maybegoth Posted March 25, 2023 Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 TLDR: is mixing kinshi with flake soil 50/50 okay for rainbow stags? Also, how long can small larvae stay in small delis (to-go sauce cup size, 1.25-2 oz) I got a bit of a preamble here, but I was put in a little bit of a predicament and would like insight from more experienced keepers. I'm new to keeping beetles but have been doing extensive research for 7/8 years. I recently ordered a few L1/L2 phalacrognathus muelleri larvae along with some flake soil online. The larvae and flake soil arrived the same day. I anticipated rehousing the larvae when they arrived, but the dry ready-to-use FS smelled heavily like ammonia. The seller told me to discard the batch- which I anticipated- and I'm waiting on a fresh replacement. That's left me in a bit of a situation where I'm keeping the larvae in their travel delis for longer than I anticipated. In a pinch- I ordered some kinshi because it was quoted to arrive quicker than the FS replacement (albeit by a day or two) and I want to get the larva out of their travel delis ASAP. In a week from now, I'll have a pound of FS and 2 pounds of kinshi. I don't solely want to use the kinshi if it's going to render the FS unusable down the line, and vice versa. Would it be okay to mix the flake soil and the kinshi together? The larvae I purchased were reared on flake soil, so I don't want to shock them by putting them in kinshi alone (I also am going to incorporate the FS they were shipped to me in regardless of the substrate I use) Sorry for the wordy post, I haven't been able to find info for my question anywhere online, so all input is welcome. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hello123 Posted March 25, 2023 Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 Keep the flake soil and use the kinshi for the rainbow stag larva. Mixing the flake with the kinshi will not cause any issues, but it would be better to just keep them in just kinshi. When you do plan on moving the larva over, mix a bit of the flake soil from the deli cup into the hole you made in the kinshi. I don't think there will be an issue if you keep them in the deli cups unless they're too big for it. From my experience, I did not have any larva deaths when I went from flake soil -> kinshi at L1/L2. However, I did experience a lot of deaths (turned black) from L1/L2 when I moved from kinshi -> flake soil. But again, just what I've noticed it could be different for others. Also, I wouldn't throw away that flake just yet. Aerate it for a few days to see how things go. Good luck with your larva 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maybegoth Posted March 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 On 3/25/2023 at 10:57 AM, hello123 said: Keep the flake soil and use the kinshi for the rainbow stag larva. Mixing the flake with the kinshi will not cause any issues, but it would be better to just keep them in just kinshi. When you do plan on moving the larva over, mix a bit of the flake soil from the deli cup into the hole you made in the kinshi. I don't think there will be an issue if you keep them in the deli cups unless they're too big for it. From my experience, I did not have any larva deaths when I went from flake soil -> kinshi at L1/L2. However, I did experience a lot of deaths (turned black) from L1/L2 when I moved from kinshi -> flake soil. But again, just what I've noticed it could be different for others. Also, I wouldn't throw away that flake just yet. Aerate it for a few days to see how things go. Good luck with your larva 😁 Awesome! I appreciate your input. Will put them in kinshi when it arrives and I'll set aside the dried flake soil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratmosphere Posted March 29, 2023 Report Share Posted March 29, 2023 Do you have the option to find white rotting wood in the forests near you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maybegoth Posted April 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2023 On 3/29/2023 at 11:04 AM, Ratmosphere said: Do you have the option to find white rotting wood in the forests near you? No I do not- I'm in the PNW so we don't have oak or beech which I gather is the best to use. I believe we have Oregon White Oak here and there but it is in decline and personally I've never seen one in my life. If there's a different type of hardwood that would work I'm open to suggestions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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