aquatic insects!

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

So I really really want to keep aquatic insects, because they have always been so fascinating.
Where can i find them locally? (I’m in CA, bay area)
all my usual spots (rancho san antonio, etc.) are dried up
And what tank size setups do some beginner species need? and can u keep them communally with other aquatic inverts

 

[chanda]

Keeping aquatic insects (or other aquatic inverts) communally really depends on what kind you're keeping. If they are predatory (as many of them are) then they'll probably eat each other.

I've kept Belostomatidae, Notonectidae, Dytiscidae, and assorted naiads (dragonfly, damselfly, and mayfly) for short periods - ranging from a few weeks to a couple of months - before releasing them. (I catch them in the spring/summer, keep them to show my summer school students, then release them at the end of the session.) You may have better luck catching them in the spring, when the next generation is hatching out.

They're easy enough to keep if you can provide an appropriate food source. They typically require live feeders. Most will take crickets willingly, but I have had a few of the Belostomatidae that were picky eaters and would not take the crickets, so I had to get feeder fish for them. Most of them ones I've caught did not require supplemental oxygen, filters, or pumps.

 

[Snailientologist]

There seems to be some resources online about keeping diving beetles. Those are really interesting to watch and they are pretty widely dispersed since they can fly. I've found them in ponds, rivers, and even puddles near storm drains. I've heard they're not really possible to breed, but certain species can live up to 3 years.

 

[Ponerinecat]

In the summer, you can get quite a few amphibious insects with a blacklight. I've gotten backswimmers and various water beetles. I've also seen some giant water bugs(uncertain of the genus) in abundance around a local creek, some with eggs, as well as some water pennies. Sadly that creek was recently purchased and the land around it is being developed. Theres also many different insects with aquatic larvae, mayflies and caddisflies come to mind, as well as the aforementioned water pennies.