Cubaris sp. 'Red Edge Orange' Isopods

Picture the Red Edge you already know, the same rounded outline and neat red trim, then turn the fill warm. That is Cubaris sp. 'Red Edge Orange': a tangerine-to-amber body still rimmed with the signature red skirt that gives the whole Red Edge group its name. The shape is familiar; it is the colour that has changed.

The orange runs across a range. Some individuals sit at a bright tangerine, others deepen towards amber, and the red edging traces every segment against that warm base. You will see it sold as Red Edge Orange, Orange Red Edge, or Red Skirt 'Orange', all the same warm phase. These are a medium cave Cubaris of around 18 mm, and in a settled colony that spread of tones gives the group real depth against the grey-brown original and the paler phases.

They come from the limestone caves of Thailand, and like the rest of the Red Edge line they are among the more forgiving Cubaris. Mine are captive-bred, and they carry the classic 'duck face' profile along with full conglobation, rolling into a tight ball when startled. I keep them on a warm, humid gradient at 22 to 27°C, which room temperature in a heated UK home usually covers. Stability matters more than any exact figure, so the enclosure stays away from windows and direct heat.

Humidity sits around 70 to 85%, though the gradient matters more than the number. I keep a third to a half of the floor moist with sphagnum moss and leave the rest drier under leaf litter and bark, then let the isopods choose where to sit. Cross-ventilation keeps the air moving so nothing turns stagnant or mouldy, and the substrate should feel like a wrung-out sponge, moist but never soaked. Overwatering is the mistake I see most with Cubaris, and even a forgiving phase dislikes a swamp. A soil-based mix 8 to 10 cm deep suits their semi-fossorial habit, worked through with white-rotted wood, leaf litter, and a steady calcium source such as cuttlebone, limestone, or crushed oyster shell for clean moulting.

Feeding is straightforward. White-rotted wood and leaf litter stay in as the constant base, and on top of that I offer the odd vegetable and a little protein a couple of times a week, with fish flakes or freeze-dried shrimp both going down well. Red Edge take slightly more protein than some isopods, so it is worth keeping up, and I lift out fresh food before it moulds.

What makes them a rewarding colony is how visible they are. Plenty of Cubaris spend their lives hidden, but the Red Edge comes out to forage far more readily, so you see them at work rather than wondering whether anyone is home. They are still mainly nocturnal, just busier than the reclusive premium species. Breeding runs at a moderate pace once a group is established, with smaller broods and a colony that builds steadily rather than exploding, so a larger starting group and some patience help.

The Orange is one of a set. Set beside the standard Red Edge, the grey-brown original keeps the same care and edging, only without the warm fill, and the family also runs to a pale Blonde and a softer Peach. Any of them makes a sensible bridge into Cubaris for a keeper who has mastered hardier isopods and wants the cave-Cubaris experience without the fragility of the demanding species. The wider genus sits in the Cubaris collection.

Orders travel in careful double-walled packaging with a live-arrival guarantee, dispatched from the UK.

Common questions

Do Red Edge Orange isopods roll into a ball? Yes. Like all Cubaris they conglobate, rolling into a tight defensive ball when disturbed.

Are they a good first isopod? They are forgiving for a Cubaris but not a true beginner. Start with a hardy Porcellio or Armadillidium, then step up to these.

Will the colony stay orange? A pure group breeds the warm colouration reliably, with normal variation from bright tangerine to deep amber between individuals.

Get the gradient right and keep calcium and protein topped up, and a Red Edge Orange colony is one of the more colourful, watchable Cubaris you can keep.