Enough to have a successful Dubia colony

MHannaman · Feb 22, 2015

So I have finally decided to take the plunge and attempt to breed my own Dubia's. I actually thought I could afford just buying them when needed. HA! yeah right lol. My current setup is a 20 gallon tank, a 100 watt CHE and 5 egg flats. I ordered a large colony starter kit from Dubi deli and it consists of:
16 egg flats, 2lbs roach chow, 4oz water crystals, 10 adult males, 10 adult females, 92 1.5", 147 .75", and 214 3/8". I also ordered additional nymphs, which are stated below:
214-3/8, 278-5/8, 147-3/4, 5-Adult males, and 20-adult females. Will this work and about how soon can I start feeding them off and have a thriving colony?

CooperDragon · Feb 23, 2015

That sounds like quite a large colony to start with. I would still give them a month or two at least to get established and get a generation or two in - just keep them fed and let them do their thing. I started mine with a 500 bug mixed set back in September and they are thriving now. I haven't been feeding them off. The more you start with, and having adults, will make the colony ready that much faster.

MHannaman · Feb 24, 2015

So what you're saying saying is I've got more than enough hahaha. Go big or go home!

CooperDragon · Feb 24, 2015

Lol yeah I guess so =)

MHannaman · Feb 24, 2015

I appreciate the help! And I can't wait until I actually get this colony going. Just the thought of not having to buy feeders regularly is exciting/relieving

CooperDragon · Feb 24, 2015

They are SO much easier to take care of than crickets too. If only I could get Dundee to eat them ;-)

MHannaman · Feb 24, 2015

Yeah, I messed with crickets for about 3 seconds. Never again. And I don't think I've ever heard of a bearded turning down a roach?!? Lol... Maarku goes nutty over them. You should see the stink eye he gives me when I put in phoenix worms rather than roaches. If looks could kill.

CooperDragon · Feb 24, 2015

The little guys can really stare you down when you get out of line can't they? Dundee is sick and gets syringe fed mostly. I can get him to eat worms sometimes but the roaches are too fast for him at the moment. They'll be ready and waiting when he gets his appetite back.

MHannaman · Feb 24, 2015

I'm sorry to hear that! I'm sure he'll be back and ready to go in no time though!

MHannaman · Mar 4, 2015

Cooper, what's your humidity at in your roach colony? I can't get mine any higher than 34% (right now it's at 27% -_-) and I feel that's a little to dry. I have put in a mason jar with water and let it sit all night and all day today while I was at work and no luck. I know I can mist the egg cartons, but I'm nervous to do that. Any tips?

CooperDragon · Mar 4, 2015

I don't monitor the humidity. The tank is in my basement where it's pretty dry during the winter. I'd guess maybe in the 20-25% range but that's just a guess. I have a heat pad under the tank to keep the temps up to the high 70s/low 80s and provide fresh greens daily. I don't provide any other moisture. It may not be ideal but they seem to be handling the winter pretty well without much intervention from me. They are breeding, active, and healthy looking.

MHannaman · Mar 4, 2015

I'm only concerned because it seems like I have a few dead nymphs every time I check/add food and water gels. Hmm.. maybe I'll just wait it out and see what happens. Thanks!

CooperDragon · Mar 4, 2015

The dead nymphs may indicate a problem with the setup somewhere. I'm not sure what to do about it though as I haven't had any dieoffs yet. Perhaps someone with more experience raising roaches can chime in with some help on that.

MHannaman · Mar 4, 2015

Fingers crossed lol. I'd hate to invest the time and money for it to go down the drain.

CooperDragon · Mar 4, 2015

What temperature is your enclosure? My gut would be to check the temps and make sure it's warm enough then clean the enclosure out fairly well and provide some fresh food for them. Not sure if that's right but that's what I'd do if I ran into that.

Enough to have a successful Dubia colony

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