How to Set up a Tank for Cockroaches

10 min readFeb 22, 2022

Tank or Container

Many people want some kind of substrate and glass or see-through plastic to observe the cockroach. Since the species lives in darkened hollow logs, this may cause stress problems ranging from reducing the life spans, to fertility problems.

Often laboratory colonies are maintained in large, dark trash cans, with cardboard dividers or wire mesh to add extra surface areas for the roaches to climb. Entomologists working with roaches usually keep them in glass or plastic aquariums (like hamsters).

Madagascar Hissing cockroaches tank and plastic container

Sunlight

In the wild, this species lives in dark, hollow logs. Cockroaches are nocturnal, and they avoid sources of light. Constant sunlight can cause stress, breeding problems, and even reduces life spans.

In a place where any light does not penetrate into their living space, they will feel secure. This means that they will continue to eat and breed not only at night. If you want the nymphs to grow quickly, then it’s best to keep the terrarium in a dark place or cover its walls with something to avoid light.

Reddit: people who want to breed as many as possible typically keep them as dark as can be and rarely disturb them. In my experience, they breed and grow just fine while getting a normal amount of sunlight — they’ll just stick to their hiding places more often than not during the day. It’s not a big deal either way. (Allcreepingthings)
Reddit: Mine dislike light and stay in the darker areas of their container. At night or in the morning when there is little to no sun, they will hiss and run around. (Electrotree01)

As a pet

Hissing cockroaches are very easy to house — they certainly do not need much room! The minimum for 1–2 cockroaches is a small 1/2 gallon (~2 liters) container, as long as it has adequate ventilation. An adult Madagascar hissing cockroach will require a 5-gallon (~19 liters) tank.

When choosing a container, remember that what matters the most is floor space for food, water and furnishing, not height. Be sure to provide adequate ventilation for your pets and do not allow the medium (living environment) to dry excessively.

Terrarium with shelter and a layer of vaseline on top

As a colony

Get a sealable tank. Pick a glass fish tank or a Rubbermaid plastic bin where you will house your colony. A colony grows very fast, so make sure it’s large enough to hold a few hundred roaches if you want to start a breeding business.

A five to 10-gallon (~19 to ~37.8 liters) fish tank will house several Madagascar hissing cockroaches comfortably. You can keep up to 30 adult cockroaches in a 10 gallon (37.85 liters) tank! The roaches will not harm one another if enough food is present.

Plan on about 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) per dozen adult roaches, though you can also keep many younger roaches in the same container.
Use a container that can be fully closed with a lid. There shouldn’t be any holes or cracks in it because roaches can get through them very easily, especially when they’re young.
Make sure to drill holes in the top if you’re using a storage container or bucket. The holes should be about a half an inch in diameter, and then you should seal the holes with microscreen. In a large storage container (20 gallons), you’ll need at least 10 holes along the top.
When choosing a container, remember that what matters the most is floor space for food, water and furnishing, not height.

Floor space is more important than height. Egg flats placed vertically are usually used to create more floor space. Oak leaves, red bran, vermiculite, can all be used as bedding. Potting soil is not recommended. It’s harder to control unwanted pests and the young can burrow down into it, making it nearly impossible to separate when cleaning the habitat.

Dwarf Hisser Colony Growth

You can also place the container near a room humidifier, but make sure you still mist the enclosure on a regular basis.

Tanks review

Escape prevention

Greasy substance

Specially padded feet enable MHC to climb any surface, so it is important to make sure the cage is adequately sealed. With any housing option, smear a greasy substance near the top of the container. Madagascar roaches are very skillful climbers: you should spread Vaseline, olive oil or bug stop on the upper 2–3 inches of the container that are closer to the lid to prevent hissers from reaching the top. This sticky barrier will prevent escapes and reduce losses.

The lid

Use a container that can be fully closed with a lid. There shouldn’t be any holes or cracks in it because roaches can get through them very easily, especially when they’re young.

Screen covering or another secure type of lid for the cage is necessary. A screen top is a must, in order to prevent escapes — these roaches can easily climb glass. Use a secure mesh lid to keep the roaches secure while allowing plenty of air circulation.

WARNING: Do not use a mosquito mesh — it can be easily bitten through. Instead, use a metal/aluminum or brass mesh.

See my full article “What To Do if a Cockroach Escaped”

Substrate

See my full article “How to Prepare a Terrarium Substrate”

Shelters

Furnish the enclosure with hiding spaces. Since most insects, including roaches, live under leaf matter and fallen logs, it’s a good idea to add a few hiding spots. The best things you can use are the bottom of an egg carton, a dried coconut half, small logs, pieces of bark or tubes (like the cardboard ones found inside paper rolls). Small rocks or tubes can be added for the roaches to have a territory to defend.

If you use egg cartons, make sure you place several in the enclosure, so the roaches will have multiple layers to hide in. Cockroaches need lots of climbing areas and places to get away from each other. The best way to accomplish this is by stacking an egg crate in the cage, either vertically or horizontally.

Tip: Avoid overcrowding your cockroach’s tank with decorations and shelters. If there are too many hiding places in the tank, it will be hard for you to see your cockroach. One or 2 shelters should be enough.

Heating pad or lamp

See my full article “How to Provide Proper Temperature for Hissing Cockroaches”

Automatic watering system

See my full article “Automatic Terrarium Watering System”

Air ventilation

Use a container that can be fully closed with a lid. There shouldn’t be any holes or cracks in it because roaches can get through them very easily, especially when they’re young.

Make sure to drill holes in the top if you’re using a storage container or bucket. The holes should be about a half an inch in diameter, and then you should seal the holes with microscreen. In a large storage container (20 gallons / 76 liters), you’ll need at least 10 holes along the top.

I’ve found it’s best to have a closely fitting top for the 20 gallon cage, which should be kept closed. About ten, small (half inch) holes should be drilled along the sides of the lid and sealed with microscreen. Too much ventilation is generally not good for an animal used to the often wet tropics.

Some replies from Reddit users about a lid ventilation:

Reddit: Use larger holes covered with a screen. To drill, go slow, and hold the plastic to reduce vibrations to avoid cracking. Depending on the type of plastic, it may be easier to use a box cutter or exacto knife to add ventilation. (dandified-day-gecko)
Reddit: Some humidity (water in the air) is good, hissers don’t want to be dried out. But too much humidity causes condensation (water in the air lands on a cool surface and turns back into liquid form). This extra water can drip into the bottom of the container and cause standing water. This gets dirty with their poo and food, which causes fungal and bacterial growth. These are bad and can kill the roaches. So you want a sweet spot. Enough humidity for the roaches not to dry out, not so much that it starts causing diseases. (nessaea-blue)
Reddit: I would advise you to play around. You can always add more holes, and you can’t take them away. So start with 10–20 holes. If you start noticing condensation, increase. If you increase to the max holes that fit on the lid, and you’re still having condensation problems, switch to mesh. (nessaea-blue)

DIY Air ventilation

In these YouTube videos you can see DIY ventilation. The guys used various tools: a drill, a construction knife, a moxibustion pencil, a microscreen and glue.

Maintaining Your Cockroach House

Clean your cockroach’s entire tank once every 6 months. In addition to removing uneaten food in the tank on a daily basis, you’ll want to replace all the substrate and disinfect the tank (including any decorations and shelters) twice a year to keep your cockroach healthy.

To disinfect the tank, start by moving your cockroach to a ventilated, secure container. Then, take everything out of the tank, and spray a solution of 1 part bleach and 16 parts water on the tank and accessories. Then, let them sit for 10 minutes before thoroughly rinsing everything off with water. Let the tank and accessories air dry a few hours before setting up the tank again.

FAQ

Why does my cockroach looks lethargic after being placed in a tank? I am sure that everything is fine with the environment and the diet.

It’s OK if they’re healthy and can hiss. They may feel stressed for a few days.

Does the sponge have to fill the entire bowl, or just enough so that they can’t put their heads into the water and drown?

Just enough so they don’t drown.

Can isopods and Madagascar cockroaches live together?

Yes, hissing cockroaches can live together with isopods. A cockroach can eat a dead isopod, but will not attack a live isopod. But it should be remembered that the environment and diet for isopods will be slightly different.

Any questions? My Telegram chat

References

Absence of sunlight. (2023, February 1). Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/roaches/comments/10rear2/absence_of_sunlight/
Breene, R. G. (2014, January 1). Hissing cockroaches: The battletanks of the cockroach world. Anapsid. http://www.anapsid.org/hissingroaches.html
Emzotic. (2017, February 13). How to set up a cockroach tank [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9-hxw3FYrw
Hall, K. (2019, March 29). How to set up a hissing cockroach house. wikiHow. https://www.wikihow.com/Set-Up-a-Hissing-Cockroach-House
Hissing cockroach care sheet. (n.d.). Fluker Farms. https://flukerfarms.com/reptile-u/care-sheets/hissing-cockroaches-care-sheet
How to breed hissing cockroaches. (2019, April 5). wikiHow. https://www.wikihow.com/Breed-Hissing-Cockroaches
Josh’s Frogs. (2014, February 27). Hissing cockroaches as pets. Joshsfrogs.Com. https://www.joshsfrogs.com/catalog/blog/2014/02/hissing-cockroaches-pets/
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. (n.d.). Lllreptile. https://www.lllreptile.com/articles/197-madagascar-hissing-cockroach/
Madagascar hissing cockroach escaped. (2017, September 20). Arachnoboards. https://arachnoboards.com/threads/madagascar-hissing-cockroach-escaped.298699/
McLeod, L. (2022, February 12). Caring for madagascar hissing cockroaches. The Spruce Pets. https://www.thesprucepets.com/madagascar-hissing-cockroach-1236891
Mulder, P., Shufran, A. (2017, March 1). Madagascar hissing cockroaches: Information and care. Oklahoma State University. https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/madagascar-hissing-cockroaches-information-and-care.html
Question about isopods in hisser enclosure. (2022, December 15). Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/roaches/comments/zmat5o/question_about_isopods_in_hisser_enclosure/
Reed, R., Newton, B. (n.d.). Exotic bugs: Care and feeding. University of Kentucky Department of Entomology. https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/content/exotic-bugs-care-and-feeding

Last update: March 1, 2023