Porcellio Niklesi Orange Blaze Isopods

A Glimpse

• Scientific Name: Porcellio nicklesi "Orange Blaze"
• Synonym: Formerly sometimes listed as Porcellio bolivari nicklesi
• Common Name: Orange Blaze Nicklesi, Nickles Isopod
• Family: Porcellionidae
• Origin: Spain — dry, Mediterranean habitats
• Adult Size: Up to 20 mm body length (up to 30 mm including uropods)
• Difficulty: Medium — a dry-habitat specialist with specific requirements
• Temperature: 18–28°C
• Humidity: 45–55% — significantly drier than most isopods
• Ventilation: Medium to high — good airflow is essential
• Diet: Leaf litter, rotting white wood, vegetables, fruit, protein supplements
• Supplements: Calcium — cuttlebone should always be available in the enclosure

Orange Blaze Nicklesi: Overview

Porcellio nicklesi "Orange Blaze" is a selectively bred colour morph of the Spanish P. nicklesi, developed from the wild-type grey form. Where the standard nicklesi is grey with subtle patterning, Orange Blaze is exactly what the name suggests — a fiery, vivid orange with contrasting black and white specks that make it one of the most visually striking Porcellio morphs in the hobby.

If you're familiar with the P. nicklesi "Rubivan" morph (a black-and-white variety sometimes described as having a cookies-and-cream look), Orange Blaze can be thought of as its orange counterpart. The exact origins of Orange Blaze aren't entirely settled — it may be a naturally occurring colour variant isolated from wild populations, or it may have involved crossing with the Rubivan line. Either way, it's now an established, true-breeding morph.

We also stock the Nicklesi Tang, another variant of the same species. If you're interested in P. nicklesi as a species, it's worth looking at both — same care requirements, different appearance. You can find more about the broader Porcellio genus in our guide to different types of Porcellio isopods.

What Makes Nicklesi Different

The defining characteristic of P. nicklesi care is dryness. This is not a tropical isopod. It's not even a temperate-humid isopod. It comes from dry Mediterranean Spain and needs conditions that most isopod keepers would consider surprisingly arid.

Humidity should be kept at 45–55% — that's lower than almost any other species you're likely to have kept. Only around one-fifth of the enclosure should be damp at any given time. The rest should be dry. If you're coming from keeping Cubaris, Ardentiella, or even standard Porcellio scaber, this is a significant adjustment. The instinct to mist regularly will actively harm this species.

Ventilation is equally important. Good airflow prevents the moisture that does exist from becoming stagnant. Mesh vents or drilled holes in the enclosure — we sell screw-in air vents designed for exactly this purpose — provide the airflow nicklesi need.

These two factors — low humidity and good ventilation — are the main challenges. Get them right and nicklesi are robust, active, rewarding isopods. Get them wrong and you'll see health problems quickly.

Enclosure

A sealed plastic tub with ventilation works well, but the key is ensuring adequate airflow. Use our screw-in air vents or drill ventilation holes covered with fine mesh. For nicklesi specifically, err on the side of more ventilation rather than less — excess humidity is the enemy.

The enclosure should be spacious enough for the colony to spread out. A 12-litre tub is a reasonable starting size, moving up as the colony grows.

If you're new to setting up isopod enclosures, our guide to setting up and selecting your first isopods covers the fundamentals.

Substrate

Use organic topsoil as a base, mixed with dried leaf litter and crumbled white rotten wood. Flake soil can also be incorporated as a nutritious substrate component that provides both food value and good texture.

Keep the substrate on the dry side overall. A small patch of sphagnum moss in one corner — no more than a fifth of the enclosure — provides a hydration zone. The rest should be dry to moderately dry. The moisture gradient is steep with this species: a small reliably damp area, and everything else dry.

Cork bark pieces provide hides and climbing surfaces. Nicklesi will use both flat hides on the substrate and vertical cork bark pieces. Stone pieces or slate can also work well and help mimic their natural rocky Mediterranean habitat.

Cuttlebone should always be available in the enclosure for calcium. Nicklesi need calcium for exoskeleton development, and it's especially important for breeding females and growing juveniles.

Temperature

18–28°C is the accepted range, and room temperature in most UK homes will sit comfortably within that. No additional heating is typically needed. Avoid placing the enclosure in direct sunlight or near heat sources, which can create temperature spikes and rapidly dry out the small damp area.

Diet

The primary diet is decayed leaf litter and white rotten wood, both of which should be present in the enclosure at all times. Interestingly, nicklesi seem to prefer well-decayed, older leaves over fresher ones — so don't rush to replace leaf litter as it breaks down.

Supplement with vegetables: root vegetables like sweet potato, carrot, and yam go down well. Fruit can be offered occasionally. Protein is important — fish flakes, dried shrimp, or freeze-dried bloodworm should be offered twice a week.

Calcium is critical. Keep cuttlebone in the enclosure permanently, and consider adding crushed limestone or oyster shell to the substrate.

Place protein-based foods on the dry side of the enclosure to prevent rapid spoilage. Remove uneaten fresh food before it moulds.

Breeding

P. nicklesi will breed in captivity once conditions are dialled in. Development time to maturity is around 9 months — medium-range for Porcellio species. Brood sizes are moderate, and once established, a colony will grow steadily.

Males and females are easily sexed in adults: males have noticeably longer uropods (the tail-like appendages at the rear). This makes it straightforward to confirm you have both sexes in your colony.

The main factors for successful breeding are the same as for general health: correct humidity (low), good ventilation, varied diet with consistent protein and calcium, and minimal disturbance.

Sexing

Males: longer, more prominent uropods. Slimmer body shape overall. Females: shorter uropods. Broader body, with a visible brood pouch (marsupium) when carrying eggs.

At full adult size, sexing is straightforward — you don't need magnification or specialist knowledge.

How Orange Blaze Fits in the Nicklesi Family

P. nicklesi appears in the hobby in several forms:

• Wild-type — grey with subtle patterning, the natural colour
• Rubivan — black and white, sometimes called "cookies and cream"
• Orange Blaze — the fiery orange morph you're looking at here
• Tang — another orange-toned variant available on our site

All share the same care requirements. If you're interested in the genetics behind colour morphs in isopods, our article on isopod genetics, colours and morphs goes into more detail on how these variations arise and how they breed through.

If you keep multiple nicklesi morphs, maintain them in separate enclosures to preserve the colour lines. Mixing Orange Blaze with Rubivan or wild-type will produce offspring that don't reliably express either parent morph's colouration.

Being Realistic

Orange Blaze nicklesi is a rare morph that commands a premium price in the hobby. The main challenge is the dry setup — if you've only kept species that like it damp, there's a learning curve to managing a low-humidity enclosure. The temptation to mist "just a little more" is the single biggest mistake new nicklesi keepers make.

If you've kept other dry-habitat Porcellio — Spanish species like P. hoffmannseggii, P. magnificus, P. bolivari, or even our Porcellio werneri Silverback — you already understand the approach and nicklesi won't present surprises. The care philosophy is the same: predominantly dry enclosure, small damp patch, good ventilation, and resist the urge to over-mist.

If this would be your first dry-habitat species, it's doable but worth researching the approach thoroughly before your isopods arrive. Browse our Porcellio collection to see the full range of species we stock, including some more forgiving options to start with if you'd prefer to build experience first.