How Many Isopods Should I Get?

"10,000."

Okay, you probably shouldn't ask the people selling you isopods how many isopods you should buy.

All jokes aside, for most people starting a new colony, we recommend approximately 6–20 isopods. A group of 6–10 can establish a colony, while 10–20 gives you a stronger starting population and may help the colony establish faster.

We've successfully started many of our own colonies with only 6–10 isopods, so you definitely don't need 10,000.

The right number depends on the species, enclosure, your goals, your budget, and—probably most importantly—how patient you are.

1. Species

First, decide which isopod species you want.

Some species reproduce quickly, while others can take considerably longer to establish. A starter group of 10 fast-producing isopods may look very different several months later than a starter group of 10 slower-producing isopods.

Not sure which species is right for you?

Check out our Isopod Recommendations article for suggestions based on our experience, customer feedback, and husbandry research.

2. Enclosure Size

Consider the size and purpose of your enclosure.

If you're starting a small dedicated isopod colony, you probably don't need a huge number of animals. Starting a very prolific species with too many isopods in a small enclosure can create an overcrowding problem sooner than expected.

On the other hand, a large enclosure doesn't mean you need to buy thousands of isopods.

You can start with a healthy culture and allow the population to grow naturally.

If you're adding isopods directly to a large bioactive reptile or amphibian enclosure, starting with more may be helpful because the animals will immediately spread throughout a much larger habitat, and some may become food for the enclosure's primary inhabitant.

3. Speed vs. Patience

How quickly do you want to see an established colony?

If you're patient, 6–10 isopods can be enough to get started.

If you'd like a stronger starting population or want the colony to establish more quickly, 10–20 isopods may make more sense.

We've started many Holy-Poly colonies with relatively small groups ourselves.

Give them appropriate conditions, food, moisture, and some time.

Sometimes the hardest part of starting an isopod colony is simply leaving them alone long enough to multiply.

4. Cost

Species prices can vary considerably based on availability, reproduction rates, demand, and how established they are within the hobby.

When we first started Holy-Poly Isopods, we often purchased around 6 of the more expensive species and 10 of the less expensive species and patiently grew the colonies from there.

You don't necessarily need to spend a fortune establishing a colony.

A smaller starter group can be a perfectly reasonable option when purchasing a more expensive species—as long as you're comfortable waiting longer for the population to grow.

5. Give Yourself Better Odds

Technically, an extremely small number of isopods could establish a colony. You might even get lucky and receive a gravid female carrying developing young.

But we wouldn't recommend building your entire plan around getting lucky.

Starting with several animals gives you better odds of having a suitable mix of males and females and provides some protection against normal losses while the colony becomes established.

That's why we generally don't recommend starting a new colony with fewer than 5 isopods.

If you're purchasing fewer than 5 from us, we assume you're adding them to an existing colony.

So, How Many Should You Buy?

As a simple starting point:

• Fewer than 5: We don't recommend this for establishing a new colony.
• 6–10: A reasonable starter colony for many species, especially if you're patient.
• 10–20: A stronger starting population that may establish more quickly.
• 20+: Useful when you want faster establishment, are populating a larger bioactive enclosure, or simply want a larger colony from the beginning.

There is no magic number that guarantees success.

Species, husbandry, enclosure conditions, sex ratio, age, and a little bit of luck all matter.

You can always start small and add more later. That's exactly how many of our own colonies at Holy-Poly Isopods began.

No 10,000-isopod minimum required.