# Custodians Dying



## supernaturalfan (Jul 23, 2011)

Hi peeps, long time no speak! I've not been able to get on the forums but my phibs are doing great 

I have gone for a bio set up for both my vivs (two WTFs in one, two Amazon Milks in the other).

I have a few plants in there bought from Dartfrog and Rainforest Vivariums and the plants are doing well. I also have dendrosoil as the substrate and for good measure I purchased and added a well established culture of tropical springtail and tropical woodlice.

It's been a few weeks and I've had a good rummage in the substrate of both vivs and there's no sign of life  The vivs are also starting to smell a bit, probably as there's no custodians munching up all the decaying organic matter.

There's plenty for them to feed on so I'm wondering if this is a temperature issue. I assume tropical means they like heat and I wonder if the substrate itself is warm enough for them. I have a heat mat on the wall of each viv and use canopies with lighting to keep the temp in vivs around 25-30 degrees C which my froggies seem to like.

So now I'm wondering if I should get temperate custodians?

My substrate is a layer of hydroballs, hydrofleece and then my soil. 

Thanks guys


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

I use woodlice in all my enclosures.

But, I always use normal native woodlice, you can keep the tropical rubbish ones :lol2:

Even with the added heat, I find natives do much much better than tropicals


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## Preacher (Mar 31, 2009)

I didn't see my tropical woodlice for at least 2months after introducing them. Even then it was a rarity to actually see them. Six months later they were becoming more common. Now 3 years later and the viv is full of them, only need to dig to find hundreds. Just give them time to establish themselves. Introduced some springtails a while back but no sign of them yet. Hoping it will be the same. Always think the worms have kicked it aswell until I find a fresh crop of babies slid up against the glass. Also as far as I am aware they will only come anywhere near the surface for food.


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## supernaturalfan (Jul 23, 2011)

snowgoose said:


> I use woodlice in all my enclosures.
> 
> But, I always use normal native woodlice, you can keep the tropical rubbish ones :lol2:
> 
> Even with the added heat, I find natives do much much better than tropicals


Lol, these tropical beasties are too soft for our temperate climate! I have found somewhere that has temperate ones. Save's me going out, digging them up then culturing them. I can be lazy and just bung em in the vivs :lol2:


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## supernaturalfan (Jul 23, 2011)

Preacher said:


> I didn't see my tropical woodlice for at least 2months after introducing them. Even then it was a rarity to actually see them. Six months later they were becoming more common. Now 3 years later and the viv is full of them, only need to dig to find hundreds. Just give them time to establish themselves. Introduced some springtails a while back but no sign of them yet. Hoping it will be the same. Always think the worms have kicked it aswell until I find a fresh crop of babies slid up against the glass. Also as far as I am aware they will only come anywhere near the surface for food.


You're right, I had a proper rummage and found some underneath the water dish of all places. I find that odd because that's where they're least likely to get food?

Also discovered that the source of smell was the Guzmania Empire's that I had in the vivs. They might be pretty but because of their shape dirt and faeces was getting stuck down between the leaves. It's not easy to clean down there and custodians don't climb up there (afaik). I pulled them out, they were reeking, yuk! The other plants (wandering jew, ficuses) are flourishing and no pong 

Might just bung in some temperate species as well. I'm hoping that the more the merrier and the more waste munching that goes on. My logic might be wrong though?


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

If it was me i would add in some normal spring tails and woodlice in. just go round the garden and collect them. so put inm some local leaft litter and a few handful of native woodlice. 

Have you got a drainage layer? is the soil waterlogged at all? 

if you the soil is damp and warm then the bugs should thrive. 

Jay


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## beaniebopps (Oct 4, 2009)

My substrate is only about 23 degrees at the surface and drops even lower at night - but the tropical species are all thriving, especially the springtails. The soil is absolutely teaming with them, and they've only been in a couple of months.

I'm totally loving my bio-soil actually  I have some purple fruit beetles that I place a slice of banana in for every few days - when the banana slice gets really manky I just drop it onto the soil, and everytime I look at it I see at least 3 different species munching away on it and they have it gone within a week. 

The only thing I've not seen any of is earthworms, but I suppose they like to keep more hidden


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

my viv has been going a year. I hardly even see locally collected woodlice, yet the tropical are now thriving.

what type of soil are you using? imo a really course orchard bark with leaf litter is best for custodians to thrive


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## supernaturalfan (Jul 23, 2011)

Hey peeps,

Thanks for advice.

I have a layer of clay balls, then fleece then my soil which is a mixture of dendrosoil and exo terra jungle earth. The soil's not overly wet, in fact the jungle earth seems pretty good and keeping the right level of moisture, my live plants are thriving.

I've put some leaf litter down as recommended and have also been putting banana down and the clean up crew are thriving! They must have been hiding and not coming to surface due to lack of food and anything to congregate under. I also went out and chased down some natives and added them 

The smell was the worst thing and to be honest since removing those bromeliad's there is no smell. It wasn't the plants themselves but the gunk like faeces, substrate etc that kept accummulating between the leaves and I couldn't clean it. I'm sticking with my foliage and climbing plants and they're doing great!

Thanks guys. Robert, Rupert, Ginger and Poppy thank you too as they no longer have to live in smelly vivs  xx


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