Goliath beetle larvae care

[jake7917]

I have heard they primarily eat live/dead insects, and supplemental food like dog food. do they not eat decayed leves or wood like other flower beetles? or do they eat a combination of both?

What is a good substrate for the larvae? I ahve heard of some people using coco fibre and potting soil amongst other things, while only ever feeding them supplements.

Can someone point me in the direction of a thread outlining goliath larvae care, if one already exists?

Thanks

 

[JKim]

They don't seem to prefer the substrates as much as many other scarabs. I'm feeding koi pellets right off from the L2 stage. Since substrate is not for feeding, but more like housing them, the quality of the substrate doesn't seem to be an important factor. (but I still wouldn't use coco fiber).

 

[kevink]

There are some good articles on Goliath care if you just do a google search, one is from "scarabs newsletter", and there's another one worth reading at "naturalworlds.org"

one of the first things you'll find out is that not everyone agrees on everything. Actual experience will be valuable and hard won, my limited experience with the

species, is that it's not as easy as it might seem, I've got 3 in pupal stage right now...probably, and I'm glad they're there.

 

[jake7917]

They don't seem to prefer the substrates as much as many other scarabs. I'm feeding koi pellets right off from the L2 stage. Since substrate is not for feeding, but more like housing them, the quality of the substrate doesn't seem to be an important factor. (but I still wouldn't use coco fiber).

Is there a certain grade/ crude protein amount for the koi food that works best for them? Do you need to moisten it or anything before you feed it to the grub? Or can you just throw a few pellets in?

 

[PapaGottlieb]

I have found, after the back and forth of opinion during research, that the Hikari Staple koi pellets are a good fit with Goliathus. They can be had in mini-sized pellets at 3% crude fat. I soak for just a minute or so, and the larvae seek them out fairly vigorously.