What scavenger likes to eat crickets??

[MacGyverCanada]

I just started up a terrarium (10gal tank) with the following critters:

1 firebelly toad
whitecloud minnows
fancy guppies

I'm looking for something mainly to take care of any crickets that my toad misses. They eventually drown and sink to the bottom. Whatever it is can eat a few whitecloud or guppy fry every once in a while, I doubt I'll have a shortage! Any ideas?

 

[Toirtis]

Perhaps a snail or two...most catfish that would eat a cricket would fairly decimate your guppy and whitecloud populations in pretty short order (to the tune of 3-5 fish per night), and would be eating adults as well as fry.

 

[exodus]

I'd think any carnivore, but I'm not sure. Now that you mention it, I think I'll grab a few crickets tomorrow to see if my knife fish would like any.

 

[Guest]

You could get butterfly fish or cghost knife fish but he would out grow the area you have to keep him in really fast. Also my Apisto's like crickets. But for something that wouldn't give them a changes to dyi and float to the botom a butterfly fish would see to that. They love crickets. Also anything else that will fit into it's over sided mouth. I've had a coupe with white clouds and dino's and they did fine as the WC's out growed them and the diano's where to fast for them. But if you have guppys differnt storie there all togeather. They willstart disappearing quickly.

 

[MacGyverCanada]

cricks

Hmmm well I COULD switch my breeding populations of gups/w.clouds back into my smaller tank and leave the less colourful guppies to the forces of nature... Thats a lot of netfishing but it could be worthwhile. Thanks!

 

[hashbaz]

IMO the only scavengers that will eat crickets and fit in a 10g terrarium are invertabrates. You might try snails (as Toirtis suggested), ghost shrimp, or FW crabs.

 

[Toirtis]

Re: cricks

Hmmm well I COULD switch my breeding populations of gups/w.clouds back into my smaller tank and leave the less colourful guppies to the forces of nature... Thats a lot of netfishing but it could be worthwhile. Thanks!

Its a good idea...I would never consider keeping any valuable fish with a toad...should that toad get stressed enough by anything, the toxins he will release would kill even a 20 gallon tank full of fish in short order.

 

[tropicfishman]

well I havea terrarium with a lepord gecko in it, I dump a dozen or two of crickets in at a time and she'll scarf down at least 8 right off the bat, the rest its good to let them hunt them down, that way they don't loose their hunting instinct, just before you go to bed move any rocks or wood they could hide under to chase them into the open and go to bed and the occupants will eat them eventully

 

[Toirtis]

The problem with the 'they will eat them eventually' policy with crickets is that without a high-quality food on which to eat almost constantly, the nutritional value of crickets drops by the hour....within 24-36 hours, they are so depleted as to be almost pointless.

 

[MacGyverCanada]

criks

Ahh this is good to know... I guess I have to set up a little cricket feeding station. I would dump them in and let my toad eat them as he pleases, but the little buggers tend to go all suicidal, jump into the water, get caught in the current and tumble around and drown... Then they sink to the bottom and make a mess. Harrumph!

 

[Guest]

You could get you a coupe of archer fish. You'd have a blast whatching them hoot them off leafs and stems with there spray of water. Plus they'll eat what falls in the water as well. You could also get you some MTS they would eat the chrickets that fall in over night. There a great clean up snail. I know in my 75g planted tank when something dyi in it{ whitch ain't very often } but when it does they will have it cleaned up by morning time.
The archer fish is a neat little guy and has a neat way of knocking his prey in the water by shooting it with a spray of water, I'm not sure on there size but understand they can be kept in a 10g tank.

 

[rich311k]

Dont get an archer fish. They are brackish fish and get 10" long. Here is some info on them. They are cool looking though.