Millipedes in Vivs, help - bad news?

[Jayzie Greenfrog]

Hi haven't been on site much recently, but I have an almost fully natural setup in my Vivs ie live plants, dendro soil etc, recently I have noticed an increasing number of what I believe to be milipedes (dont think they are centipedes - know they are bad news) however it looks like they are now dominating my system! I have 1 grey treefrog and 2 european green tree frogs could they endanger them? They certainly seem to be having a detrimental effect on numbers of springtails, woodlice and possibly the worms which are normally present. I can try to get a picture, it is a pity I didnt think to photograph the 2.5cm one who just walked out of the tank! Has anyone else had a like problem? Should I be trying to get rid of them? If so how as the babies are so small and curl into tiny little specks which hide anywhere!

[DartEd]

I'm sorry to hear about your problem. I would assume that in the very least they would compete with microfauna for food. From what I've read, they're harmless to frogs and will actually aid in maintaining cleanliness in the tank by feeding on detritus. If you want to rid yourself of them, you only have two options.

1 remove the frogs and co2 bomb the tank. Your live plants will love it but all the springtails and wood lice will be killed off along with the millipedes

2 the other is so much more drastic. That's to tear down the tank, toss the substrate , reprocess all your plants and wood, and rebuild the tank. This is a last resort. I wouldn't do this unless the frogs are in immediate danger.

Maybe someone else can chime in if they have other ideas?

[deranged chipmunk]

the problem with the co2 bomb would be it will kill the microfauna you want to keep in there as well. also, you would need to do it several times since they are apparently breeding. it's not much different than exterminating a house for pests. multiple treatments would be required since the eggs would not be affected by the co2. btw, you would make the co2 bomb using dry ice (co2 in it's solid form).

personally, i would replace the substrate and give the plants a mild bleach dip, followed by a de-chlorinated rinse. then replant. but i'm kind of psycho when it comes to pests in my vivs.

you could try a bug trap. cut the top off of a water bottle, then place a piece of fruit in the bottom, then place the lid back on upside down so the spout faces down and see if they will be attracted. i don't know if this will work or not, since i never tried trapping millipedes. but i know it works for gnat, fruit flies and snails.

[Jayzie Greenfrog]

Thanks for all the ideas I think I will try the trap first and see if I can at least reduce the numbers! We have just moved and they(the frogs) are only in their small tank, although it is set up just like the larger one! Once we are settled (at the moment surrounded by a sea of boxes it seems unlikely to be soon ) then I well move them to the larger tank. From the numbers of millipede babies it is going to be difficult leaving all the millipedes behind. If I do the Co2 treatment prior to the move would that seem sensible? How do I treat plants? You suggested a weak bleach wash how do I do that? Wont that harm the plants, everything is alive only the vines are plastic. When I changed to this setup I learnt to accept the odd intruder most don't breed, I had a little spider for a while don't know if the frogs got him in the end!