When I first started keeping isopods, I placed soil in their enclosure without thinking much about its implications. However, I soon noticed some white, long creatures—tiny centipedes—moving around! This was quite a surprise since I had only seen larger centipedes in the wild before. These white garden centipedes are much smaller—just a few centimeters long—and they tend to hide in soil, leaf litter, and compost. Unfortunately, centipedes are predatory and hunt small creatures like insect larvae, mites, and even baby isopods. Their presence in the enclosure can be detrimental, as they may gradually eat the young isopods, threatening the growth of the colony. Unlike large pests that are easy to spot and remove, these small centipedes are elusive and can multiply unnoticed. From my experience, the best approach to protect your isopods is to avoid putting soil into the enclosure. Using alternatives like clean, chemical-free substrates such as coconut fiber or sphagnum moss can help maintain moisture without providing hiding spots for centipedes. Regularly inspecting your enclosure and quarantining new additions can also prevent unwanted predators from entering. I've taken the step of carefully transferring my isopods to new enclosures free from soil to safeguard the babies. It’s a bit of extra work, but it’s worth it to see the colony flourish. If you want to observe interesting microfauna, using a microscope is a fascinating way to study these tiny predators without risking your isopod population. Overall, remember that maintaining a clean and predator-free environment is key to successful isopod keeping. Avoiding soil is a simple but effective tip that I’ve learned the hard way, and I hope it saves other enthusiasts from similar surprises.