How do you raise Sea Slaters?

tyrel

Arachnobaron
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I would love to keep a colony of these guys, But I don't know how to go about doing it. Do they need saltwater? What do I feed them? What kind of humidity and tempurature is needed? What do I do for substrate?

Does anyone have any idea on how to care for these things?
 

Kevin_Davies

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Did you see my post in the other thread? ive collected these today, and will try to keep them.

Ive set up housing for them, with sand mixed with gravel as substrate, a flat stone for hiding under, and plenty of seaweed, Ive given them a small water dish, with a tiny amount of seasalt mixed into the water (that I usually use for my hermit crabs.)

Im not sure about temperature and humidity, I would think temps around 18-20c and moderate humidity would be ok, there isnt any information on actually keeping them though, so im not sure, ive kept and bred several other UK woodlice species before, I dont know how difficult they would be to keep compared to other species though.




 

roach dude

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They might even prefrer it colder... they do thrive right next to the sea and it can get fairly chilly near the sea..:? :D :?
 

Kevin_Davies

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They might even prefrer it colder... they do thrive right next to the sea and it can get fairly chilly near the sea..:? :D :?
yeah thats a good point, maybe much colder temperatures, around 5-8c on average would be better for them, so possibly kept in housing outdoors? Ive moved my ones to the floor of my shed, next to my Velvet Worms, so the temperature should be cooler for them.
 

dtknow

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The seaweed will not last long without intense light and probably water movement...but either way I'm sure the critter won't mind.
 

Kevin_Davies

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The seaweed will not last long without intense light and probably water movement...but either way I'm sure the critter won't mind.
yeah I know, Im hoping since they eat decaying vegetable and plant matter, as well as seaweed, then they'd still eat it.
 

Tleilaxu

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In order to increase their viability as pets, they need to be weaned off the seaweed... Keep us posted.
 

roach dude

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well i think fish food is mainly fish bits and not plant matter so they might not eat it... but they might just eat like mabye letteus... could try, dont see why even if its not in their natural enviroment..:? :confused: :?
 

tyrel

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well i think fish food is mainly fish bits and not plant matter so they might not eat it... but they might just eat like mabye letteus... could try, dont see why even if its not in their natural enviroment..:? :confused: :?
A food for herbivorous fish may work, like algae tablets or spirulina flakes.
 

Tleilaxu

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^ I was just going to suggest that, also try fresh water live plants, those can be had in great quantities for low prices, especialy hornwort and anachris(spelling) Stay away from veggies like lettus with no nutritional value.
 

starmaiden

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A food for herbivorous fish may work, like algae tablets or spirulina flakes.
Be careful and read your labels though. Many fish foods have preservatives like exothyquin and copper sulfate which are poisonous to most types of inverts. One food that might work for your guys is something called "Seaweed Salad" made by San francisco Bay Brand. LINK
 

Stylopidae

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^ I was just going to suggest that, also try fresh water live plants, those can be had in great quantities for low prices, especialy hornwort and anachris(spelling) Stay away from veggies like lettus with no nutritional value.

Well...some types of lettuce like spinach and kale do have some decent nutritional values. Not nearly as much as seaweed, though.

If the fish flakes don't work, then go down to an asian supermarket and you should be able to find seaweed of some sort...they use seaweed in cooking, most notably sushi.
 

P.jasonius

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I was going to suggest the asian food market as well, they have packages of dried seawead that keeps for long periods of time.
Watch for the preservatives, though.
Starmaiden: Seaweed salad isn't just made by that company. I usually have it as a side dish when I go to the sushi bar, one of my favorites.
 

starmaiden

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Starmaiden: Seaweed salad isn't just made by that company. I usually have it as a side dish when I go to the sushi bar, one of my favorites.
LOL! :D I love seaweed salad at the sushi bar too! (say that 10 times fast!) I was just posting something made specifically for fish.

Tyrel, if you do go to an asian market, be careful that the nori and seaweed you buy is unsalted or just salted with seasalt bc regular table salt will kill marine critters. ;)
 

Tleilaxu

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Well...some types of lettuce like spinach and kale do have some decent nutritional values. Not nearly as much as seaweed, though.
The darker leaved types yes? I never use spinich as it has a compound in it that prevents verts from using calcium most notably reptiles, I am unsure if this would cause any issues with inverts though.
 

P.jasonius

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LOL! :D I love seaweed salad at the sushi bar too! (say that 10 times fast!) I was just posting something made specifically for fish.
lol, ok. I didn't bother too actually look it up I just assumed they were the same.:8o
 

starmaiden

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lol, ok. I didn't bother too actually look it up I just assumed they were the same.:8o
I don't think this is the same thing. ;) It's actually marine algae dried and pressed into sheets like nori. You feed it to your fish by tearing it into strips and using plastic clips to place in the aquarium. I feed it to my crabs by moistening a bit of it in their food dish with a little dechlor water. :)
 
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