About to buy a dozen orchid nymphs. What equipment do I need for them?
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MantisMart
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If you are new to keeping orchids or mantids in general please dont start with a large breeding group. Orchids by themselves can be challenging without experience.
I wrap a heat rope around a big bin and put the females' cups into said bin
I feed them several times a week, many many flies, and the males stay about 10 degrees cooler and are fed a fly a week
usually they molt within 2 weeks of each other (i have an adult male who is 2 weeks old, 3 fresh adult females, and a few sub males with swelling wing buds)
the other thing you will want to do is buy about 10 i2/3 nymphs and then in about 3 weeks buy 10 more i2/3 nymphs to really stagger your development
females from the later batch can be paired to males from ooths produced by older females ideally
I feed them several times a week, many many flies, and the males stay about 10 degrees cooler and are fed a fly a week
usually they molt within 2 weeks of each other (i have an adult male who is 2 weeks old, 3 fresh adult females, and a few sub males with swelling wing buds)
the other thing you will want to do is buy about 10 i2/3 nymphs and then in about 3 weeks buy 10 more i2/3 nymphs to really stagger your development
females from the later batch can be paired to males from ooths produced by older females ideally
being new to orchids is precisely why i am starting with a large group
and asking for help herei began keeping mantises a few months ago. got 1 paradoxa left from my initial purchase of 15. got 2 ooth hatches of elmantis, i think half of them drowned or starved so far, we'll see if usps gets me my fly culture or if its gonna be DOA (again) lol
any idea what your power consumption is from this? i'm looking to do this as economically as possible.
wouldnt simply staggering development be sufficient? i'm already spending quite a bit amount of money on this.
MantisMart
Well-known member
With all due respect, if you are already struggling with ghosts and elmantis you shouldn't be trying orchids until you get those right first. These are living creatures and its putting them at risk.
how on earth do you lose 14 of 15 Phyllocrania? also, what * are you doing to accidentally * drown or starve (not going to even ask how you can't * tell the difference between something * drowning and something * starving?) an African ground mantis species?being new to orchids is precisely why i am starting with a large group
i began keeping mantises a few months ago. got 1 paradoxa left from my initial purchase of 15. got 2 ooth hatches of elmantis, i think half of them drowned or starved so far, we'll see if usps gets me my fly culture or if its gonna be DOA (again) lol
any idea what your power consumption is from this? i'm looking to do this as economically as possible.
wouldnt simply staggering development be sufficient? i'm already spending quite a bit amount of money on this.
Why * are you buying * fruitfly cultures AFTER your stuff has hatched and not starting a rotation of cultures?
the * denotes where I would insert the f word but that isn't allowed here
the heat rope isn't high power, they make wattage ratings on these things...
I am suggesting you hedge your bets by A: chilling males and heating females and B: having differently aged groups because guess * what? Sh!t will hit the fan
also I am alarmed about your attitude towards this project. if you're not willing to go all-out for it you really shouldn't be doing it
I'm not trying to come across as crass (and I think we need to make these activities more accessible to everyone) but at a certain point we can't have people who half-heartedly attempt something that has been proven to be a challenge
Staggering development really is a chance, that the males will make it till they are adult and that is why he said to get another batch. Experienced breeders have trouble breeding orchids and I don't think new owners realize the work and care involved. Also are you into to this just to sell? There are a lot of orchids on the market today and you really won't make much money off of them when you figure feeders and heat cost and distilled water. along with proper containers for their growth.
I'm starting to see why we charge for some of these things
I'm not hurting for money and so it makes no difference to me if i get anything back from breeding these insects
but sh!t like this makes me realize that someone is going to take better care of an animal they paid for than something they get for free (on average)
it's one thing to buy a Hymenopus nymph or 2 for rearing purposes but if you want to breed them you really shouldn't be playing the "how many corners can I get away with cutting" game
and I'm sorry if I sound a bit harsh or irritable here, all week it has felt like my efforts to do right by people I don't even know (just for the sake of being a decent human being) have been in vain
had 11 remaining on delivery. the rest died im guessing from exposure to mold because i didn't ventilate their containers, and from ants that i tried to feed them.
elmantis hatched from an ooth into a container with a pool of water at the bottom. some drowned. i learned to use substrate and cut a drain hole.
some (probably) starved because i dont have small enough things to feed them. the few i have remaining will probably starve also.
i didnt. i've bought excelsior, containers, rapashy, and fly cultures before my first shipment of paradoxa arrived. the fly culture was DOA. i bought a second one. it was also doa.
why
Jesus Christ you don't get it
why do you have mold anywhere near arboreal insects? I really wish people who have never reared something before would at least look at someone else's setup before getting the animal
You really should have a steady supply of food before even buying the animal
I really get mad when people are wreckless and innocent animals suffer because of it
as for your attitude towards the project, if you're not going to go all-out and follow the advice of people who actually get this species to pair, you're just setting yourself up for failure
i did not say you haven't followed advice I said if you DON'T follow the advice you might as well not bother
Perhaps you should consider another group of ghosts just to get a little more experience before moving to orchids. P. paradoxa temperature & humidity requirements are so much easier to maintain... you may not need any additional heating. It will also give you a while to do additional research and gather all of the equipment/supplies you will need. 
It's also very important that you build a network of fellow keepers. Not only to learn from but also to increase your chances of finding homes for the offspring. The last thing you want is a boat load of nymphs and no way to move them. Otherwise, you'll run the chance of turning your hobby into a daily chore that you might dread. If that happens it can suck all of the joy out of the hobby for you.
Whatever you choose to do, I wish you good luck.
It's also very important that you build a network of fellow keepers. Not only to learn from but also to increase your chances of finding homes for the offspring. The last thing you want is a boat load of nymphs and no way to move them. Otherwise, you'll run the chance of turning your hobby into a daily chore that you might dread. If that happens it can suck all of the joy out of the hobby for you.
Whatever you choose to do, I wish you good luck.
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yes...
I also forgot to mention: your question about power consumption is a bit of a mute point because the cost (in money) of the power usage is going to depend on where you live. in Fort Collins, utilities are expensive
but yes let me get a reading on my house's power meter before and after unplugging that heat rope so I can determine what it is doing
being new to orchids is precisely why i am starting with a large group
i began keeping mantises a few months ago. got 1 paradoxa left from my initial purchase of 15. got 2 ooth hatches of elmantis, i think half of them drowned or starved so far, we'll see if usps gets me my fly culture or if its gonna be DOA (again) lol
any idea what your power consumption is from this? i'm looking to do this as economically as possible.
wouldnt simply staggering development be sufficient? i'm already spending quite a bit amount of money on this.
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Find the wattage of the heat source (cable, bulb, whatever) you will be using.
Multiply wattage by hours used each day.
Divide the result by 1,000.
Multiply by the number of days you're measuring.
Multiply by the amount your power company charges you per kWh... the amount will be listed on your electric bill or you can find it on their website.
may I also add that if you're so strapped for cash you have to worry about how much a heat cable will cost to run, how in tf will you buy enough food and such to maintain the kids?
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