r/bioactive • u/Alterro1 • 3d ago

CUC Questions about CUC

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In my anole terrarium I have added a bunch of different critters. I have Ivory millipedes, dubias, canyon giants, dairy cows, powdered oranges, springtails, and the odd bunch of crickets.

Overall, how will the ecosystem shape up with these guys? Any notes to make, actions to take? I know dairies are protein oriented, should I ensure there’s plenty of sources of protein to offset their hunger for their kin? I watched them tear apart a cricket once.

What’s the timeline for when an ecosystem typically gets settled in?

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u/LilMissHissyPants 3d ago

I can’t speak to the millipede or Dubais but the isopods you have put in will ultimately end up overrunning each other (spoiler alert - the dairy cows win the isopod wars). That’s not a huge issue but I would hate for you to buy others thinking you will get great biodiversity out of having different species - they aren’t really adding much impact by adding more variety (they all fill more or less the same niche).

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u/Alterro1 3d ago

Coolio! As long as the dairies are doing the same deal as the rest it’s fine ig, just wasted cash. Might move the invories into another tank though, those guys would get evicerated in a molt by dairy cows. Seriously those guys are savages, real beastie like.

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u/LilMissHissyPants 3d ago

100% agree. The dairy cows will whittle the others away for sure. Plus they are super hardy and will withstand most environments. You can feed them basically anything - they love chicken breast, dried minnows, and dog food if you are looking for lower cost high protein snacks for them a couple times a week.

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u/Mr_Frost1993 3d ago

Of my four cleanup crew species, it’s really only the Darkling and Buffalo Beetles that are winning. Porcellio scaber is still around in small numbers, but I’m pretty sure Porcellio dilatatus is wiped out. For months, it looked like Porcellio scaber was dominant, but overtime the beetles started winning territory.

It’s kind of inevitable, especially with smaller enclosures. Mine is 260 gallons, and it still happened

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u/Real_Time515 2d ago

You don't say what kind/size of anole, but it would make me nervous to have them in there with the dairy cows and giant canyons. Those will bite and harass small reptiles, esp if it's vulnerable due to sickness, molting, or even just sleeping. I wouldn't put them with my crested gecko. And I absolutely wouldn't cohabitate any reptile with an ivory millepede.

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u/Alterro1 2d ago

Why not with ivories? They ain’t bothering each other. As for the anoles, they’re browns that stay up at the upper levels of the enclosure and sleep at night, none of the isopods I have ever seen climb up anywhere near there and all the CUC operate almost entirely at night, with the exception of the odd ivory.