Cherry Blossom
Cubaris sp.Soft pink-and-cream "petal" Cubaris — a premium display morph bred from Red Pak Chong.
Overview
Cubaris sp. 'Cherry Blossom' is a colour line stabilised in Japan from Cubaris sp. 'Red Pak Chong', prized for its pastel pink-and-cream tones. A tropical, humidity-loving cave Cubaris at heart. Juveniles look pale / grey and colour up slowly with age — completely normal. Adults reach ~15mm.
Diet
Grazes leaf litter and white-rotted wood constantly. Carotenoid-rich veg (pumpkin, carrot, sweet peppers) supports the signature pink — offer it regularly.
A tiny pinch weekly — low-fat fish flakes, dried shrimp / gammarus / bloodworm, or Repashy Bug Burger. Remove leftovers within 24–48h to avoid mould and grain mites.
Always available: cuttlebone plus limestone pieces in the substrate. Cave Cubaris are calcium-hungry and it directly drives clean moults and breeding — close to mandatory, not optional.
Environment
Humid but never stagnant. Most Cubaris want a few small vents plus a little cross-flow — enough to keep a genuine dry end. Balance humidity against airflow rather than sealing the box.
A 6–15qt gasket bin with a snug lid (they climb). Multiple cork-bark and limestone hides at different moisture zones; a springtail cleanup crew helps keep mould down.
Substrate
Deep (7–10cm / 2–4in), nutritious and edible — flake soil + white-rotted hardwood + organic topsoil as the base, ~20% sphagnum mixed through for moisture, a layer of crushed leaf litter, chunks of decaying hardwood, and limestone pieces throughout (their cave origin makes limestone close to essential). Skip coco-coir-only mixes (inert) and peat (acidic). Keep moist, never waterlogged, and deep enough for females to brood down.
Temperament
Quiet but not shy — often out in the open after misting and in the evening. Heavy burrowers that lay broods down in the substrate; they can climb, so keep a snug lid.
Breeding
Slower and with smaller broods than its Red Pak Chong parent — part of why it holds value. Brood-pouch live young. Keep conditions stable, calcium constant, substrate deep, and let a new colony settle for a few weeks before expecting mancae.
Growth
Slow. Expect several months before a shipped starter of 10–15 begins throwing mancae, and a year-plus to build a full display colony. Patience is the whole game with cave Cubaris.
Common mistakes
- ✕Soaking-wet, stagnant air — the fastest colony killer. Always pair humidity with some airflow.
- ✕Letting it dry out — as tropical cave animals they crash in drought. Keep the wet end wet.
- ✕Skipping limestone / calcium — causes failed moults and stalls breeding.
- ✕Keeping them hot — "tropical" misleads: a SE-Asian limestone cave sits ~22–25°C, and heat above ~29°C sharply raises mortality.
- ✕Constant digging / rearranging — stresses a slow breeder into stalling.
Pro tips
- ✓Build a real gradient: one genuinely wet end and one drier end so they self-select. All piled on the wet spot = too dry; all in the dry corner = too wet or stagnant.
- ✓Limestone doubles as a hide and a calcium source — scatter chunks throughout.
- ✓If your room runs cool, use a side-mounted heat mat/cable on a thermostat — never a heat lamp (it bakes the substrate).
- ✓Start with 10–15 to build breeding momentum faster.
How sources agree
Sources agree Cherry Blossom is a Red-Pak-Chong-derived pink line needing stable, humid cave-Cubaris conditions with a moisture gradient and good airflow, constant calcium, and a carotenoid-rich diet for colour. The recurring note across guides: juveniles are pale and colour up with age — don't judge the colony by its youngsters.
Sources
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