Platymeris biguttatus bioactive?

[Tellorcha]

Anyone have success with a bioactive enclosure for P. biguttatus?

I have read lots of anecdotes that they prefer their enclosure bone dry. I find this odd as they are from tropical regions in Africa.

I have 20 gallon I want to set up as a bio active enclosure for them with maybe a plant or two and springtails to clean up. I was thinking of using an arid mix for substrate like sand, peat/coco coir and possibly clay, and seeding with arid springtails, but I am hung up on this humidity dilemma. The arid substrate would stay dry near the surface, but some misting to maintain humidity in the lower layers would be necessary to keep the springtails and plants alive, plus aid in hatching eggs. Has anyone experimented with this? Is it really that problematic to have minimal humidity in their enclosure?

I love this species and would love to view them in an attractive enclosure rather than a bare bottom tank with egg crates, so really hoping I can make this work!

 

[Poonjab]

They love it. Just don’t cook them ya know.

 

[chanda]

I have mine with a substrate of sand and coco fiber, with vertical/angled cork slabs and cork rounds for climbing and hiding. I keep the substrate pretty dry, so instead of springtails, I have dermestid beetles as a cleaner crew. (They're the ones that show up in cricket bags - I just toss the hitchhikers in the cage and the assassins generally ignore them. The young nymphs will feed on the dermestid beetles or larvae - but the beetles reproduce very quickly, so they can more than keep up with a little predation!)

It's not quite as pretty as a planted enclosure - but more natural-looking and attractive than bare-bottom with egg crates.

 

[Tellorcha]

I have mine with a substrate of sand and coco fiber, with vertical/angled cork slabs and cork rounds for climbing and hiding. I keep the substrate pretty dry, so instead of springtails, I have dermestid beetles as a cleaner crew. (They're the ones that show up in cricket bags - I just toss the hitchhikers in the cage and the assassins generally ignore them. The young nymphs will feed on the dermestid beetles or larvae - but the beetles reproduce very quickly, so they can more than keep up with a little predation!)

It's not quite as pretty as a planted enclosure - but more natural-looking and attractive than bare-bottom with egg crates.

That’s very helpful, thank you! The dermestid don’t eat the eggs? That’s my main concern with the clean up crew.

 

[Kaqpewqt]

i keep mine kind of bioactive. The setup is based on „Daves littles Beasties“ way to keep Psytalla horrida, you can look it up on YouTube. I have some cork barks covered with green moss, plain dirt as a substrate, leaf litter, a few plants which i can keep more dry, and a little box which always contains moist substrate. I water the moss from time to time, maybe every other week. Since then my bugs breed like crazy.

Had a lot more problems when i kept them completely dry, which led to no offspring whatsoever, and way more moist with a lot of plants, which led to the only mite infestation i ever had.
They are such messy eaters, and they cant suck feeders with a hard shell (e.g. dubias) completely empty, so the dead roaches are just a feast for mites. I also had springtails and white isopods in the enclosure, the mite infestation could still form.
Yes, you could try to remove every dead roach, but at that point you just destroy your whole enclosure + its a lot of work to search for 15+ dead roaches every few days.

Hope this helps!

 

[Tellorcha]

i keep mine kind of bioactive. The setup is based on „Daves littles Beasties“ way to keep Psytalla horrida, you can look it up on YouTube. I have some cork barks covered with green moss, plain dirt as a substrate, leaf litter, a few plants which i can keep more dry, and a little box which always contains moist substrate. I water the moss from time to time, maybe every other week. Since then my bugs breed like crazy.

Had a lot more problems when i kept them completely dry, which led to no offspring whatsoever, and way more moist with a lot of plants, which led to the only mite infestation i ever had.
They are such messy eaters, and they cant suck feeders with a hard shell (e.g. dubias) completely empty, so the dead roaches are just a feast for mites. I also had springtails and white isopods in the enclosure, the mite infestation could still form.
Yes, you could try to remove every dead roach, but at that point you just destroy your whole enclosure + its a lot of work to search for 15+ dead roaches every few days.

Hope this helps!

Hey, thanks for this advise! I just watched the Dave's Little Beastie's video, and I think this weekend I will set up their enclosure based on his advise. Really eager to get these breeding, tried them once a couple years ago, and had no luck with babies. He mentioned in the video to use a small enclosure, you have any input on that? I was all set to put them in this 20 gallon I have, but wondering if I should reconsider.

 

[Kaqpewqt]

Hey, thanks for this advise! I just watched the Dave's Little Beastie's video, and I think this weekend I will set up their enclosure based on his advise. Really eager to get these breeding, tried them once a couple years ago, and had no luck with babies. He mentioned in the video to use a small enclosure, you have any input on that? I was all set to put them in this 20 gallon I have, but wondering if I should reconsider.

I keep my 5 adults in a 10 gallon enclosure I think. I guess it does not make that much of a difference, maybe it's a bit more work to catch the nymphs if you use a bigger enclosure as it has more hiding spaces, but besides that I cant think of a reason why it shouldnt work with a bigger one lol

 

[chanda]

That’s very helpful, thank you! The dermestid don’t eat the eggs? That’s my main concern with the clean up crew.

I'm not sure. They might eat some of the eggs, but the Platymeris reproduce qiuckly enough that I don't really notice much of a difference.

 

[Ajohnson5263]

I imagine snake plants would be great for a bioactive. They can thrive with little water and grow tall and flat with plenty of clinging space. Another really cool pant would be a flycatcher bush (R. gorgonias) but that might be too difficult to grow in an enclosure. The assassin bugs might get stuck to it as well.

 

[GL3NE]

Hey, thanks for this advise! I just watched the Dave's Little Beastie's video, and I think this weekend I will set up their enclosure based on his advise. Really eager to get these breeding, tried them once a couple years ago, and had no luck with babies. He mentioned in the video to use a small enclosure, you have any input on that? I was all set to put them in this 20 gallon I have, but wondering if I should reconsider.

Hi! Glad to see you are interested in keeping these cool bugs. I have learned a lot about P. bigattatus over the last year and am happy to share some knowledge with you.

I kept five adults in a large Kritter Keeper with a large piece of flat cork bark leaned against the side of the cage (the underside facing out so I could observe). On the other end of the terrarium, I placed a small plastic tub with a lid, with the front cut out and moist substrate maintained within. At night, the female(s) will actively search for the moist substrate and lay their eggs. Every day, I sifted the substrate from the tub and carefully transferred eggs to a separate "incubator" containing damp (not soaking wet) substrate. Eggs hatch after around 40-50 days if kept between 75-80 degrees, but I've had some hatch just within the last week from a batch of eggs that were laid in early October. I mist the incubator substrate 2-3 times per week until it is damp, making sure the eggs are no deeper than 1/2" from the surface, and the substrate (coco fiber) loosely packed. The single female from the group died, leaving only four males now. However, I have around 60+ healthy nymphs in separate containers.

I mist the adults' terrarium twice per week but keep the substrate bone dry. By partitioning moist substrate with a small container, you can isolate the eggs so they remain healthy and are easier to find and transfer. However, adults will lay eggs on anything that is damp, including tiny pools of water collected in the nooks of cork bark. A large Kritter Keeper with a single large hide is perfect for five adults if you want for them to reproduce. A large terrarium will complicate collecting/isolating eggs and ensuring the eggs remain healthy as a damp environment is ideal for eggs, but not for living specimens. Dry substrate is not only what the species prefers, but also prevents the proliferation of mites and mold, while moist substrate in a semi-enclosed "chamber" will provide an environment the eggs need to hatch. I keep terrarium at 80 degrees and around 45-50% humidity. I always keep a small water dish in the container as well just for good measure. Some claim that assassin bugs get all their water from food, but this is misinformation; assassin bugs need a water source for hydration, especially prior to a molt. Immature assassin bugs will fast prior to a molt (much like spiders) and it is imperative during this time that they are provided water. Otherwise, they can die during the molting process.

Nymphs will cannibalize at a much greater rate than their older counterparts. Some nymphs are hungrier sooner than others, with some individuals almost having a preference for their cage mates over prey items. I currently have another Kritter Keeper with various cork hides containing about 30 nymphs. I still find discarded nymph bodies from cannibals, despite dumping 15-20 fruit flies in two to three times per week. I also crush up crickets and leave them in various spots of the enclosure to allow nymphs to scavange (they will). Some nymphs are not very aggressive eaters some reason, seemingly refusing to eat. However nymphs also seem to like sticking around one spot, almost like a "territory." I have seen nymphs fight, almost like a boxing match.

I read through your post again and realized I almost missed the point, and almost forgot to mention: as others have said, these bugs are VERY messy eaters and prey item carcasses will pile up quickly. This is another reason to provide a dry enclosure as it will allow carcasses to dessicate once discarded by the insect, rather than rot. A bioactive enclosure for these bugs may actually create a problem that it intends to fix, unless you like the smell of dead crickets. However that doesn't mean you can't make a naturalistic enclosure for them. They love cork bark and fake plants, and the sky's the limit for decor as this species loves to hide.

 

[paumotu]

Isopods function as good cleaners, but larger ones will be preyed upon by the assassins. Dwarf whites would probably be a good CUC

 

[Tellorcha]

Hi! Glad to see you are interested in keeping these cool bugs. I have learned a lot about P. bigattatus over the last year and am happy to share some knowledge with you.

I kept five adults in a large Kritter Keeper with a large piece of flat cork bark leaned against the side of the cage (the underside facing out so I could observe). On the other end of the terrarium, I placed a small plastic tub with a lid, with the front cut out and moist substrate maintained within. At night, the female(s) will actively search for the moist substrate and lay their eggs. Every day, I sifted the substrate from the tub and carefully transferred eggs to a separate "incubator" containing damp (not soaking wet) substrate. Eggs hatch after around 40-50 days if kept between 75-80 degrees, but I've had some hatch just within the last week from a batch of eggs that were laid in early October. I mist the incubator substrate 2-3 times per week until it is damp, making sure the eggs are no deeper than 1/2" from the surface, and the substrate (coco fiber) loosely packed. The single female from the group died, leaving only four males now. However, I have around 60+ healthy nymphs in separate containers.

I mist the adults' terrarium twice per week but keep the substrate bone dry. By partitioning moist substrate with a small container, you can isolate the eggs so they remain healthy and are easier to find and transfer. However, adults will lay eggs on anything that is damp, including tiny pools of water collected in the nooks of cork bark. A large Kritter Keeper with a single large hide is perfect for five adults if you want for them to reproduce. A large terrarium will complicate collecting/isolating eggs and ensuring the eggs remain healthy as a damp environment is ideal for eggs, but not for living specimens. Dry substrate is not only what the species prefers, but also prevents the proliferation of mites and mold, while moist substrate in a semi-enclosed "chamber" will provide an environment the eggs need to hatch. I keep terrarium at 80 degrees and around 45-50% humidity. I always keep a small water dish in the container as well just for good measure. Some claim that assassin bugs get all their water from food, but this is misinformation; assassin bugs need a water source for hydration, especially prior to a molt. Immature assassin bugs will fast prior to a molt (much like spiders) and it is imperative during this time that they are provided water. Otherwise, they can die during the molting process.

Nymphs will cannibalize at a much greater rate than their older counterparts. Some nymphs are hungrier sooner than others, with some individuals almost having a preference for their cage mates over prey items. I currently have another Kritter Keeper with various cork hides containing about 30 nymphs. I still find discarded nymph bodies from cannibals, despite dumping 15-20 fruit flies in two to three times per week. I also crush up crickets and leave them in various spots of the enclosure to allow nymphs to scavange (they will). Some nymphs are not very aggressive eaters some reason, seemingly refusing to eat. However nymphs also seem to like sticking around one spot, almost like a "territory." I have seen nymphs fight, almost like a boxing match.

I read through your post again and realized I almost missed the point, and almost forgot to mention: as others have said, these bugs are VERY messy eaters and prey item carcasses will pile up quickly. This is another reason to provide a dry enclosure as it will allow carcasses to dessicate once discarded by the insect, rather than rot. A bioactive enclosure for these bugs may actually create a problem that it intends to fix, unless you like the smell of dead crickets. However that doesn't mean you can't make a naturalistic enclosure for them. They love cork bark and fake plants, and the sky's the limit for decor as this species loves to hide.

Hey, been a busy couple weeks, and I just now saw your post! Thank you soo much, this is all super helpful information. I have had them set up in a 5 gallon as I have 8-9 adults, though I don't know how many of each sex. I have it set up pretty much exactly how you suggested, small moist tub in the corner and otherwise bone dry peat/sand mix. Cork bark and wood to climb on. I have been sick since Christmas, so haven't sifted out any eggs yet, but will probably do it this weekend now that I'm feeling better. Should the eggs still be okay if they've been dry for a couple weeks? I'm hoping some are in the moist tub, but I have seen females laying eggs randomly around the dry substrate too. For such scary bugs, the egg laying is so goofy to watch.

Having read these posts I will probably not do a bioactive enclosure, especially as I can already tell I will have to do maintenance regularly regardless of bioactive, and I don't want to risk eggs being eaten by CUC. Also, yes, they definitely have a little stink to them, but they're so beautiful they're worth it!!

Have you ever seen them actually mating? I know statistically I probably have some males, but the last time I tried this species I only had three females and was still under the impression they may be parthenogenic. Man, I coddled sterile eggs for MONTHS wondering why they wouldn't hatch until I finally learned that the parthenogenic thing had been disproven. I was heartbroken. Wondering if you have any good suggestions for sexing them? I've tried looking underneath while they're in a clear container, but I just don't have a good eye for the difference.

 

[GL3NE]

Hey, been a busy couple weeks, and I just now saw your post! Thank you soo much, this is all super helpful information. I have had them set up in a 5 gallon as I have 8-9 adults, though I don't know how many of each sex. I have it set up pretty much exactly how you suggested, small moist tub in the corner and otherwise bone dry peat/sand mix. Cork bark and wood to climb on. I have been sick since Christmas, so haven't sifted out any eggs yet, but will probably do it this weekend now that I'm feeling better. Should the eggs still be okay if they've been dry for a couple weeks? I'm hoping some are in the moist tub, but I have seen females laying eggs randomly around the dry substrate too. For such scary bugs, the egg laying is so goofy to watch.

Having read these posts I will probably not do a bioactive enclosure, especially as I can already tell I will have to do maintenance regularly regardless of bioactive, and I don't want to risk eggs being eaten by CUC. Also, yes, they definitely have a little stink to them, but they're so beautiful they're worth it!!

Have you ever seen them actually mating? I know statistically I probably have some males, but the last time I tried this species I only had three females and was still under the impression they may be parthenogenic. Man, I coddled sterile eggs for MONTHS wondering why they wouldn't hatch until I finally learned that the parthenogenic thing had been disproven. I was heartbroken. Wondering if you have any good suggestions for sexing them? I've tried looking underneath while they're in a clear container, but I just don't have a good eye for the difference.

Hi, sorry for my also-delayed reply. I was on hiatus as I had to study for a certification exam. I've heard eggs can remain viable for quite some time after drying out, and can still hatch if they are hydrated, but I haven't tried. I had one nymph hatch out in the very dry container that the adults are kept in, but its egg must have been in a nook of some sort that I missed. Very often, almost on a nightly basis the females will seek out the tub (they seem to remember where it is) to lay eggs in it. I've heard that isopods will eat the eggs, which is why I avoided adding any clean up crew. I just tended to the enclosure today (all the adults and nymphs are together now) and it was quite a bit of work. I have probably 20-25 nypmhs and four adults, and they leave a TON of dead cricket husks behind. However the container being bone dry significantly reduces the stank. I mist 2-3 times per week to ensure all the individuals are able to stay hydrated. I go through small crickets like crazy.

Eggs must stay moist and the majority of mine hatched out when they were kept in moist coco fiber in a container with a lid. Check them every day for mold - I had mold in mine once, but I caught it early and removed it, and it never came back.

I have not attempted to sex this species, but I followed the "jockey cup" (bulbed abdominal end segment) ideology while casually observing them. I thought I only had one female, but I must have been wrong because I recently have caught them getting freaky a couple times. Yes, they will mate a lot. Every once in a while I will peek in there and catch them doing it. The males will stridulate while mating/chasing down females, and it is appreciably noticeable. They make the sound by rubbing their rostrum on the underside of their thorax. It's wild. Almost nightly, I will hear a buzz come from the container - I know this isn't an attempt to fly, but I'm still curious as to why they do this.

I recently acquired six P. Horrida and will be raising them in a similar manner. I have backed off on expanding the P. Bigattatus colony as I don't have the space for both right now, so the egg laying chamber is removed and the entire container is just bone-dry coco fiber with some cork pieces stacked up.

Also, know that there is mortality associated with nypmhs of these assassin bug species. They sometimes will just drop dead for seemingly no reason. I've had perfectly well fed, active L2-L3 nymphs just kick the bucket out of nowhere (one that were housed and fed identically to others in individual containers). Also molting is a very crucial process, and even healthy nypmhs can fail to shed properly for various reasons. If they fall from where they are perched during the molting process, they sometimes need help with extraction. I have done this very carefully with tweezers, with various success, but only after I determined the nymph would not survive on its own. When I purchased a group of sub-adults, one started shedding in its original container before I had a chance to rehouse it into a proper set up, so it started shedding on the substrate. I had to extract it from its shed because it was partially stuck. The extraction, although very carefully done, screwed up a few of its legs. Despite the disability, it's still alive and kicking, but it needs help catching crickets sometimes.

 

[me and my Ts]

I’m getting 20 of them on Wednesday and I plan on keeping them bioactive, they come from a tropical place so I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to keep them that way

 

[Tellorcha]

Hi, sorry for my also-delayed reply. I was on hiatus as I had to study for a certification exam. I've heard eggs can remain viable for quite some time after drying out, and can still hatch if they are hydrated, but I haven't tried. I had one nymph hatch out in the very dry container that the adults are kept in, but its egg must have been in a nook of some sort that I missed. Very often, almost on a nightly basis the females will seek out the tub (they seem to remember where it is) to lay eggs in it. I've heard that isopods will eat the eggs, which is why I avoided adding any clean up crew. I just tended to the enclosure today (all the adults and nymphs are together now) and it was quite a bit of work. I have probably 20-25 nypmhs and four adults, and they leave a TON of dead cricket husks behind. However the container being bone dry significantly reduces the stank. I mist 2-3 times per week to ensure all the individuals are able to stay hydrated. I go through small crickets like crazy.

Eggs must stay moist and the majority of mine hatched out when they were kept in moist coco fiber in a container with a lid. Check them every day for mold - I had mold in mine once, but I caught it early and removed it, and it never came back.

I have not attempted to sex this species, but I followed the "jockey cup" (bulbed abdominal end segment) ideology while casually observing them. I thought I only had one female, but I must have been wrong because I recently have caught them getting freaky a couple times. Yes, they will mate a lot. Every once in a while I will peek in there and catch them doing it. The males will stridulate while mating/chasing down females, and it is appreciably noticeable. They make the sound by rubbing their rostrum on the underside of their thorax. It's wild. Almost nightly, I will hear a buzz come from the container - I know this isn't an attempt to fly, but I'm still curious as to why they do this.

I recently acquired six P. Horrida and will be raising them in a similar manner. I have backed off on expanding the P. Bigattatus colony as I don't have the space for both right now, so the egg laying chamber is removed and the entire container is just bone-dry coco fiber with some cork pieces stacked up.

Also, know that there is mortality associated with nypmhs of these assassin bug species. They sometimes will just drop dead for seemingly no reason. I've had perfectly well fed, active L2-L3 nymphs just kick the bucket out of nowhere (one that were housed and fed identically to others in individual containers). Also molting is a very crucial process, and even healthy nypmhs can fail to shed properly for various reasons. If they fall from where they are perched during the molting process, they sometimes need help with extraction. I have done this very carefully with tweezers, with various success, but only after I determined the nymph would not survive on its own. When I purchased a group of sub-adults, one started shedding in its original container before I had a chance to rehouse it into a proper set up, so it started shedding on the substrate. I had to extract it from its shed because it was partially stuck. The extraction, although very carefully done, screwed up a few of its legs. Despite the disability, it's still alive and kicking, but it needs help catching crickets sometimes.

Wow this is so much awesome information, and good luck in your certification! I just sifted my first batch of eggs over a week ago and have them in a deli cup with moist cocofiber. SO. MANY. EGGS. Holy crap, I just kept finding more for like 45 minutes. I am a little worried because there is some slight mold in the egg container, but most eggs do not seem effected. It is thin, stringy mold and also some weird blobby yellow mold that has covered a few eggs completely but seems to be leaving all the others alone. I am worried I should have extracted it sooner because it'd be hard to remove at this point. I have also heard isopods could eat the eggs, but I put a bunch of springtails in with the eggs a few days ago to fight to mold and I'm hoping that will do the trick. Looks a little better today, but the springs are still establishing.

I have not seen the mating because the cork bark I have in there is curved in a way they can all hide under it pretty well most of the time, but I have heard the weird wing buzzing, so hopefully they are mating. Lots of eggs, but have to wait to see if they hatch out! I am finding it very odd that they have not laid any eggs at all in the moist deli cup I've left in their enclosure. All the substrate is bone dry, but they laid eggs all over in there. Not one egg in the deli cup with moist coco fiber. No clue what the deal is there.

Good luck with your P. horrida! They are a dream species for me, but when I tried them a few years ago every nymph I had died. I actually posted about it on here. There is no obvious reason that it happened, and I was so dissapointed. I plan to try them again once I prove to myself I can succeed with the P. biguttatus. Let me know if you end up with way too many nymphs to handle, I'd happily take some off your hands! Hahaha!

 

[Tellorcha]

I’m getting 20 of them on Wednesday and I plan on keeping them bioactive, they come from a tropical place so I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to keep them that way

Good luck! I would love to hear how this goes for you.

 

[me and my Ts]

Good luck! I would love to hear how this goes for you.

I’ll message you!

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Platymeris are not found in moist tropical areas, if you look at locations and photos of them taken in the wild you'll see that they live in rather dry, even arid habitats.

Another fun fact: the eggs will not hatch if they're kept dry, but they do survive getting dried out and even when they appear shriveled out and desiccated they will return to their original plumpness and eventually hatch if placed in moist substrate.

Keeping the entire enclosure moist enough for eggs to hatch can work, but it works just as well to give them a small dish of moist substrate to lay eggs in, and then if you want other eggs that weren't laid there to hatch you can gather the rest and move them to moist substrate. I recommend keeping eggs well ventilated and only moistening them intermittenrly instead of keeping them constantly moist to minimize mold growth.

 

[Tellorcha]

Platymeris are not found in moist tropical areas, if you look at locations and photos of them taken in the wild you'll see that they live in rather dry, even arid habitats.

Another fun fact: the eggs will not hatch if they're kept dry, but they do survive getting dried out and even when they appear shriveled out and desiccated they will return to their original plumpness and eventually hatch if placed in moist substrate.

Keeping the entire enclosure moist enough for eggs to hatch can work, but it works just as well to give them a small dish of moist substrate to lay eggs in, and then if you want other eggs that weren't laid there to hatch you can gather the rest and move them to moist substrate. I recommend keeping eggs well ventilated and only moistening them intermittenrly instead of keeping them constantly moist to minimize mold growth.

Thank you, this is all helpful! I was looking on iNaturalist trying to determine if their environments looked arid haha, but I believe you. Thanks for the advise on eggs, have my first batch in a moist deli cup now.. Already some mold, but hopefully not enough to kill them all. Has me so worried!

 

[me and my Ts]

Platymeris are not found in moist tropical areas, if you look at locations and photos of them taken in the wild you'll see that they live in rather dry, even arid habitats.

Another fun fact: the eggs will not hatch if they're kept dry, but they do survive getting dried out and even when they appear shriveled out and desiccated they will return to their original plumpness and eventually hatch if placed in moist substrate.

Keeping the entire enclosure moist enough for eggs to hatch can work, but it works just as well to give them a small dish of moist substrate to lay eggs in, and then if you want other eggs that weren't laid there to hatch you can gather the rest and move them to moist substrate. I recommend keeping eggs well ventilated and only moistening them intermittenrly instead of keeping them constantly moist to minimize mold growth.

Awesome thanks, I’ll keep this in mind, the back of the enclosure where they live is mostly dry so that when they discard the husk it’ll be easier to clean and not have a lot of mites