For the dubia know it alls!

[icelore]

I currently used the miracle grow water crystals cuz they were recommended by a breeder and so far they work really well. Just as well as regular water crystals in my opinion. I don't see any noticeable difference between the miracle grow and insect water crystals other than its much cheaper

This is awesome info! I have lots of veggie scraps right now cause it's summer, but with 3000+ roaches, in the winter I"m going to need an alternative water source and was thinking about trying these.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

I have been a breeder for sometime. I do not recommend the miracle grow as it contains chemicals. There are better alternatives then using that. Again whatever works for you but I don't. As I have said in the past what you feed your feeders you feed to your beardie.

 

[hiTimothy]

I have been a breeder for sometime. I do not recommend the miracle grow as it contains chemicals. There are better alternatives then using that. Again whatever works for you but I don't. As I have said in the past what you feed your feeders you feed to your beardie.

The only ingredient in the miracle-gro water crystals is polyacrylamide, and it is non toxic

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Concerns have been raised that polyacrylamide used in agriculture may contaminate food with the nerve toxin acrylamide. While polyacrylamide itself is relatively non-toxic, it is known that commercially available polyacrylamide contains minute residual amounts of acrylamide remaining from its production, usually less than 0.05% w/w.[3]

Additionally, there are concerns that polyacrylamide may de-polymerise to form acrylamide. In a study conducted in 2003 at the Central Science Laboratory in Sand Hutton, England, polyacrylamide was treated similarly as food during cooking. It was shown that these conditions do not cause polyacrylamide to de-polymerise significantly.[4] California requires (current as of 2010) products containing acrylamide as an ingredient to be labeled with a statement that it is "a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer."

In a study conducted in 1997 at Kansas State University, the effect of environmental conditions on polyacrylamide were tested, and it was shown that degradation of polyacrylamide under certain conditions does in fact cause the release of acrylamide.[5] The experimental design of this study as well as its results and their interpretation have been questioned,[6][7] and a 1999 study by the Nalco Chemical Company did not replicate the results.

Acrylamide (or acrylic amide) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula C3H5NO. Its IUPAC name is prop-2-enamide. It is a white odourless crystalline solid, soluble in water, ethanol, ether, and chloroform. Acrylamide decomposes in the presence of acids, bases, oxidizing agents, iron, and iron salts. It decomposes non-thermally to form ammonia, and thermal decomposition produces carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxides of nitrogen.

Acrylamide is prepared on an industrial scale by the hydrolysis of acrylonitrile by nitrile hydratase.

Most acrylamide is used to synthesize polyacrylamides, which find many uses as water-soluble thickeners. These include use in wastewater treatment, gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), papermaking, ore processing, and the manufacture of permanent press fabrics. Some acrylamide is used in the manufacture of dyes and the manufacture of other monomers.

Acrylamide is a known lethal neurotoxin (median lethal dose in rabbit = 150 mg/kg) and animal carcinogen. Its discovery in some cooked starchy foods in 2002 prompted concerns about the carcinogenicity of those foods. Off of wikipedia.

 

[Sauzo]

So in other words, water crystals overall are maybe bad? I haven't seen any that aren't made of polyacrylamide. What else is there to use other than wet paper towels or just loading them with veggies and no standing water dish.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

The ones I get are made from rice and wheat. It is a local guy here that sells them.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

So in other words, water crystals overall are maybe bad? I haven't seen any that aren't made of polyacrylamide. What else is there to use other than wet paper towels or just loading them with veggies and no standing water dish.

Also water pillows work well.

 

[hiTimothy]

Thanks for the knowledge, I didn't know that about how it could be harmful.
I just went off of what others have told me and never really did in depth research on this ingredient

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Thanks for the knowledge, I didn't know that about how it could be harmful.
I just went off of what others have told me and never really did in depth research on this ingredient

Hi Timothy, it is all good. That is why we are all here to learn from one another.

 

[Baldwin]

I was just adding a jar full of water with a screened lid to my colony to generate more humidity and while shuffling things around I came across this freshly molted nymph.



So, I guess I'm doing ok as I see many adults and small nymphs.

Oh, they really like apples, carrots and oranges over the leafy greens. Bananas are well liked, but I hat the gnats that are always associated with bananas.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

That is a very nice molt.

 

[Sauzo]

Nice, I might have to give those water pillows a try. Just picked up 54 freshly molted adult females for $40 from a local guy by my house here who has a huge colony so i'm pretty happy. Now i'm up about 140 females so now I just gotta wait for "critical mass"!! :lol:

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Nice, I might have to give those water pillows a try. Just picked up 54 freshly molted adult females for $40 from a local guy by my house here who has a huge colony so i'm pretty happy. Now i'm up about 140 females so now I just gotta wait for "critical mass"!! :lol:

Your going to be flowing with roaches soon. :wink:

 

[Claudiusx]

Your going to be flowing with roaches soon. :wink:

Only on BD.Org is this a good thing.

-Brandon

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Your going to be flowing with roaches soon. :wink:

Only on BD.Org is this a good thing.

-Brandon

:laughhard: So true!