cascade wrote: So, the advice given by Stanley, I have started to grow mold,

I got rice mold, bun mold(bread), coffee mold and dry dog food mold.

Here are some of the mold pictures ...

I also let the mushroom spores grow in the tank,the one in the start of the thread.
Just to see what happens, here are some updated pictures. ...

So, now you're going to introduce a few isopods to each and watch what they do, no?

To add to the experiment I put a few isopods into a container and put a huge dubia food bolus in with them. They don't eat the whole bolus, they seem to eat the white mushy parts but leave the hard exoskeleton. Took 20 small ones about 2-3 days to eat the whole bolus and just leave a few scraps.

T-rad wrote: To add to the experiment I put a few isopods into a container and put a huge dubia food bolus in with them. They don't eat the whole bolus, they seem to eat the white mushy parts but leave the hard exoskeleton. Took 20 small ones about 2-3 days to eat the whole bolus and just leave a few scraps.

BINGO!

Garbage detail! Absolutely wonderful! knowing this, it doesn't make any difference if they eat the mites' eggs or not. If isopods merely clean up almost all or all the food that mites might eat, they've done their job.

While I've seen several reports that proposed that isopods did this, I've never seen anybody actually try it. (Note: That doesn't mean no one ever did the experiment. It just means I never saw the report. There's a difference.) Now I can honestly say that T-rad did it and got these results. Note to self: Bookmark this page for TKG4! :woohoo:

I have Isopods in the container with the rice, about 8 large adults.

And nothing is happening, rice is just growing more mold.

Wont the bread to grow more mold on it, before I use it in the test.

Also wont the coffee mold to grow a bit more, before I use it in the test.

Same goes with the dog food.

I thought it was such a simple experiment but I'm happy to help everyone out! Yes they do definitely work, they take their time but the food bolus is basically gone. Does this mean I'm going to be in TKG4?

T-rad wrote: ... I thought it was such a simple experiment ...

The simple experiments are more often than not the important ones. The multi-billion dollar atom smashers have done little for us in our daily lives, although what we learn from them is fascinating. The guy, Percy Spencer , who noticed that his candy bar melted in his pocket while he was building magnetrons , used for the production of "radar waves" (what we now call microwaves), revolutionized the world !

T-rad wrote: ... Yes they do definitely work, they take their time but the food bolus is basically gone. ...

But, remember that each of them only weighs a few milligrams and are cold blooded to boot. There are some severe limits on how much food they can process in a day. We gotta give them credit where credit is due, and cut them a little slack in the process.

T-rad wrote: ... Does this mean I'm going to be in TKG4?

As time goes by and I see remarkable postings on this and other forums I save the complete webpages to a "resource" directory. When it finally comes time to start editing for the next edition, one of my first chores is to go through all those webpages and add the data into the developing manuscript.

Then comes a lengthy process of rewriting to smooth out the wrinkles (and trust me, there are always gazillions of wrinkles), and finally submit the thing to the publisher. Then the editor and I get involved in a sort of war wherein they want a 64 page pamphlet and I want a 700 page tome. Then the fight starts. :laugh:

Eventually we compromise on 384 pages. Who gets written up and who doesn't is a total crap shoot until the book comes back from the printer! Let's just say you made it to the short list. But, no promises.

Having said that, thanks for taking the time and interest to do these little experiments!