Pineapple Spiky Isopod

A small spiny pill isopod from Spain — the rows of pale spikes along its back are why the trade calls it Pineapple or Crystal Pineapple. It rolls into a ball when disturbed. Think dry woodland floor, not rainforest: keep roughly half the tub moist (sphagnum, moss, leaf litter) and the rest dry, with good airflow. Stagnant, wet-throughout tubs are the usual way colonies fail. One seller describes it as a humid tropical species; that contradicts its Spanish range and the other care sheets, so treat high-humidity advice for it with suspicion. It is a light eater: keep leaf litter and rotting white wood available, offer protein (fish flake, dried shrimp) in small amounts, and take uneaten food out before it molds. Calcium (cuttlebone or limestone) should always be in the tub. Growth and breeding are steady but slow, so a new colony can look quiet for months — that is normal. A display species rather than clean-up crew. DETRITIVORE, harmless.