Water Beetle Aquariums

[Peter Clausen]

Do different kinds of water beetles have different captivity requirements (aside from food preferences)?

 

[ed_the_waterbeetle_guy]

yes, based on the fact many waterbeetles choose bodies of water based on the substrate found at the bottom of the body of water. many enjoy muddy bottoms, some enjoy rocky substrates. some water beetle (like riffle Beetles) enjoy fast moving currents. RULE OF THUMB: examine natural habitat for the species in question, try to mimic the bottom as best you can. also, they need ambush sites, don't forget the plants!!! finally, not all waterbeetles are predaceous, some are herbivores while other enjoy detritus.

 

[Peter Clausen]

What kinds of plants do you recommend for predaceous and herbivorous waterbeetles?

I'm mostly interested in the waterbeetles I might collect in Arizona that are an inch or so in length. I believe some are predaceous and others there are herbivores. So, to provide a habitat where they might be encouraged to lay eggs, how would I set that up?

Are there any general patterns in the tank set-up for predaceous vs. herbivorous species vs. scavengers?

Thank you!

Peter

 

[ed_the_waterbeetle_guy]

well, just going from where I live. I collect plants that I find the beetles near. Many herbivores and predaceous beetles live in similar environs, in fact many live in the exact areas. so, the short answer is if they are collected together keep them together. more info latter, I'll try to post some pics of my set ups!! sorry, so short pressed for time...

 

[Peter Clausen]

Collect plants along with the beetles...makes sense!

My local chain pet store has aquatic plants for about $3. Would any of these be okay? What am I looking for in a waterbeetle habitat plant...floating? Rooted into the bottom, etc.?

Thanks again for all the great info! Maybe we should call this the "waterbeetle forum"

Peter

 

[critterguy]

I would reccomend Elodea or Najas(guppy grass). They do well in moderately lit environs(the latter can survive low light).

For island areas java moss and pothos mixed together would work. While java moss is normally seen as an aquarium plant, I think for water beetles I could see it best used as a plant to increase the size of any land area you wish to include and provide a intergrade between land and water.

You would probably want a mixture of plants. Duckweed is a good floating plant. I would make sure to take them out often as they could coat the surface and make it harder for the water beetles to breathe.

Hey, maybe someone will trade plants for beetles...LOL!

 

[Peter Clausen]

Thanks for the info. Critterguy! My collection definitely needs a waterbeetle display. Since my axolotyl bit the dust, I have a spare tank all ready to go minus the plants and bugs.

I don't think we've discussed filtration? Is this recommended for waterbeetles?

Thanks again!

Peter

 

[manticora]

Thanks for the info. Critterguy! My collection definitely needs a waterbeetle display. Since my axolotyl bit the dust, I have a spare tank all ready to go minus the plants and bugs.
I don't think we've discussed filtration? Is this recommended for waterbeetles?

Thanks again!

Peter

yes filtration is defintitly recommended(these little buggers can eat!) and leave pieces of food around here and there,ofcourse they scavenge too, ive used submersible filters and they work great,but outside filters are good aswell. hope this helps

 

[Matt K]

yes filtration is defintitly recommended(these little buggers can eat!) and leave pieces of food around here and there,ofcourse they scavenge too, ive used submersible filters and they work great,but outside filters are good aswell. hope this helps

There are all sorts of great little filters to use these days.....

So many cool bugs, so little time....

 

[arachknight]

Thanks for the info. Critterguy! My collection definitely needs a waterbeetle display. Since my axolotyl bit the dust, I have a spare tank all ready to go minus the plants and bugs.
I don't think we've discussed filtration? Is this recommended for waterbeetles?

Thanks again!

Peter

Hi Peter,

I've set up some tanks in the past as well and have found that gravel filters with activated carbon work well for predacious beetles (they can be very messy eaters). Powerheads can be too strong depending on the type of beetle. If you're using an external filter/cascade pump try to provide some "holding" areas where beetles can sit in the current. Some diving beetles, I've found, love fishing in those spots. Hope this helps. And love to see your tank when you're done.

Joel

 

[Peter Clausen]

Thanks for the additional info. Joel. It's gettin' to be waterbeetle season!

 

[arachknight]

Thanks for the additional info. Joel. It's gettin' to be waterbeetle season!

How's that tank coming along? And what waterbeetles have you found?

 

[Peter Clausen]

I just got back from Arizona a few weeks ago. I was lucky, on the last night, to collect a variety of waterbugs. Aside from the Lethocerus water"bugs" (housed separately), I did also get some beetles. All are doing surprisingly well, though I really need to upgrade their shared aquarium. I'll be posting photos and progress updates here. I'm going to need some feedback from everybody on what I'm doing. Hopefully, I can get the sunburst diving beetles into decent culture and some of the others as well.

 

[Peter Clausen]

Anybody have any suggestions for setting up an egg-laying area for the Sunburst diving beetles?

 

[manticora]

Anybody have any suggestions for setting up an egg-laying area for the Sunburst diving beetles?

when i had mine years back,the tank was planted pretty good,they were laying the eggs against the glass right next to the plants,right at the top just hitting the surface of the water,pretty large eggs for such small beetles

very cool little guys,they are a blast to keep.

 

[Peter Clausen]

Thanks for the info. Manticora!

My initial cage set-up: Previously, it looked like this (sorry, but video came out much darker on the PC than the camera appeared...oh, and the second tank of water beetles that are shown in the video are whirligig beetles).

Basically, I was offering them sand substrate within some containers that rose just above the water's surface. I had bit of screen hanging over the edge of the containers into the water. I had hoped they would climb the centimeter or so up the screen and over the edge of the container and into the sand (to lay eggs). Now that you mention it, I do recall seeing some egg masses early on, around the plants I'd bought at a local pet shop. I don't believe they hatched, though they may have been eaten by some snails that came in on the plants (more on that in a moment).

About a month ago, I changed the tank out. The new tank is 3 to 4 feet long (sorry no photo yet). There is land rising above the surface of the water for about 4-5 inches on one side of the tank. I included a bit of coconut fiber in this portion of the "above waterline" substrate, also mixed with sand. This bit of land slopes down underwater, ending near the middle of the bottom of the tank. Below the waterline, the sloping substrate is composed of rock and sand. (so, sort of a natural, diagonal bank). Along the bottom are various small pebbles. A few water plants are planted in the sand, underwater. I turn on the filter occasionally to help keep it clean. I change 1/3 of the water every other week or 2 (distilled).

On the one hand, I feel a bit successful in keeping most of the two species of Thermonectus that I brought back, alive (together again, since the last water change). However, I see no larvae swimming around. Now I'm wondering if these "cute" little snails that came in on the waterplants are feeding on my beetle eggs? It never occured to me that they'd be a problem, since I was thinking the eggs were laid "on land", out of the way of these aquatic snails (by the way, the "land" always remains moist because of the high waterline...intentionally).

So, just now I found a new egg mass attached to the water plant. I'm wondering if I'm looking at snail eggs or beetle eggs. Similar to my remembrances of frog eggs, this particular mass shows little whitish eggs/embryos which are each individually surrounded by a clear jelly and then all clustered together. Sound like snails or beetles? My snails are brown, move pretty quickly and reach a maximum length of under 1 centimeter.

Any tips, thoughts...?

Thank for reading!

Photo of Sunburst Diving Beetle (Thermonectus marmoratus)

 

[RosenKrieger]

So, just now I found a new egg mass attached to the water plant. I'm wondering if I'm looking at snail eggs or beetle eggs. Similar to my remembrances of frog eggs, this particular mass shows little whitish eggs/embryos which are each individually surrounded by a clear jelly and then all clustered together. Sound like snails or beetles? My snails are brown, move pretty quickly and reach a maximum length of under 1 centimeter.

Sorry to ruin it for you, but those are snail eggs.

I'm constantly having to scrape them off the glass in my fish tanks. Do you see snails running around in the tank? Unfortunately, I can't think of anything to get rid of the snails that wouldn't kill the beetles aside from removing each one by hand.

 

[manticora]

Sorry to ruin it for you, but those are snail eggs.

I'm constantly having to scrape them off the glass in my fish tanks. Do you see snails running around in the tank? Unfortunately, I can't think of anything to get rid of the snails that wouldn't kill the beetles aside from removing each one by hand.

yeah, those are definitly not beetle eggs,the eggs from these beetles look like tiny grains of rice,they are pretty large for the size of the beetle that lays them

i had them hatch,the larvas were everywhere in the tank,but sadly the adults made good work of them

didn't have a chance to remove them faster enough,yes those other eggs are snail eggs,removing them can be a pain in the butt,in my setup i used plastic plants,(they were laying them against the glass,close to the surface)so i never had the snail problem,try removing the egg sacs from the plants,and use a very fine brineshrimp net to strain all of the snails out(i know it sounds crazy though,or you can watch for the beetle eggs and simply remove them from the tank into a seperate container for hatching.hope this helps alittle.

 

[RosenKrieger]

Thanks for the second opinion on the eggs. I have no idea what the beetle eggs look like, but I have PLENTY of experience with aquatic snail eggs (106 gallons worth of tanks). lol