right with the cockroaches!
This is honestly fascinanting to see, especially long term, I have some dairy cow that have produced some wild type babies, and once they grew up they had a mix of dairy cow and wild type babies, I'm not sure if they are true dairy cow, but they definetly look the part and were sold as such.
Interesting! I wonder if any Milkbacks were previously mixed with the stock you purchased, as Dairy Cows and Milkback crosses produce wild types in the first generation.
@@Aquarimax oh cool! I didn't know that, it might be the case, I've seen a couple milkbacks in the mix, and of course some white individuals popped up.
It's been a while. I know its been tough on both of us. But we jus needed the time apart. So, I'd like to say. Thank you Rus from Aquarimax Pets, Very Cool ! 😎
Single the latest exemplar looks very interesting. Being single of its own type probably would not help to isolate these but it looks simmilar to paler type. I gues they outcompete each other at early stages. I put all interesting forms I found in nature together just to realise that soon enclosure was dominated by p. scaber. But they are more fragile. On a trip to neigbouring country I collected some pods. There were nowhere to place them so I put in plastic bag. Just to realise P. scaber did not survive a trip but the rest was OK.
Well done, Russ beautiful smoothes! I been trodden on your videos. Thank you! For your knowledge! I feel alive breeding Arthropods! The Lord bless you and your family 🌈. Mr.Rodney.
I’ve been keeping a P. laevis ‘Orange’ culture while also having a bioactive cleanup crew of P. ex laevis ‘Milkback’ mixed with ‘Dairy Cows’. I can only assume that the Diary Cows are the same species as the Milkbacks due to the fact they can interbreed quite readily. If that’s the case they would need to be reclassified as well, correct? I’ve also noticed that the cows and the milkbacks get MUCH larger than the P. laevis ‘Orange’.
Yes, both Milkback and Dairy Cows can interbreed, and are regarded as the same species. They have also been reclassified 👍🏼. I have seen the same, they tend to get much larger.
Thank you for sharing this. I was actually hoping I could cross my oranges with Dairy Cows to see if I'd get a bigger bolder orange but now you've saved me the trouble and I appreciate that, while I am slightly disappointed. I love the orange color but the oranges aren't as "friendly".
I see what you mean, and I agree…someday, I hope the orange mutation occurs in Milkbacks and/or Dairy Cows so we get the size and boldness of that species with the orange color.
Cool! I'm not too worried if the Dairy Cows and the Oranges cross breed, was just checking they have similar dietary requirements. Very excited to get some!
I JUST mixed a batch of Porcellio laevis "California Mix" into my Porcellio laevis "Dairy Cow" enclosure. I am eager to see what they will produce. I had Porcellio pruinosis "Powder Orange" mixed in with my "Dairy Cows" for about a year, but they were out competing them, so I separated them. I DID find some "Dairy Cows" with a lot more of an orange hue to them in that batch though! Some people said it was because I was feeding them dried shrimp, but I looked up some stuff about "Dairy Cows" in Orin McMonigle's book and he says they naturally tend to have an amber hue as they get older. It's exciting to see the colour variations you got! I LOVE that little "oddball".
Cali mix + Dairy Cows shouldn’t be able to cross, but you should get some more visual variety! Dairy cows can indeed gain some orange tinge with time….this may in fact be to sequestering carotenoids from certain foods they eat.👍🏼
I have armadillo officialis and armadillidium klugii for about two months now but i haven't seen any mancae. I am starting to think that one eats the other's mancae. There are 10 individuals of each.
Several things could be going on here. One possibility is that the relatively large amount of space is causing them to go into growing mode rather than breeding mode. If that is the case, the tend to grow quite large and then have a large batch of babies, but it takes longer
Exactly what I was looking for - Great content as always. The plaster of paris "background" might be a good video, I got my isopods from Kyle the other day and he's doing the same thing. "Just make sure not to tip them or you'll have crushed pods" lol. A second video I would love to see would be comparing your enclosure style to what Kyle (Roach Crossing) does for his roaches/isopods (The Kritter Keeper with a piece of fabric between the lid and container) with a little hole for spraying. My main concern with the
@@Aquarimax I've been looking for a word to describe a burrowing bug instead of "terrestrial", there it is. Thank you haha. There's another video.. Quick overview of the "common" isopods in the hobby and the "groupings" they fit into. That would be a resource I'd come back to.
@@FriendlyBear95 Another great suggestion! When you say ‘groupings’ do you mean like diurnal/nocturnal p, or fossorial/terrestrial/arboreal, or like feeders/CUC/display/hobby?
@@Aquarimax I'd say start with the fossorial/terrestrial/arboreal aspect, since that's the first thing to consider for "setup". If I bought 6 tubs and wanted to get ready for my starter/dream/etc colony, I'd first consider the ventilation, which is mostly universal, right? One end big vent, other side one or two smaller, to allow a moisture gradient - It's just something that can't be easily altered down the road. Next is the substrate, which directly correlates to fossorial/terrestrial/arboreal - considering core substrate can be consistent across isopods (especially if it's supplemented with lime/calcium, for those Cubaris varieties in the mix, and can't "hurt" the others) - I'd need to consider the for my 6 tubs Terrestrial, average of X" Arboreal (gators), one should prioritize that rotting ground matter, &... Fossorial, shoutout to the giant canyons who love a good burrow, should.. From there, how harsh is that gradient - moss, leaf, wood qty/placement/etc. - Quick and easy You could then loop in the Diurnal/Noctural aspect, for placement of the specific homes/setups - Just noting the primary name, if applicable Incorrect example: Porcellio don't care, cubaris like indirect light, arboreal species all like filtered, for the most part anything fossorial can be in the dark Not many people want to watch a full care guide for each species, especially with so much overlap, and learning that most "pros" use the same tub across the board. You could do a master guide, hitting the core elements, and I think that would help entice people without overwhelming/intimidating them. Something that cross-compares multiple species (pictures for selection), shows which have the same setup (groupings), showed the "standard/core" elements of those groupings (setups), then further groups them for "where should I put these bins if I can (or HAVE TO) choose" Feeders, display, hobby, CUC are detailed points and more individually curtailed. If someone is looking for this info, they're probably looking at an individual care guide. Most likely they're already invested or they're hunting for something specific (Googling, which isopod is best for my leopard gecko bioactive).
I searched for some research on pigments. It seems isopods have 2 types of chromatophores, bright yellow (or white?) spots of pterin pigments (used for warnings or atraction?) and ommochrome chromatophores which cover most of shield and have a protective role. "Magic potions" could had intact yellow pigments. "Involvement of pteridines in the body coloration of the isopod Armadillidium vulgare" and "Pteridines in the yellow-colored chromatophores of the isopod, Armadillidium vulgare" Both articles said only females had yellow markings visible on surface as males had yellow pigment spots covered by other pigment. Not shure about that, maybe that is true for specific A vulgare morph. I don't know, what does it mean for breeding. But maybe it explains some spots. Search for pteridine showd a forum post asking maybe isopods could increase colours of frogs.
I have heard that in many populations, females have the markings, but that does not appear to be true in all populations /morphs, such as Magic Potions.
very interesting. but I'm also confused. Is there something different about the "California Mix"? it kinda sounded like the "California Mix" is a single morph. But I thought all the "Mix" groups are just different morphs of the same species grouped together to make them more appealing to those of use that want the jelly bean effect?
Great question. Some, like Armadillidium vulgare ‘Gem Mix’ are simply different morphs of the same species kept and bred together for the jelly beans effect. ‘California Mix’, on the other hand, might best be termed a polymorphic locality. It was originally collected in a part of California where I naturally produces various phenotypes…no mixing with other morphs required. Armadillidium vulgare ‘St. Lucia’ is similar.
So I have Porcellio laevis: California mix, orange, dairy cow, and milk backs. Who is AFK and who is not? Can you do a video describing what could potentially be crossed? Also, did anyone try to separate the California mix by color to try and isolate traits?
Hi Rus ! I've been keeping cubaris murina wild type . A few light coloured induviduals popped up randomly . If i breed them selectively , will i get a morph?
Wild type murina does show a decent amount of variation. Hard to say what is going on genetically there, but isolating some of the lighter ones is worth a try!
I have a question about armadillidium gestroi I have seen videos telling about how to hause them but not showing how to put air holes (where at or what size) for that type of isopod can you help Thank you
Ventilation needs will vary widely depending on airflow, humidity, etc. in your home, but for my gestroi I like to drill 1/16th” holes near the top edge of the enclosure. I typically put 8-10 on each side of the drier side, and a perhaps 3-6 on each of the shorter ends of the bin.
I would really love to know the history behind isopod keeping! When and how these crustaceans caught the attention of hobbyists.
This is very interesting.
Glad to know you think so!
The orange laevis are dummy easy to produce. I now have them in 4 places BY ACCIDENT because one of the bio active enclosures I have was originally seeded with armadillium yellow zebras but somehow when we moved houses a few orange laevis got in there (literally like a few individuals) and now they are thriving happily alongside the zebras. They are also my largest colony despite being the second species I started working with. So I am convinced if the world ended the orange laevis would survive right with the cockroaches!
LOL! They can be quite prolific! 😂
This is honestly fascinanting to see, especially long term, I have some dairy cow that have produced some wild type babies, and once they grew up they had a mix of dairy cow and wild type babies, I'm not sure if they are true dairy cow, but they definetly look the part and were sold as such.
Interesting! I wonder if any Milkbacks were previously mixed with the stock you purchased, as Dairy Cows and Milkback crosses produce wild types in the first generation.
@@Aquarimax oh cool! I didn't know that, it might be the case, I've seen a couple milkbacks in the mix, and of course some white individuals popped up.
This is a very interesting experiment. I'd love to see more done like this.
Good to know! I’d like to do more!
It's been a while. I know its been tough on both of us. But we jus needed the time apart. So, I'd like to say. Thank you Rus from Aquarimax Pets, Very Cool ! 😎
Welcome back!
Single the latest exemplar looks very interesting. Being single of its own type probably would not help to isolate these but it looks simmilar to paler type. I gues they outcompete each other at early stages. I put all interesting forms I found in nature together just to realise that soon enclosure was dominated by p. scaber. But they are more fragile. On a trip to neigbouring country I collected some pods. There were nowhere to place them so I put in plastic bag. Just to realise P. scaber did not survive a trip but the rest was OK.
Well done, Russ beautiful smoothes! I been trodden on your videos. Thank you! For your knowledge! I feel alive breeding Arthropods! The Lord bless you and your family 🌈. Mr.Rodney.
I’ve been keeping a P. laevis ‘Orange’ culture while also having a bioactive cleanup crew of P. ex laevis ‘Milkback’ mixed with ‘Dairy Cows’.
I can only assume that the Diary Cows are the same species as the Milkbacks due to the fact they can interbreed quite readily. If that’s the case they would need to be reclassified as well, correct?
I’ve also noticed that the cows and the milkbacks get MUCH larger than the P. laevis ‘Orange’.
Yes, both Milkback and Dairy Cows can interbreed, and are regarded as the same species. They have also been reclassified 👍🏼.
I have seen the same, they tend to get much larger.
Thanks for sharing Rus!
Thank you for sharing this. I was actually hoping I could cross my oranges with Dairy Cows to see if I'd get a bigger bolder orange but now you've saved me the trouble and I appreciate that, while I am slightly disappointed. I love the orange color but the oranges aren't as "friendly".
I see what you mean, and I agree…someday, I hope the orange mutation occurs in Milkbacks and/or Dairy Cows so we get the size and boldness of that species with the orange color.
Cool! I'm not too worried if the Dairy Cows and the Oranges cross breed, was just checking they have similar dietary requirements. Very excited to get some!
@@PureAndShrimple They do indeed have similar dietary requirements, but one might outcompete the other over time.
Thanks for sharing, my man.
I JUST mixed a batch of Porcellio laevis "California Mix" into my Porcellio laevis "Dairy Cow" enclosure. I am eager to see what they will produce. I had Porcellio pruinosis "Powder Orange" mixed in with my "Dairy Cows" for about a year, but they were out competing them, so I separated them. I DID find some "Dairy Cows" with a lot more of an orange hue to them in that batch though! Some people said it was because I was feeding them dried shrimp, but I looked up some stuff about "Dairy Cows" in Orin McMonigle's book and he says they naturally tend to have an amber hue as they get older. It's exciting to see the colour variations you got! I LOVE that little "oddball".
Cali mix + Dairy Cows shouldn’t be able to cross, but you should get some more visual variety!
Dairy cows can indeed gain some orange tinge with time….this may in fact be to sequestering carotenoids from certain foods they eat.👍🏼
This is so informative! Great job, fantastic reporting!🌻🌼🐝 Keep it up 🙌
I didn't know Milkbacks and Dairy Cows could interbreed. Might need to pick some up for variety in the enclosure!
They can interbreed, but the first generation with produce wild types .
I have armadillo officialis and armadillidium klugii for about two months now but i haven't seen any mancae. I am starting to think that one eats the other's mancae. There are 10 individuals of each.
The bin is 50×30×17cm and the temperatures range from 20-12(day-night)
Several things could be going on here. One possibility is that the relatively large amount of space is causing them to go into growing mode rather than breeding mode. If that is the case, the tend to grow quite large and then have a large batch of babies, but it takes longer
Exactly what I was looking for - Great content as always. The plaster of paris "background" might be a good video, I got my isopods from Kyle the other day and he's doing the same thing. "Just make sure not to tip them or you'll have crushed pods" lol. A second video I would love to see would be comparing your enclosure style to what Kyle (Roach Crossing) does for his roaches/isopods (The Kritter Keeper with a piece of fabric between the lid and container) with a little hole for spraying. My main concern with the
Great suggestions! It makes sense that some fossorial isopods need deeper substrate…I haven’t worked with too many of those myself.
@@Aquarimax I've been looking for a word to describe a burrowing bug instead of "terrestrial", there it is. Thank you haha. There's another video.. Quick overview of the "common" isopods in the hobby and the "groupings" they fit into. That would be a resource I'd come back to.
@@FriendlyBear95 Another great suggestion! When you say ‘groupings’ do you mean like diurnal/nocturnal p, or fossorial/terrestrial/arboreal, or like feeders/CUC/display/hobby?
@@Aquarimax I'd say start with the fossorial/terrestrial/arboreal aspect, since that's the first thing to consider for "setup". If I bought 6 tubs and wanted to get ready for my starter/dream/etc colony, I'd first consider the ventilation, which is mostly universal, right? One end big vent, other side one or two smaller, to allow a moisture gradient - It's just something that can't be easily altered down the road.
Next is the substrate, which directly correlates to fossorial/terrestrial/arboreal - considering core substrate can be consistent across isopods (especially if it's supplemented with lime/calcium, for those Cubaris varieties in the mix, and can't "hurt" the others) - I'd need to consider the for my 6 tubs
Terrestrial, average of X"
Arboreal (gators), one should prioritize that rotting ground matter, &...
Fossorial, shoutout to the giant canyons who love a good burrow, should..
From there, how harsh is that gradient - moss, leaf, wood qty/placement/etc. - Quick and easy
You could then loop in the Diurnal/Noctural aspect, for placement of the specific homes/setups - Just noting the primary name, if applicable
Incorrect example: Porcellio don't care, cubaris like indirect light, arboreal species all like filtered, for the most part anything fossorial can be in the dark
Not many people want to watch a full care guide for each species, especially with so much overlap, and learning that most "pros" use the same tub across the board. You could do a master guide, hitting the core elements, and I think that would help entice people without overwhelming/intimidating them.
Something that cross-compares multiple species (pictures for selection), shows which have the same setup (groupings), showed the "standard/core" elements of those groupings (setups), then further groups them for "where should I put these bins if I can (or HAVE TO) choose"
Feeders, display, hobby, CUC are detailed points and more individually curtailed. If someone is looking for this info, they're probably looking at an individual care guide. Most likely they're already invested or they're hunting for something specific (Googling, which isopod is best for my leopard gecko bioactive).
I searched for some research on pigments. It seems isopods have 2 types of chromatophores, bright yellow (or white?) spots of pterin pigments (used for warnings or atraction?) and ommochrome chromatophores which cover most of shield and have a protective role. "Magic potions" could had intact yellow pigments. "Involvement of pteridines in the body coloration of the isopod Armadillidium vulgare" and "Pteridines in the yellow-colored chromatophores of the isopod, Armadillidium vulgare" Both articles said only females had yellow markings visible on surface as males had yellow pigment spots covered by other pigment. Not shure about that, maybe that is true for specific A vulgare morph.
I don't know, what does it mean for breeding. But maybe it explains some spots. Search for pteridine showd a forum post asking maybe isopods could increase colours of frogs.
I have heard that in many populations, females have the markings, but that does not appear to be true in all populations /morphs, such as Magic Potions.
@@Aquarimax This is weird considering they are not visual species.
@Antifacio true! I wonder what purpose it could serve in the wild?
very interesting.
but I'm also confused.
Is there something different about the "California Mix"? it kinda sounded like the "California Mix" is a single morph.
But I thought all the "Mix" groups are just different morphs of the same species grouped together to make them more appealing to those of use that want the jelly bean effect?
Great question. Some, like Armadillidium vulgare ‘Gem Mix’ are simply different morphs of the same species kept and bred together for the jelly beans effect.
‘California Mix’, on the other hand, might best be termed a polymorphic locality. It was originally collected in a part of California where I naturally produces various phenotypes…no mixing with other morphs required.
Armadillidium vulgare ‘St. Lucia’ is similar.
Thank you for sharing. It IS interesting information.
Glad you appreciate it!
By the looks of it P. laevis is a faster breeder than aff. laevis?
In this particular situation at least, so it would seem. That surprised me!
So I have Porcellio laevis: California mix, orange, dairy cow, and milk backs. Who is AFK and who is not? Can you do a video describing what could potentially be crossed? Also, did anyone try to separate the California mix by color to try and isolate traits?
@@MiyQi what does AFK mean in this context? I like the idea of a video explaining what from this group can breed and what can’t.
@@MiyQi this may help too:
Milkbacks and Dairy Cows Can Interbreed, but are NOT Porcellio laevis
ua-cam.com/video/bSra-1Q5obs/v-deo.html
I made a video response to your questions:
ua-cam.com/video/r0Y9S2_CrxQ/v-deo.htmlsi=E2rcjf2GmMm_SERp
Nice isopod rus
Hi Rus ! I've been keeping cubaris murina wild type . A few light coloured induviduals popped up randomly . If i breed them selectively , will i get a morph?
Wild type murina does show a decent amount of variation. Hard to say what is going on genetically there, but isolating some of the lighter ones is worth a try!
I have a question about armadillidium gestroi I have seen videos telling about how to hause them but not showing how to put air holes (where at or what size) for that type of isopod can you help
Thank you
Ventilation needs will vary widely depending on airflow, humidity, etc. in your home, but for my gestroi I like to drill 1/16th” holes near the top edge of the enclosure. I typically put 8-10 on each side of the drier side, and a perhaps 3-6 on each of the shorter ends of the bin.
Thank you for your help
Thanks for Laevis'n it on me nice and easy.
😂🤣
❤❤❤❤ whats up everyone
Hey!! 🙌