what steps do i take?

[mantis777]

ok I read all the talk on this site but still not sure what to do.. I have 2 oothecas 4 weeks old and have them in a tank..

what do i need in the tank before they hatch ?

can I leave the oothecas at the bottom of the tank to hatch ?

and when can i seperate them? I want to keep one or two and let the rest go outside!

someone with knowledge please help !!

p.s. mama mantis died last nite !!

 

[Rib]

its far better to attach the ooth to the top of the tank to make it easier for the mantids to hatch out as far as i remember. You need ot make sure you have some food ready, a fly culture is most popular. There are many sites you can order them from

 

[hortus]

its too late you shoulda ordered some fly cultures before the oothcas im in the prossess of learning this the hard way. thankfully chinese will eat each other. soon ill be down to a reasonable number and i can seaperate them. its bought me time. i now cave a culture full of pupae and soon ill have flies. i also have another culture on order

 

[Rick]

Order flies now. Could still be awhile before they hatch. You need to affix the ooths to the top of the cage. Also it's to late in the year to release any outside. They die when it gets cold.

 

[mantis777]

thanks for all the replies.. so how exactly am i suppose to afix them to the aquarium ??

 

[mantis777]

Cant I just buy friut flies from my pet store for this ?

 

[ibanez_freak]

Use a thread and a needle and pierce the top where there aren't any eggs and then attach string to roof. Particularily easy if the roof is mesh.

Cheers, Cameron.

 

[Ian]

that is pretty much the best method of incubation. I just sting mine up in small tubs, and then when I get a hatch, just open iup the tub in a large net. Easy as pie

Cheers,

Ian

 

[hortus]

i string mine up in the top of a 10 gallon tank and raise them in there for a while till the weak ones die off then i seperate them.

keep in mind you will take some loses

if you have fruit flies local that might work but most of us dont so we have to raise cultures before hand

 

[Rick]

I use thread, safety pins etc to affix them to the lid. Make sure you pierce only the foam. I usually hatch them in a large tank or net cage and just leave them al in there until about L3 or longer. I mist the nymphs every day and dump flies in there every few days.

 

[Tapos]

if you order more than one fly culture and get extra media, you can then have fly cultures at different stages and never run out again.

 

[robo mantis]

you can buy fruit flies at pet shops like Petco,Petsmart any pet shop should have them i buy mine at the store not internet.

 

[hortus]

yeah my local pet store sucks and doesnt carry them

 

[Rick]

you can buy fruit flies at pet shops like Petco,Petsmart any pet shop should have them i buy mine at the store not internet.

Thats not always true. None of those stores carry them around here.

 

[mantis777]

so how long aprox does it take beforre they reach L3 ?? weeks ??