Okay, let's say I manage to collect a male and female specimen (or more) of a good-sized waterbeetle species. What is the trick to getting these things to breed and reproduce? I know nothing of their habits or habitat requirements.
Water Beetles
- Thread starter Peter Clausen
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First, to indeed make sure you have a male and a female. Most female water beetles will have rippling in their elytra. this is to facilitate the male in copulation. then, once the sexes are determined it is not hard to get them to reproduce. The water must be cold, most water beetles mate in early spring or late fall. secondly, they need live plants in the tank so the female can lay her eggs on and sometimes in the plant. wait a few weeks and Bingo there are little water tigers all over the place. these are highly aggressive and need live foods to eat, unlike the adult who you can sustain with raw hamburger meat. hope this helped. if Not please ask me further questions.
Thank you! I do have a couple more questions.
What is the preferred food for water tigers? (like that name, by the way!) Would any of the common industry feeder insects work with larvae and adults? Fruit flies, house flies, crickets, etc.?
What do you feed them?
Are the herbivorous larvae also referred to as water tigers?
Raw hamburger meat! That's doesn't sound like much fun for us or the beetles. I'm thinking live foods would be more entertaining.
Peter
What is the preferred food for water tigers? (like that name, by the way!) Would any of the common industry feeder insects work with larvae and adults? Fruit flies, house flies, crickets, etc.?
What do you feed them?
Are the herbivorous larvae also referred to as water tigers?
Raw hamburger meat! That's doesn't sound like much fun for us or the beetles. I'm thinking live foods would be more entertaining.
Peter
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I agree, You can feed them crickets, but you have to squish them and then place them in the flow of your filter. this causes a feeding frenzy!!. I feed my beetles a mixture of live and pellet food. there are guppies that are there to be prey. But, I learned very early on that these beetles go crazy for tadpole pellets (strange I know). I call it Crack for water beetles. I litterally seen beetles fight of dragonfly nymphs, fish, tadpoles, and bitten me to have these pellets!! it's like watching a Cirque de sole show where there is summersaults, etc. really fun to watch!!!!
stickle backs or guppies would be the prime diet of the water tiger!! they are more agressive then their parents. they are really fun to watch hunt and capture their prey. once while raising tadpoles I made the mistake of placing them in the same tank as the water tigers. next day I was missing 3 out of ten. they are not afraid of anything including you. some herbivores begin the larval stages as a predator, but that is an exception not the rule.
Wow, I'm seeing waterbeetles in a whole new light...a carnivorous piranha-like colony bug! It's like that perfect combination of a mantis (carnivorous) and a roach (colony).
So, will a hatchling water tiger be able to consume a guppy? I was thinking mosquito larvae-sized bugs, for some reason, but those aren't always easy to come by.
It makes sense that the ideal prey would be other animals that can live in the aquarium.
Thanks!
So, will a hatchling water tiger be able to consume a guppy? I was thinking mosquito larvae-sized bugs, for some reason, but those aren't always easy to come by.
It makes sense that the ideal prey would be other animals that can live in the aquarium.
Thanks!
depending on the species water tigers can get as large as 3". that is a powerful predator able to take down small trout and yes the guppy.
How small are the water tiger hatchlings and what is the best food for them?
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Small, microscopic (well not really but very small). they average about 2-3 years before total size. Misquito larvae, just be aware that many will hatch in the process, be prepared for misquito bites, lol.