July 4, 2024
Helpful Creatures for Terrariums
A bioactive terrarium (technically vivarium) with living dart frogs, isopods, and springtails. The picture on the left is soon after planting and the one on the right is half a year later.
Are you getting into terrariums and want a clean-up crew to help keep a thriving ecosystem? You need decomposers! While there are many popular decomposers one can keep inside a vivarium (technically a terrarium with living creatures inside) springtails and isopods (roly-poly or pill-bug, close to the same little black ones that roll into balls in your yard) are crucial with breaking down organic matter and helps with nutrient cycling.
Springtails
Springtails are tiny little arthropods (not a true insect) in their own class called Collembola. They are still visible to the naked eye but are sometimes hard to spot unless they are in a culture (little cup of charcoal or clay and water that supports them until ready to throw into an enclosure). Springtails typically live in the soil and towards the top when it is too wet, helping break down organic matter, aerating the soil, and helping with nutrient cycling. Springtails help with fungus, mold, algae, and other foul growth in a terrarium.
Isopods (Roly-Polies, Pill Bugs, or Sow Bugs)
Isopods are also another creature that is not a true insect but in the arthropod phylum. They also have all the benefits of springtails but are bigger and can take down larger organic matter more efficiently than springtails can. Isopods typically live toward the top layer of soil under leaf litter, rocks, wood, or other material. Depending on the isopods you get some prefer living below the surface in the soil while others prefer to be closer to the top and walk around on the surface.
Populations in Enclosures
Springtails will usually regulate their populations based on the available food supply so they rarely become an issue but depending on the genus and species of isopod you get they could cause issues without dropping in leaf litter or decomposer food. Some species will reproduce quite quickly making it hard to have enough death and growth in a terrarium to keep up while others can destroy whole plants in an enclosure with little numbers. Doing the right research on which one is best for your size tank and if you need to feed them supplemental food will save you headaches in the future.
Do Not Pull From Outside!
A lot of people think that using isopods or springtails from outside will be a great idea and save them some money. While populations are not threatened or close to being endangered we still warn against it. Using critters, materials, or soil from outside (even 100% organic) can carry pest or pathogens that our enclosed system will not be able to handle. This can cause death to all plant and animal inhabitats inside any terrarium. So make sure to use insects that are captive bred or grown in a lab.
If you are starting a new build or have any existing build that you would like to add to please come in and ask our staff for help. For more information click the links or visit Glass Root Garden!
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