Matt Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 I'm having a second / 3rd attempt at rearing Giant Water Bugs - Abedus sp. - and am still running into problems, so any advice would be useful. Previously I tried with a couple of batches of small nymphs - these were kept in small pots / deli cups with either small amounts of java moss or plastic mesh for them to rest on. They would eat, moult and grow, then I would find them dead (drowned?) at the bottom of their container. I bought a pair of bugs at a Bug Show a couple of weeks ago, the male was covered with eggs. I set them up in a small tank - around 2 gallons - with a lot of weed in, a lot of which reached the surface. The male could be found mostly near the surface airing the eggs. Yesterday evening the first of the eggs began to hatch and the young wandered off into the weeds. Looking at the tank this morning, all of the nymphs that have hatched are dead and have sunk to the bottom of the tank. I've removed most of the water from the tank and am now left with a pile of damp weed poking well out of the water with about 1-1.5 inches of water in the bottom of the tank and the tank on a slight angle so as to give a variation in depth. I'm hoping this might result in fewer deaths when the rest of the eggs hatch. I'm guessing that in the wild the youngest nymphs inhabit the margins of the water and move around in the shallows over things like fallen leaves where it is just wet, or spend their time sitting on floating mats of vegetation. I've got Orins' book and have read the appropriate chapters but am still getting problems. Anyone have experience with thse bugs and can tell me how they managed them please - sems a shame for them to hatch and drown within a few hours. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardshell Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 i have one giant water beetle (americanus) and i see them hunting and everything but after few days, 2 of them died for no reason... same setup as my live one right now... for your water bugs problem can be either not enough plants to hold and breath, or not enough space... do you have a filter? i dont recommend using a filter because they might get stuck or something... sorry that your water bugs died i am going to try rearing giant water bugs again soon so ill share what i do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.ojala Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Off topic question but what bug show did you attended? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade of Eclipse Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 If there's any sort of scum on the surface of the water, it will prevent the nymphs from replenishing their air stores and they'll drown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Off topic question but what bug show did you attended? This was the British Tarantula Society show held in Woverhampton in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.ojala Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 This was the British Tarantula Society show held in Woverhampton in the UK. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynastes Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 I would imagine you were having trouble with fouled water. Were you using isopods as food as suggested in the booklet? How often were they eating? Was the depth and Java moss such that they did not need to expend effort to stay afloat? The first captive generation of water bugs and waterscorpions are often prone to a bit of die off but the second generation is many times easier. If you leave them in the parent's tank they get eaten rapidly. You have to take them out the second you see them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted June 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 The newly hatched nymphs never got a chance to eat - they all died off within a few hors of hatching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynastes Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 Then the problem could have only been contaminated water or improper perching areas. Did you take a photo of your setups? Where did you get the water from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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