# Giant Water Bugs



## PhilK (Sep 1, 2008)

Have become interested in these and am looking for a pair of them to keep in captivity. Also would like to keep Water Scorpions and Diving Beetles.

Does anybody have any experience with keeping aquatic insects?


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## imalizard (Sep 1, 2008)

I used to catch water bugs in our pond and put them in a tank.

If you do get some all i did was sand, rocks and some plants. I feed them wrigglers and live blood worms. I didnt have a filter because I was worried that their babys will get sucked up, all i did was 25% water change every 2 weeks. I did have an air pump but i dont know if they really need it.

I find them to be quite boring but you might find them to be interesting.


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## Sdaji (Sep 1, 2008)

There are lots of things called 'giant water bugs' and 'water scorpions'. I've kept the great big aquatic green beetles (which are beetles, not bugs, although this might be what you mean when you say 'diving beetles') and the things usually called 'water scorpions' (which are bugs, not scorpions). I caught my own and wouldn't know of any better way to get them. They're predatory, I used to feed them other aquatic insects, small freshwater shrimp and Gambusia.

There are many types of aquatic beetles, the most common largish black ones are lots of fun! As larvae they are very fierce little predators and eat just about anything which moves. I used to feed them the same sorts of things as above, and when I kept them when I was too old to bother running around catching them food I fed them woodies. It's a little tricky getting them to complete their life cycle as they have a non-aquatic pupal stage.


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## PhilK (Sep 1, 2008)

Sdaji said:


> There are lots of things called 'giant water bugs' and 'water scorpions'. I've kept the great big aquatic green beetles (which are beetles, not bugs, although this might be what you mean when you say 'diving beetles') and the things usually called 'water scorpions' (which are bugs, not scorpions). I caught my own and wouldn't know of any better way to get them. They're predatory, I used to feed them other aquatic insects, small freshwater shrimp and Gambusia.
> 
> There are many types of aquatic beetles, the most common largish black ones are lots of fun! As larvae they are very fierce little predators and eat just about anything which moves. I used to feed them the same sorts of things as above, and when I kept them when I was too old to bother running around catching them food I fed them woodies. It's a little tricky getting them to complete their life cycle as they have a non-aquatic pupal stage.



Cheers for the reply Sadji. The diving beetles I refer to are indeed those ferocious ones, that look just like beetles but are strong swimmers with ferocious larvae - not sure on their binomial name. The giant water bugs I refer to are Lethocerus insulanus. The water scorpions are smaller with the long siphon from their abdomen.


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## Sdaji (Sep 1, 2008)

I've never kept Lethocerus insulanus or any of that group, but I imagine they'd be very cool.

The water beetles I used to keep were Cybister tripunctatus (I just looked it up). There is another species which is more cool which I only kept once and have rarely seen. It is much larger and bright green. I haven't had as much experience with them but assume you'd treat them in the same way.

I presume this is the sort of thing you mean when you saw 'water scorpion':







Sometimes the Lethocerus insulanus type things are also called water scorpions.


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## Noongato (Sep 1, 2008)

We have these water scorps in our rivers, etc.

http://www.peatlandsni.gov.uk/images/wildlife/aquainverts/scorpion_tn.jpg


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## trogdor1988 (Sep 1, 2008)

I get tons of the ones like midnight serval just put up in a few creeks i know of, they get annoying having to flick em all out non stop while trying to catch fish and yabbie's have quite a painful bite to. Unlike most people think though the long bit off there but aint a sting but a breathing apparatus.


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## PhilK (Sep 2, 2008)

Sadji, they are also called water scorpions, that photo that you posted.. But I was referring to the type in midnightserval's link. They're very cool.


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