Invertebrate Suggestions for Vivariums.

[Arthroverts]

Hey all, I have got three vivariums that need filling, preferably with invertebrates of some kind. I would like a multi-species tank in there, and as you can see, they are mostly tropical. I was already thinking arboreal cockroaches (anyone know a good species or two?), amblypygi, orthopterans of some kind, terrestrial gastropods (slugs and snails), millipedes and other such stuff.
Any suggestions (please be specific)?


"19x"12x"12
3.5 +- inches of substrate.
Bromeliad with pups center, pothos vine far right coming forward and looping over the bromeliad. I would like to get a chameleon vine for the pothos to wrap around eventually. Sphagnum moss and orchid flowers are on top of the substrate.

"19x"12x"12
3.5 +- inches of substrate.
Lemon plant center-left, pachira back right, not visible but there is a small spider-plant in the front right. Cork bark piece back left. Sphagnum moss is covering the substrate.

"24x"19x"12, 20 gallon tall
6+ inches substrate.
Bromeliad with pups left, fern back center, spider plant center middle. Upright wood branch in the center right. Not visible in the picture, but there is a small coconut half-hide in the back left corner. I would like to get some bamboo or another fern in the empty space to the back right. Sphagnum moss is covering the substrate. This one already Porcellionides pruinosus "Powdery Blue", Oxidus gracillis, and a healthy population of worms in it, with the latter two hitchhiking in with the plants.

Substrate is invertebrate and reptile friendly, and all of these vivariums have been established for 4+ months or more.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[The Seraph]

The one with the pachira vine would be good for a mantis species, maybe a Hierodula membranacea.

 

[Arthroverts]

I am a neophyte when it comes to mantises, so pardon the question, why is that?

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[The Seraph]

Giant Asian Mantis. Very common, females get up to 4 inches long and males get up to 3 inches long. Also, I just realized that enclosure is probably too small.

 

[Arthroverts]

Yes, I believe your right, it probably is a little too small. I did some research on these and they require quite a bit of space. Thank you for your suggestion!

Anybody have any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[Dennis Nedry]

Millipedes, rainforest snails, tropical roaches and various flower beetles get on well. Though the millipedes and beetles (if you’re trying to breed the beetles that is) would need mostly rotten wood as substrate as the main diet of the millipedes and beetle grubs is wood.

Small mantids do well with large herbivorous or non aggressive inverts that won’t come in contact with them too much. Eg - a large species of tropical roach incapable of climbing smooth surfaces and a small mantis with climbing space that isn’t in contact with the ground so it can moult in safety

Hierodula sp. are big voracious eaters and would probably eat most inverts you house with them, but I have seen them kept successfully with large rainforest snails. The mantid just finds them unappealing for whatever reason

Large ponerine ants with slow growing colonies like Harpegnathos sp. will ignore most millipedes and can be housed together fairly well given space for the ant colony and rotten wood substrate for the millipedes to feed on and moult in without contacting each other

Most millipedes do well together. I would research species that have similar care

Small amblypygids could probably do well with large herbivorous inverts like giant millipedes given they have large tightly spaced verticals pieces of bark too small for the millipedes to fit in so they can hide behind and moult on it in safety

Certain katydids do well with stick insects. I’d do research on what species are available to you

 

[Dorifto]

A geniculata. END

XD

 

[Arthroverts]

Thanks @Dennis Nedry! Unfortunately acquiring katydids, ants, stick insects, slugs and snails that are not native or established within the U.S is haphazard at best (and the available species we do have are drab for the most part), although I will definitely look for some to perhaps try out. Do you know any specific species of roaches?

@Dorifto, I may try that! Thank you!

Any other suggestions Arthropod world?

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[Polenth]

A possible cockroach is Panchlora nivea (green banana cockroach). They're small, green, and fly. They'll make better use of a taller enclosure than most cockroaches. For millipedes, Chicobolus spinigerus (Florida ivory millipedes) tend to be active on the surface and like to climb. Whether either of those will eat your plants... I don't know.