You want isopods but you don't know where to start. There are just way too many options! We don't want young children starting off with expensive, fragile isopods, so we HAVE to go by difficulty. Once you know what difficulty matches your experience, feel free to choose the species you think fits you best!
Keepers without pet experience or young children
Super Beginner Isopods (0.5/5 difficulty) will survive and breed in almost any condition with some humidity and soil. Super beginner isopods are known to breed even in sealed terrariums. These make great clean-up crews for terrariums, and bioactive setups for small invertebrates and herps. Go with Cubaris murina if you want isopods that conglobate (conglobation is the act of forming into a ball), or a mix of Powder Blues and Powder Oranges if you want active, colorful isopods! If these don't match your taste, feel free to check out the full list.
Beginner isopods (1/5 difficulty) will survive and breed even in less than ideal conditions. These are perfect as a pet for young children, or inexperienced adults! The favorites here are Porcellio laevis 'Dairy Cow' and Porcellio laevis 'Giant Orange'. These are two very large, active, attractive isopods. They also breed pretty fast! If these don't match your taste, feel free to check out the full list.
Keepers with non-isopod pet or plant experience
Intermediate Isopods (2/5 difficulty) will survive and breed in basic isopod setups. These are perfect for people with plant or pet keeping experience under their belt who are just beginning their isopod keeping journey. Follow the guides, and you'll have a booming isopod colony in no time! If you like rolypolies (isopods that conglobate), go with Armadillo officinalis (Spain). Huge, shiny, and they even make a tiny little chirping sound when you pick them up! Definitely a must-have. If you're on a budget, Armadillidium granulatum is a great starter rolypoly. If these don't match your taste, feel free to check out the full list.
Keepers with experience keeping isopods and other exotic pets
Advanced Isopods (3+/5 difficulty) will not breed, and can even die one by one if kept in the wrong conditions. These are recommended for people who have prior experience with isopods or other exotic pets. Their needs vary slightly from species to species, so proper research is key. Must-haves for any collection are, without a doubt, Armadillidium maculatum 'Zebra', Armadillidium klugii 'Montenegro', and Armadillidium vulgare 'Magic Potion'. These three have an AMAZING mix of colors and patterns. They look UNREAL in person.
I hope that helps!
If you have any questions, or even article/blog requests, hit me up in the comments and we'll see what I can do!