Giant water bug doesnt want to hunt

[Firat]

So i have a giant water bug(caught it outside) and i have it for over a week now. İt doesnt seem to care about food and doesnt want to hunt. I keep it in a 45lt aquarium with sometimes filtration. İt has rocks and a artificial plant.

 

[Serpyderpy]

Water bugs don't seem to hunt or eat all that often, but will miraculously somehow end up fatter after you drop something in, even if you don't see them eat. They are sneaky. What are you feeding them? They like to eat inverts (like roaches, worms), smaller fish and tadpoles, and usually have a better time hunting when the prey is under the water rather than on the surface, though they will come up and drag things down to a watery grave if they need to.

Is it possible to reduce the outflow of a filter? The one on the right looks a bit strong, I think they prefer a gentle current as opposed to a stronger one as they usually reside in still waters like stagnant ponds or deep puddles. If you have only recently caught them they might just be trying to adjust to their new home. Some water bugs also scavenge as opposed to hunting, you could place some pre-killed insects on the top of the water and see if they take interest.

One last thing, they need a lid. I can't see if you have one on your picture so I apologise if you have one already, but they can fly, so make sure they can't escape. They can also give a really nasty bite, too, so watch your fingers if you place anything in there.

 

[Firat]

Water bugs don't seem to hunt or eat all that often, but will miraculously somehow end up fatter after you drop something in, even if you don't see them eat. They are sneaky. What are you feeding them? They like to eat inverts (like roaches, worms), smaller fish and tadpoles, and usually have a better time hunting when the prey is under the water rather than on the surface, though they will come up and drag things down to a watery grave if they need to.

Is it possible to reduce the outflow of a filter? The one on the right looks a bit strong, I think they prefer a gentle current as opposed to a stronger one as they usually reside in still waters like stagnant ponds or deep puddles. If you have only recently caught them they might just be trying to adjust to their new home. Some water bugs also scavenge as opposed to hunting, you could place some pre-killed insects on the top of the water and see if they take interest.

One last thing, they need a lid. I can't see if you have one on your picture so I apologise if you have one already, but they can fly, so make sure they can't escape. They can also give a really nasty bite, too, so watch your fingers if you place anything in there.

First of all thank you for your reply. I have a lid so dont worry about that. I tried to feed it with a goldfish first but it killed it and left it. İt is too big for mealworms i guess. Next i will try crickets. And yes the filtration is too strong, i will work on that.

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

I had a giant waterbug that refused to hunt for long periods of time once. Didn't stop it from taking down a crayfish twice its size when it finally became hungry. (The crayfish wasn't intended as a meal).

There was another one that was really big and always hungry. Didn't live very long though.

 

[Ranitomeya]

My experience is that they prefer struggling, drowning prey and avoid prey that struggle strongly enough to escape their grip. It should feed if you drop a non-aquatic insect such as a caterpillar or cricket in front of it.