Do isopods eat live plants?

The short answer is no, the longer answer is rarely.

 

Can I Keep Isopods Alongside Live Plants?

 

Yes, they make a great addition to a planted terrarium, they will help improve the soil, breaking down leaf litter and similar to enrich the soil substrate.

 

So Do Isopods Eat Live Plants?

 

If there are a lot of isopods and not much food yes they will. In some countries, there is a concern about certain species of isopod becoming a pest and harming certain crops. But given there are thousands of species of isopod in thousands of ecological niches there are bound to be some that do. The ones that are in the hobby are not normally those in those niches.

 

Why Add Live Plants To The Enclosure?

 

If you keep isopods a long side reptiles then often they can benefit from the plants in their enclosure. Plants carry a variety of microbes that can help your animals, they can also help reduce the growth of negative pathogens. They can help control humidity, provide enrichment, and make the place look nicer.

 

Some Ideas of Which Plants To Add To Your Terrarium

 

Reliable and Easy Terrarium and Vivarium Plants

 

Fittonia (Nerve Plants)

 

They come in a variety of colours, stay small, and if you're doing something wrong they will dramatically faint. So we tend to think of these as a beginner's plant, for good reason. But even if you are an expert I think these have a place.

 

Peperomia

 

Peperomia come in so many shapes and sizes that you've got plenty of choice. The is one downside that some of them can be physically a bit delicate. By that I mean if a lizard or snake decides to sit on them, they will lose some leaves.

 

 

 

Straightforward

 

Asplenium Aff. Fragrans

 

This one makes me think that someone took an ordinary bracken, and gave it an artistic makeover, the delicate patterns are a great thing for any enclosure.

 

If your humidity is high you can even grow this epiphytically on wood, or even rocks, otherwise protect the roots in a free-draining substrate or just moss.

 

Ficus sp. Borneo Small

Small, slow growing, and easy to propagate via cutting this has to be a species to be considered, as long as you can give it high humidity.

 

More Difficult

 

Actinopteris australis (Eyelash Fern)

 

Needing higher temperatures, ideally constant at over 20ºC and high humidity, Eyelash ferns thrive in low light, so make sure they're in a shady spot themselves. They're a real eye-catcher with their whispy graceful fronds. They get to about 15cm, so it all depends on the size of your viv.

 

Mosses

 

If you have a high humidity viv pop down to your local aquatic store and look what they have for growing in fish tanks. Like most of their plants, they are grown emersed, so out of water, and if they are kept damp they will thrive.

 

Where To Get Your Plants

 

Most tropical plants are grown overseas, and to be transported have to be treated with chemicals to avoid pests being transported along with them. Those pesticides can be a real issue. You might think to look at the labels to see where they were grown. The issue is you only have to grow plants on in your home country for a matter of weeks before you can relabel them as being homegrown.

 

If you are in the UK a plant has to have a passport that should tell you where it came from. That might provide the information you need. But the simplest thing to do is to buy from reputable reptile or fish shops. If buying from a fish shop ask are the plants shrimp-safe, reptile shops will know enough to advise about the plant's suitability for isopods.

 

Plants are one of the best things you can add to a terrarium after isopods obviously. They add natural enrichment, humidity, shade, and often contribute to the microbiome in your enclosures.