what size tank is recommended for blue death feigning beetle

axlopez

axlopez

Pupa
Hello!

I'm raising some blue-feigning beetles (STILL!)but wanted to know if sticking with 5 gallon tank would be good for 4 live beetles or should 10 gallon be used for these beetles even though I have eggs and some larva from these wonderful beetles which are doing well but still wanted to know if I could do more for these because i'm really interested in them and care for them.

bought them on bugs in cyberspace.com thanks.

 
Orin said:
How many larvae do you have so far?
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Hi, Orin

right now I probably have at least twelve larva from the three adult females I have currently so... yeah
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I would think a 2.5 gallon would be plenty with a few dozen. Mature larvae likely have to be isolated for pupation.

 
I definitely agree with Orin, I'm comfortably fitting 20 darklings and some 15 larvae in a 2.5g tank with a couple inches of soil. I can't imagine death-feigners needing more.

 
axlopez said:
Hello!

I'm raising some blue-feigning beetles (STILL!)but wanted to know if sticking with 5 gallon tank would be good for 4 live beetles or should 10 gallon be used for these beetles even though I have eggs and some larva from these wonderful beetles which are doing well but still wanted to know if I could do more for these because i'm really interested in them and care for them.

bought them on bugs in cyberspace.com thanks.
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I just got my 4 blue feigning beetle last week. What kind of setup do you have? Tips on making them to lay eggs?

 
The couple folks that have gotten larvae out of them had coconut fiber substrate and ground cover in the tanks. Larvae were found under the ground cover. I've dug up a couple of captive produced larvae, but I don't actively try to get eggs since I have good access to adults. I would love to see somebody document the lifecycle of these beetles, including time to maturity for the larvae in captivity.

 
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Orin said:
I would think a 2.5 gallon would be plenty with a few dozen. Mature larvae likely have to be isolated for pupation.
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Orin,

I have a lot of Blue Death feigning Beetle larvae now. You mention isolating them. Could you be more specific about the enclosure and environmental conditions they should be in for pupation? If the specific details are in your book "The Complete Guide to Rearing Darkling Beetles" I can just buy that. Could you please let me know? Thank you for your time.

 
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MrCrackerpants said:
I have a lot of Blue Death feigning Beetle larvae now. You mention isolating them. Could you be more specific about the enclosure and environmental conditions they should be in for pupation?
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He probably means the larvae require similar treatment to that of Zophobas morio.

 
MrCrackerpants said:
I searched for Zophobas morio threads but nothing came up. Can you list the larval conditions (e.g., substrate type, humidity, temperature, etc.)for Zophobas morio? THANKS!!
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Large larva that are ready to pupate are typically separated and placed with a small amount of food and substrate in a confined area by themselves. Something like a film canister or, for mass rearing, a craft separator works well. I am not sure that this is what he is suggesting, but I have heard others suggest it.

 
What said:
Large larva that are ready to pupate are typically separated and placed with a small amount of food and substrate in a confined area by themselves. Something like a film canister or, for mass rearing, a craft separator works well. I am not sure that this is what he is suggesting, but I have heard others suggest it.
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Thank you. Anybody else care to add any experiences with this species? What substrate? What food? Humidity? Temperature? Etc.? If not, I am going to separate some of them and place them in varying conditions and see what happens. I really like these beetles and would like to set up a breeding program with my students.

 
MrCrackerpants said:
Thank you. Anybody else care to add any experiences with this species? What substrate? What food? Humidity? Temperature? Etc.? If not, I am going to separate some of them and place them in varying conditions and see what happens. I really like these beetles and would like to set up a breeding program with my students.
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I have eggs developing under a rock. The eggs are up against the glass and there is some moisture under the rock. This is the same area I saw the larvae that were about .75 inches.

 
i received a number of these a few weeks ago and i want to throw my hat in the ring as a potential breeder. this is my first beetle ive attempted to breed/raise but im gonna give it a shot.

 
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Gnat said:
i received a number of these a few weeks ago and i want to throw my hat in the ring as a potential breeder. this is my first beetle ive attempted to breed/raise but im gonna give it a shot.
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Great. Keep us posted. Yesterday I buried some more carrots and potatoes in the substrate.

 
i keep 8 in a 2.5,with coco and clay sand sub...i have seen grubs,but no new beetles..they have been setup 6 months in this aquarium,i offer them carrots and potatoes,but they seem to love oat bran(cricket feed..lol)and will ignore everything else when it is present.i keep beetle jelly in the cage and change twice a week.they seem to love it

andy

 
bluefrogtat2 said:
i keep 8 in a 2.5,with coco and clay sand sub...i have seen grubs,but no new beetles..they have been setup 6 months in this aquarium,i offer them carrots and potatoes,but they seem to love oat bran(cricket feed..lol)and will ignore everything else when it is present.i keep beetle jelly in the cage and change twice a week.they seem to love it

andy
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Thanks, Andy. Do you have any pupae or adults yet?

 
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