Beauty and Function?

[Acro]

I've seen many functional beetle/larvae setups, but very few beautiful ones.

Are there any photos online that show beautiful and functional beetle/larvae enclosures?

If not, any suggestions on how to set one up?

 

[Shade of Eclipse]

Beetles tend to rearrange their enclosures as they dig and root around, so anything placed inside as decoration would have to be firmly secured to the enclosure itself before substrate is added. Rooted plants are unlikely to survive the constant uprooting and moss will easily be torn off of any surface. The best you can do is set up something with a bunch of nice pieces of wood and some leaf litter. Decorations will make it difficult to observe the beetles themselves, of course.

 

[LarvaHunter]

I saw picture of a woman who used a natural background picture on the back of a tank, like what they do for fish aquariums. That can help the end look.

 

[Acro]

set up something with a bunch of nice pieces of wood and some leaf litter.

That is exactly what I was thinking of.

It would be simple but good looking and functional. An aquarium with a layer of substrate on the bottom, leaf litter on top of that, upright cork bark rounds ( http://avoision.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/vintageBazaarAragon_2012-06-10_46.jpg ) stuffed with substrate and the base buried, a few split cork rounds laying on their side (acting as shelter for adults). Some cork pieces have beautiful lichens growing on them. They may eventually be torn off, but it would only add to the substrate.

Shade of Eclipse, can you point out any photos of beetle setups with "nice pieces of wood and some leaf litter"?

LarvaHunter, have a link to that picture? Backgrounds always do add to the end look.

Thanks you two!

 

[LarvaHunter]

It was on flowerbeetles.com

I can't find it again though.

Contact @stephanie Faith . Net

 

[Bill Myers]

I remember coming across a post on here where someone had a cool Blue Death Feigning Beetle setup with some sort of desert plant. Let me dig around and see if I can find it again....

Okay, found it here:

http://beetleforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1153

Cheers

 

[Satanas]

you can use those air plant things

 

[Acro]

LarvaHunter,

That website has some beautiful beetle photos! Such amazing animals! I couldn't find the pic you were referring to, but I get the idea.

Bill Myers,

Thanks!

Darklings are better suited for an elaborate terrarium design (and I do plan on getting some darklings). I imagine it would be hard to find larvae and pupa with the plants (always having to dig them up). Then again, not many people are breeding death feigning beetles. I'll be getting some eleodes.

stevedynastes,

You reminded me, I had thought of using some MagNaturals in the enclosure to give the beetles some vertical climbing space. Some are ledges: http://www.pet-tech.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=25&Itemid=111

and some have hide-holes like the openings of a dead tree: http://www.pet-tech.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=29&Itemid=111

I got a bunch of them in a trade a while ago.

I don't know if air plants would like the same conditions that the beetles need, but MagNaturals are definitely plantable.

Thanks for posting you 3!