BDFB, Darkling, and Orthoporus Communal Tank

numbat1000

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
Messages
98
I am trying to build a tank for two or three BDFBs, two or three darkling beetles, and an orthoporus ornatus. Will they co-habitate well together in a 10 gal? I have a mix of the Zoo Med Eco Earth and Reptisand. It mixes okay, but it doesnt hold shape at all. I was wondering, could I mix in excavator clay? Will it be ok for the orthoporus? And after the clay dries, will the millipede still be able to dig burrows? Last question, I have a heat lamp with the 60-Watt Exo Terra Sun-Glo Neodymium A19 bulb. This will be fine for them, right?
I am partly new to the hobby, and very new to desert species. Any help would be greatly valued and appreciated!
I will post pics when I get closer to finishing the tank. Thanks in advance!
 

Spepper

Arachnodemon
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
745
What's a BDFB? I don't know about the darkling beetles (what kind and all, or how they'd co-habitate) but a heat lamp is not good for millis. I don't think they need extra heat at all, even desert species (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). Also, no excavator clay. The millipedes eat their substrate.
 

Cavedweller

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
1,064
While Orthoporus is a desert species, I personally would not keep it as dry as BDFBs. I've also found using heat lamps to warm millipede enclosures in the winter dries them out incredibly fast.

Edit: I ended up using a space heater instead, but I'm not sure if that gets as warm as BDFBs need, I've never kept them.
 

Smokehound714

Arachnoking
Joined
Mar 23, 2013
Messages
3,091
they dont need special substrate. Some quikset playsand is all you need. It's not extra-fine, but it's fine enough for the beetles to be happy. It's cheap too (compared to exo terra lol), a 50 pound bag is about $4.50.

I use it for all my beetles and desert species. It doesnt hurt that I picked up some of that awesome sand from the dunes, lol.

they do not need a heater, as they experience killing freezes in their natural range, but it will make them more active. They likely enter diapause during the coldest times of the year, but then again, they're known to be active during temperature extremes, either high or low. Actually, in winter, they'll often be the only thing active and walking around. ambient heat in your home is just fine. They ARE tolerant of extreme temperatures, though.. when everyone else, including desert iguanas, are seeking shade, these beetles continue to wander around, looking for fallen creosote petals and other morsels..

The millipedes cannot be housed with these beetles, without one side suffering detrimental effects. You gotta keep those beetles dry, on dry sandy substrate. They hate getting wet.

for the millipede, i'd imagine a mixture of sand and coco fiber would be excellent.
 
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