Bioactive woodlouse spider setup?

PortatoMan

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 15, 2024
Messages
1
Currently have a 30 gallon that was used as a starter vivarium for a reptile doing nothing but gathering dust and so I plan on using it for something else. Until now I planned to purely keep woodlice but as spring has come I have seen a rise in woodlouse spiders and thought they would be the perfect fit as I am also very interested in spiders but didn't want to have to buy food for them consistently. Would it be possible - in the 30 gallon - to spend a while culturing a woodlouse colony to keep a steady supply in the same tank as the woodlouse spider? Would they reproduce at a quick enough rate to feed it consistantly with little interference from me other than a water spray to keep moisture.

TLDR - will a colony of woodlice with plenty of cover in a 30 gallon reproduce at a fast enough rate to supply a woodlouse spider?
 

goofyGoober99

Arachnosquire
Active Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2023
Messages
61
I don't think anyone here is going to tell you it's a good idea to house a spider with prey. A quick google search tells me that Dysdera crocata is a small (1.5cm max), reclusive terrestrial species that can rupture if it falls to far. You would likely never see it again once you put it in the 30 gallon lol. Far better idea to have isopods in the tank and the spider in a separate, much smaller enclosure. It would probably be fine in a 4x4x4 with good ventilation, some damp substrate, cork bark, and plenty of leaf litter.
I've never bred isopods but if you set the tank up well you should have enough to feed 1 spider.
 
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