sarah1234 Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Hi guys, Today i went about setting up my first dubia roach breeding colony. After seeing the live food breeding facility at xian leng arowana farm in Malaysia, and how important they consider roaches in their feeding regime, i knew i had to make one of my own. If you didn't know, i LOVE feeding live food to my fish. nothing makes a predatorial fish happier or healthier than live food. Course it's not financially possible for most to feed only on live food, and pellets do have their value aswell. I do it more for the pleasure of the fish than anything else. What you will need: 1x large plastic container/bin with tight fitting lid 1 (or more)x healthy container of roaches from your local petshop Many cardboard egg containers Scizzors Dog/cat/fish food 1x grinder or similar Potatoes, carrots or similar container lids or similar for food dishes I went and got myself a cheap plastic container from Sam's warehouse thisafternoon. was about $9 for the one i got. Ideally I would have preferred one that wasn't clear but I have just covered the bin with a towel so it stays dark. While I was out I purchased two containers of roaches from my local petshop (pet centre west burleigh). I made sure to select the containers with the largest/healthiest/most roaches inside. You don't want to start out with unhealthy stock. And some crickets cause my fish like them but they are quite dirty to keep myself. Next I cut up a number of egg cartons and stacked them in there so the roaches have lots of places to hide. I had tonnes lying around anyway. (Cats starting to get interested) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah1234 Posted May 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 I also used packing tape to line the top of the bin. I heard that they struggle to climb on this so i thought what the heck why not. I then ground up some dog and cat food till it became a powdery consistency. Some potatoe slices for moisture What tutorial wouldn't be complete without power tools? I used my dads drill (ask permission first kiddies) to make air holes in the top of the bin. these were very small holes as you don't want the babies escaping. I also gave some of this food to my giant mealworm beetle colony. I keep these guys as pets moreso than food. they dont seem to want to breed in crushed weetbix but i found that other substrates contained mites which have killed my prior colonies. can anyone recommend what to use for these guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah1234 Posted May 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 I then put the food into the bin, took the bin into my room (parents aren't keen on these little guys) and released them. they are pretty cool. For now I will just let the colony establish and not feed any. When it is large enough for me to harvest I will try to keep to males as females are much more valuable in your breeding programme. these roaches have very little smell and are really nothing like the roaches we have in aus. cockroaches in general are relatively clean especially in a setting like this. And fish love them! Just replace your wet and dry food as often as you can, ensuring that no mould whatsoever forms as this is a massive killer for your colony. I'm keeping this container on top of my heated 8x3x2 so it will stay warm through winter, so try to keep them in a warm place or purchase a heater for them. Hope you all liked this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK_10 Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 very nice thanks for the info i might invest in starting one up myself as im sure my jag would love these haha ill have to look at this again once my 6ft is up and running Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah1234 Posted May 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 I think your jag would go nuts for these. It's a very small investment for such a large future gain too. Cost me about $30 all up but could easy be done for under $20. most of it people have lying around the house anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackayman Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Good job Sarah, I don't have ta bother, I got Cockys every where, free. The wife wants to get the house sprayed, but i'm to scared what'll happen to my tank. Guess we'll have ta meet in the middle, somehow. But yeah, good idea, never thought about feeding cockys to da fish. Brendan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floppingflamingos Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Fantastic post. Do you know if roaches have a higher nutritional value than say Earthworms or Mealworms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah1234 Posted May 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Thanks Mackayman, when i told my mum i was going to breed roaches she went on a rant on why i dont just stay up at night and catch the ones we have here! I'd never let anyone spray near my fish, your right with that. I'd rather live with bugs than kill ma fish. dubia roaches are very very different to australian roaches though. smaller and rounder, as well as not being able to fly. I happily held them without being scared of em like i would with wild roaches. Floppy i'm not sure with that one. Be good to have a look. I do know xian leng feeds their brooders primarily on roaches and they are a major arowana farm. Let us know if you find any info on the nutritional value. I'm trying to breed giant mealworms also but have just got slack with finding the right substrate. I think they need something softer to lay in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raycam01_au Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 tis a good idea to feed yor feeders a nice beefed up feed also live food rocks, so little work for so much gain and i am a NSW SUPPORTER, out comes the BLUES BEANIE,,,,,, gotta love Cockroaches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trofius Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 mealworms, layer your container with alternate layers of newspaper and bran, a few inches thick. moisten slightly, add a small amount of vegy scrapes when they have finished the last lot. we had a mealworm colony going for nearly 2 years before it became overun with damm fruitflies..yuk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah1234 Posted May 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Thanks Trofius! I will go look for a new container to do that in soon. Is the newspaper shredded or just normal? I'd love to get a big colony going. Did you get a good supply of worms from yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve6610 Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 i bred heaps for my dragons, if you have trouble with them getting out use vasoline or you can buy this from the herp shop "Fluon ADI" its not cheap, but will last you years, about $30.00, you paint it around the top and only need to re-paint it when it gets rubbed off, can last for months, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackayman Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Sorry ta jump in on ya post here Sarah, but do you or anyone else know if the common ole aussie roach has the same nutritional value / safe to eat as the dubia species. ? Brendan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raycam01_au Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 (edited) hey brendan, most breeders actually feed their feeders high nutritional n protein packed food to boost the roaches and insects they feed, i have read, the roaches body is similar to shrimp, not sure i cut n paste this response from another forum A roach's nutritional value is likely to depend on which species and what they've been eating. I and many other chameleon keepers use the Blaptica dubia, also known as "orange spotted roach" or " Guyana spotted cockroach". They are easy to raise and can be gutloaded with many different food sources leaving them fairly high in nutritional value. You'll want to use more than one feeder to add additional nutritional variety to their diet. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=R7eVRP08kasC&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=cockroach+nutritional+value&source=bl&ots=8Z9z9qHTsD&sig=Ms0OhzSZW6KGMYI2C283X0RwLhs&hl=en&ei=cszYTYzGBsPo0QGJ7On8Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CHUQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=cockroach%20nutritional%20value&f=false lots to read page 80-81 i fink was a good one Edited May 22, 2011 by raycam01_au cause i felt like it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackayman Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Thanks raycam. My my my, That is some hardcore reading, . Reckon i'll chuck one in as a guinea pig an see how it goes, :confused: Brendan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah1234 Posted May 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Look up DIY 'gutload' tutorials on youtube, I remember watching one that showed how to make your own feed to fill them full of max nutrition. I wonder if we could come up with one that suited fish more than reptiles? What's nutritionally good for fish that cockroaches, crickets and mealworm beetles would eat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trofius Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 entire peices of paper , layed flat alt layers with a small amount of bran... we had our to feed a pet frog, and many birds, so once its going maybe 20-30 worms a day, it was a biggish container 50 x 40 x 40cm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shon982 Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 After seeing the live food breeding facility at xian leng arowana farm in Malaysia, and how important they considerroaches in their feeding regime, i knew i had to make one of my own 8x3x2, perfect for arowana Breeding roaches since they're considered perfect food for arowanas Coincidence? I don't think so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah1234 Posted May 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 Haha i wish. maybe i have a little less expensive variety on the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 lol aint no big secret now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
