Noob death feigning beetle questions. Heating. Substrate. Plants?

legsfordays

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 4, 2020
Messages
7
Hey guys. It's finally happening. I'm going to get some blue death feigning beetles. (or blacks, or both) I need some insight real quick. New to inverts, (other than my isopod colony) so forgive me if I seem confused.

My plan is to turn a five-gallon aquarium on its side and attach a piece of glass about halfway up so the beetles can't climb out and I can still reach my hand in. Basically like a terrarium but without a proper door, if that makes sense. (My reasoning is that they will have more room this way as the aquarium is more tall than wide) But I don't know what my best option for heating is in a setup like this. Could I place a heat lamp on top of the glass that is now the roof? I saw a thread elsewhere saying it was a bad idea, but it was talking about reptiles, so maybe this is different? My other option is to just use a heating pad under the tank. But I have some more questions about that? How do I know it won't get too hot? What wattage do I get for such a small tank, (It gets cold in my house in the winter FYI)?

Onto substrate. Is there I way I can sanitize sand I collect at my stream instead of buying it? All the stuff I see online looks expensive for what it is. I'm a miser lol, trying to cut as many corners as I can for this project. I do plan on adding coconut fiber as well.
Which this sort of leads to my next question. I really like the idea of having a few live plants in the tank, which might actually change my choice of substrate. what substrate mix would be good and what sort of plants could I grow in it? Just really any tips about keeping a planted desert tank would be greatly appreciated. I've seen some people use air plants, which would be cool but I hear they like humidity.

I'm sorry if this is confusing or longwinded, I'm really tired and I'm kind of manic.
 

Dead Blue Deer

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
34
Death-feigning beetles are the best! I've got several, three different species (black, blue, and smooth), and this is what I've found works best for me. I don't have a heat source on their tank (live in AZ, room temperature is no cooler than 74). I used sand from the pet store as a substrate; you can probably get some cheaper from gardening supply. I find that they prefer sand or gravel, as cocofiber gets stuck in their feet and joints and they just don't seem to enjoy walking on it. And, where I've seen them in the wild here, they walk on hard, dry ground, so sand/gravel is more natural for them. The substrate does not need to be that deep, either.

I've also found they don't need a -ton- of room. They tend to be gregarious, and I usually observe all of mine crammed together under a small piece of cholla skeleton rather than spacing themselves out. Mine are generally active in the evening and at night, and seem to sleep during the daytime. They do like to walk, though, so having a tank wider than it is tall is a good idea. I don't have any live plants with mine, but that's an interesting thought and gives me some ideas.

Not sure if any of that was helpful! Really enjoy watching my little beetles though, they're a fun invert to keep.
 

legsfordays

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 4, 2020
Messages
7
Thanks for the warning about the coco fiber, I won't get any. I did manage to get my hands on some sand and rocks. I think I sterilized the sand pretty well by boiling it, washing it, then boiling it again.
 

mantisfan101

Arachnoprince
Joined
Dec 26, 2018
Messages
1,755
Substrate, food, is all you need. If temps are below 60 F than get a heat lamp.
 
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