Isopod Bin
I started this project in September 2025. I originally bought dairy cow isopods for my vivarium, but when I introduced my crested gecko, she ate almost all of them. I had really enjoyed watching the isopods exploring the tank, so I moved them to their own separate bin. Later on, I also purchased dwarf white and dwarf purple isopods. I put most of them into the vivarium because they are small enough that the gecko ignores them. I also added a few to this bin to see how their population would grow.
The Inhabitants
This bin primarily contains dairy cow isopods. Their population has exploded over the months and they are visible all over the tank. Less visible are the tiny dwarf purple and dwarf white isopods. If you took out a bit of soil from the bin, you would likely see a bunch of them hiding underneath, There are also white springtails scattered throughout. The bin gets relatively low amounts of light, so I only keep simple plants inside. I have a couple of Pothos varieties, and some live sphagnum moss.
The Setup
I use organic topsoil with lots of dried sphagnum moss as the substrate. The moss helps to absorb water and maintain humidity. The bin is set up into two halves: a dry half, and a wet half; this allows the isopods to choose their own conditions. I planted some Pothos varieties in the wet half, which tolerate low light. Both sides are covered in leaf litter, which provides most of their food. I supplement with fish food for a protein source, which encourages breeding. I also supplement with fruits, vegetables, and oats. I always keep a cuttlebone in the enclosure for a calcium source, which is important for building and maintaining their exoskeleton
Current Status / Future Plans
The isopod populations have been growing exponentially, so I know that the conditions are excellent inside the bin. I have always found isopods to be fascinating and I love to watch them navigating their environment. I plan to get multiple smaller isopod bins going and separating by species. There are so many interesting isopod species out there that I would live to try keeping. I want to eventually use this large bin as an “ecosystem” bin. I’d like to include multiple species of isopods, replicate a forest floor, and include rotting wood, more leaf litter, fungal growth, more mosses, and possibly earthworms.