Cubaris sp. 'Red Edge Orange' Isopods

Take the classic Red Edge, keep the red rim, and warm the whole body to tangerine. That is the Red Edge Orange. Sometimes sold as the Orange Red Edge or Red Skirt 'Orange', this is a warm-toned colour phase of Cubaris sp. 'Red Edge', a bright reworking of one of the most popular isopods in the hobby. It is the same undescribed species as the standard Red Edge, which most sellers give as Thai, simply carrying a different pigment, and it sits alongside the pale Blonde and warm Peach lines.

Adults reach about 18 mm, the same as the standard Red Edge it was drawn from, and as with the parent line that figure comes from keepers rather than from any published description.

The body glows across a warm spectrum that runs from bright tangerine through to deep amber, rimmed with the red skirting that gives the whole Red Edge line its name. Individuals vary, so a settled colony reads with real depth, some leaning vivid orange and others closer to burnt amber, every one edged in that signature red. Under gentle light the amber tones deepen further, and a mature group moving across dark substrate makes for a striking display. Like all Cubaris, they conglobate into a tight ball when startled and show the rounded duck-face profile the genus is loved for, here set against the most vivid base in the Red Edge range.

Red Edge are among the more forgiving Cubaris, hardy enough to shrug off the odd care slip while still giving you the full premium-Cubaris experience. They are also more active than most of their reclusive cousins, so you will see them out foraging rather than hiding for weeks at a time. For anyone who finds the standard grey-brown a shade plain, this phase brings real warmth without asking for any extra care. That makes the Orange a sensible step up for keepers who have found their feet with basic isopods and want to move into Cubaris before tackling more demanding species such as the Rubber Ducky. Browse the wider Cubaris collection to compare phases and species side by side.

Keep them warm and humid. Aim for 22 to 26°C and roughly 75 to 85% humidity, with a damp end and a drier end so the colony can choose its comfort. Give them a deep, living substrate to burrow through, as a mix of flake soil, rotted hardwood and topsoil works well, and leave a plain coco-coir base out of it. Add cross-ventilation to keep the air fresh, a generous layer of leaf litter on top, and cork bark or limestone for cover. Calcium should always be on offer through cuttlebone or crushed limestone, which keeps moulting clean across the colony. Beyond the rotting wood and leaf litter they base their diet on, an occasional protein feed and the odd slice of vegetable keep the group in condition.

Breeding follows the reliable Cubaris pattern, steady rather than explosive, so a small starter group builds into a thriving colony with a little patience. Stable warmth, a true moisture gradient, regular feeding and constant calcium all help the broods along. The warm colour breeds true within a pure colony, and it holds best when the group is settled and well fed, so resist the urge to disturb them too often. A busy springtail culture rounds out the setup, grazing soft mould and microbial films at a scale the isopods cannot.

Every colony leaves us captive-bred and packed with care, tucked into a ventilated tub of damp sphagnum inside a double-walled box. We dispatch Monday to Thursday by tracked next-day Royal Mail, aiming to reach you by 1pm the following day, and every order carries our live-arrival guarantee with a 20% overcount added as standard.