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Caught the bug

Lil Stinkpot

Lucky Greenhorn
Actually, I'm trying to catch bugs.

Recently I was at a function up in the local hills, and there were back swimmers in the pool. I read up on them, noted that they can give a pretty bad bite, and proceeded to catch as many as I could. They were much fun, and very interesting to watch in the water bottle I stuck them in. It gave me an idea. Of my two aquariums, the small five gallon tank has just one fantail goldfish. I was thinking of moving the goldfish into the thirty gallon tank with the other goldfish, and putting in a small community of invertebrates. Skuds (tiny shrimp), water boatmen, perhaps doodlebugs and triops. All detritus and vegetation eaters, as far as I'm aware. Or... I could move the two goldfish outside into the climate controlled GH and it's pond, and put the buggies in the 30 gallon tank.

But how on Earth do I catch the bugs? I guess a sturdy, reinforced bug net or aquarium net should do, but....yeah. Those suckers are FAST. I guess I have all winter to work it out, as most of them are now either dormant, or mere eggs, waiting for things to warm up. I have all this time to figure out how to catch them.


One of the best places for bugs that is somewhat nearby is the CA Delta. It's in the central valley, and is much warmer than around here. That's a start. Perhaps I can find a nice creek or stream around, or a handy levee or river. I could even go out in the boat and swing a net over the side, and blindly take a stab in the dark, murky waters to see what I pull up. One crazy idea I had was to plan an overnight trip in the boat, and when the sun goes down, put a fishing light over the side with a net hanging under it. After I can no longer stand waiting, I pull up on the net, around the light (think tuna net going vertical), and haul up whatever came to the light. That is certain to catch back swimmers, for sure, but I don't know about the rest.

What are your ideas?
 
Ohman, I've wanted to do a tank of invertebrates for a long time. Keep us updated, 'cause I may very well want to follow in your footsteps. ^.^

One thing I thought would be really cool (though it would probably require a fairly large tank) was to make a vivarium to house both aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. The little buggers (d'oh) are so friggin' fascinating.
 
it can be a blast.
I used to collect and raise quite a few "bugs" while deep in the fish hobby.
Some are very interesting to watch, I liked "fairy shrimp" the most.
Have fun with it!
 
The best way to catch boatmen is to stay still for a long time and move the net very quickly. Ever tried keeping crayfish before? They are one of the most interesting things I've ever had in an aquarium.
 
Two years ago we went out camping with the boat for a week. When we left, we pulled into the gas station, and I decided to look at the bottom of the boat for jammed rocks, scratches, and stuff. I saw a gray rock sticking partly out from between the centerboard (switchblade keel) and the centerboard trunk. I poked at it to see if it was lodged, and it started flicking! It was a baby Louisiana red crayfish (invasive little monsters!). I put it in water and took it home, and kept it in the small aquarium for over a year. I also caught a native crayfish, I forgot the species, tan with blue claws. I kept it with Lucky, the red one. They thrived for over a year, then they got moved outside. That was when I discovered the raccoons. :cuss:

I am eager to try a tank full of little inverts. I guess I'll have to go out sailing on the Delta and fool around with nets. If I catch one, there are GIANT back swimmers, almost two inches long and black. I actually found it one cold evening at Starbucks here in San Jose. I was just sitting there, chatting, and I moved my foot. Something went crunch. :confused: :crap: :sorry: I kept it to study, and to dry and pose in an interesting position.

Perhaps I can keep the herbivores in the big tank, and the back swimmers in the little tank, and regularly feed them, maybe minnows or baby guppies. That wound be very fun. Not for the minnows, though.
 
I have a lot of "boatmen" in my outside ponds up here in Oregon, fascinating creatures to watch and very vicious little critters; they remind me of the movie Predator. They will eat almost any bug that lands in the pond, fish fry, tadpoles, etc., and I have seen them attack and eat things twice their size!
 
Hey, if I can't catch any, could you? Would you?


If they'll eat stuff that big, minnows will be easy meals. Good to know.
 
I think you'd like giant water bugs. Those things scare me.
 
That is what I stepped on. :crap: I doubt I'll find another except by accident while out playing in the Delta. I actually hope I do.


ETA. I just looked up giant water bugs. No, that is not what I stepped on. Mine was actually a giant water beetle, all shiny and jet black. Water bugs are, well, bugs. Shield-shaped, soft wing covers, and true sucking mouth parts.

Even better: I know a spot where I can find many, many water bugs. The only problem is, I can't remember where it is. I have been trying to find it again after accidentally discovering the place as a child. It is lost somewhere in the local hills, on some desolate back road, where an underground creek pops out and become super-surface for about a quarter mile before slurping back underground again. When I find this place, I have found giant grasshoppers, water bugs, gloss-black tarantula hawk wasps, guppy-like minnows, and beautiful rock formations seemingly sculpted by the Creator Himself. I will find it, hopefully sooner than later. It all starts somewhere off of Calaveras Road.......
 
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  • #10
Hey, if I can't catch any, could you? Would you?


If they'll eat stuff that big, minnows will be easy meals. Good to know.

Go out at night with a flashlight with a net, they seem to be very active at night. Yes, I'm weird studying these kinds of things at night, I admit it, but a lot of activity goes on at night in ponds and creeks I just gotta see. :crazy:
 
  • #11
Brrrr! I'll look around for a place I can do that without being arrested or molested. :awesome:



I like to think I know "stuff" about bugs, but I'm apparently lacking in the aquatics category. I intend to fix this! Thanks for the kick in the backside.
 
  • #12
I backpack a lot and nothing else to do but look at nature right down to the little bugs, LOL. My trail name is "Eyes," dubbed on me because I notice the little things that everyone else misses. No humans to worry about wandering around where I go, perfect. :-D
 
  • #13
I might have time this week to play around on Google Earth and try to find that darned road. Heck, what am I saying-I've got the whole winter to find it. I guess I am not very patient.
 
  • #14
vernal pools or ares with out fish seems to be good ones in terms of abundance of certain species of aquatic insects
 
  • #15
I have a good lead on which road it was on. Even if I don't find THE spot, there are many good spots all around me. I'll find my bugs, eventually. It sounds like I'll be doing lots of camping in the boat. :crazy: I can feel the cramps forming already.

Kula, I can certainly look for vernal pools. I saw many good candidates during my Googling this afternoon. :-O
 
  • #16
This past Sunday i went out to the local percolation ponds to see what I can find. Score! I pulled up some curly-leaved weeds, some nice, tough hair algae, and a huge bagie full of water net algae. Some of the nets had holes over 1.5mm across! I took a sample and made a little "ecosystem bottle", and found all sorts of goodies. Scuds (tensy freshwater shrimp), daphnia, cyclops, daphnia eggs, various mystery worms, and, double bonus, planarians and a hydra. Wow, loot! It's been an adventure playing with these critters. The hydrais currently digesting a daphnia, and is all bloated. :D

I had a 50+ gallon aquarium sitting around for a while, with 1/4" thick walls. I decided to make an outdoor aquarium, or more like a vertical see-through pond. I have a huge piece o tree roots in it, half submerged, and all my latest "loot" got tossed in. the water is already conditioned, and is a nice, thick muddy green (typical of ponds in the area). I gotta get some pictures.

Anyways, I intend to try to catch some boatmen, at least, and stick them in the pond. In the bag of net algae there were shed boatman skins and a few corpses, so i thin I have a good place to look later! This is just way too much fun. :boogie:
 
  • #17
Sounds like some interesting stuff! :pics: That's one thing that I love about our house, there's always so much to see if you just take the time to look and it's all interesting to me from watching the horses to learn how they "talk" right down to the teensiest tiniest little flowers that you'd flat out miss if you didn't get right down on the ground and really look.
 
  • #18
That's it exactly.


Pics? Well, most of the really neat stuff that's been happening is all under the microscope. Hang on, I'll get someting over the weekend. The Daphnia have been breeding like mad, and are literally covering one wall of the pond/tank. :awesome:
 
  • #19
The "pondarium"

Here it is. I had to make a barrier to keep critters out of it. they were doing something like playing trampoline on the driftwood.

Closed:

443.jpg



Open:

444.jpg


Something must have gotten on my lens. Oops. Probably sundew slime.



Driftwood, wrapped in lots of peat and LFS.

445.jpg



Unk. Sarr hybrid:

447.jpg



Bug pipes:

448.jpg



The driftwood is wrapped in peaty LFS. I watched it for a month, and it seems to keep pretty darned wet. I put the Sarracenias in there to eventually help hold the peat in place. I also added lots of Drosera binata root sections, Utriculara sp., and Mimulus G. seeds, also to help prevent erosion.


What are these little guys again? Not Daphnia, but something else.

549.jpg
 
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