This bundle includes 50+ Isopods of varying sizes from .2” - 1”.
***PLEASE READ***
Care facts, shipping info, acclimation, and the DOA policy can be found below.
Freshwater Isopods
Freshwater Aquatic Isopods are a diverse group of detritivores and these individuals are in the Lirceus genus. Every healthy aquarium needs a variety of life, as biodiversity is key to finding a balanced ecosystem. To achieve this “balanced ecosystem,” we must replicate all levels of the food chain, from sunlight, to producers, consumers, and lastly, decomposers. Historically most of us in the aquarium hobby neglect the decomposers and go straight to manual waste removal. However, to achieve a healthy ecosystem that takes us closer to self-sufficient aquariums, aquatic isopods are a must-have addition to many tanks. While not eliminating waste removal, they do their part in breaking down leftover fish food, fish waste, decaying plants, and detritus in your aquarium. They are plant-safe, fish-safe, fish egg-safe, snail-safe, and shrimp-safe. They can even persist in tanks with predatory fish, albeit there are plenty of hiding places for them and enough are stocked to start a population.
Care
Males can reach an adult size of 1 inch, not including antennae, while females are slightly smaller. They are tolerant of most tank parameters but prefer stable conditions. They do best in planted tanks with driftwood or moss where they can hide if need be.
The parameters I raise these in are:
pH - 8.2
gH - 7
kH - 7.5
Temp: +/-60 (they are native to the southeastern US so they can tolerate most temps, just nothing too extreme.)
Diet: Aquatic isopods eat detritus (decaying matter in the aquarium), green algae, brown diatom algae, decaying fish food, decaying leaves, etc. They require a steady source of decaying plant matter to maintain a population that can offset the individuals eaten by fish. I usually feed mine blanched organic veggies such as broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, zucchini, and edamame.
Breeding: Females lay 50+ eggs in their marsupium and carry them for several weeks until they hatch. They do not typically overrun tanks as the survival rate of young will depend on food availability.
Shipping and DOA
USPS Priority 1-4 day shipping is the default shipping option but I also offer USPS Priority Express 1-2 day shipping. I ship out most Mondays, except for post office holidays. I also add a few extra isopods to each order to compensate for any potential losses. In the case of all of your isopods arriving dead, please send me a picture of the isopods taken within two hours of them arriving and I will replace/refund your order. The cost of shipping is non-refundable and replacement orders require additional shipping payment. UPDATE*** USPS updated their live animal policy on January 19th and now will charge $15 per package. I will now only be sending boxes labeled as Fragile to help avoid the charge, but overall, this is dependent on your local post office.
Unboxing
When you receive your isopods, I always recommend they be unbagged into a container so you can assess their condition prior to acclimation. I also recommend leaving the moss/plants with them as the isopods can cling to it.
Acclimation
If your water quality varies greatly from the conditions the isopods are raised in (see above), please be sure to drip acclimate the isopods. If the parameters are similar, then temperature acclimating will work fine.
Customer Contract
By purchasing these isopods, you agree to never release them into the wild at any point. As with all animals, they have the potential to have harmful environmental effects outside of their native range.