# Do imitators need broms to breed?



## black_envy (Aug 12, 2006)

I am asking, because even though I added more light to my imitator tank, it still only gives off medium light at best, and the broms I had up high near the light were slowly dying a painful death, so I removed them and replaced them with a few plants that don't need so much light. So my question is, I don't really have a breeding site for my imitators, but I really want them to breed soon! So will they lay eggs on a leaf, and if I find some, can I just add a water source and let them parent them? Or am I doomed to no breeding for lack of broms? (On a side note though, most of my plants are actually doing really great!  )


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## Alan (Jan 12, 2005)

Despite having broms available - one of my Imitator pairs insists upon laying eggs on the glass behind the background and carry the tads out and deposit them in a brom or (their preference) a white film container.


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## reggorf (Oct 24, 2006)

we are have some success finally with our imis breeding. we have two very small broms in there that are suction cupped on the glass about half way up the 10 gallon vertical viv but they have only laid one clutch on the leaves of the brom. the usually lay eggs in the white film cups up high in the viv or on the glass near the background on the side of the viv. they transport them into film cups half full with water. we have three black film cups with water on the "ground" in a corner all rubberbanded together. right now, we have tads in two of the three. we also have white film cups with water suction cupped to the glass low in the viv. those both have tads as well. 








here is romeo transporting one of their first tads. we just put a tiny bit of water in this film cup when it hatched. romeo is pretty good about transporting the night that they hatch.








here is their viv. 

hope this helps.


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## black_envy (Aug 12, 2006)

Yeah those were both helpful...I was hoping they might lay some eggs on some of my plants? I have a few with HUGE leaves that I think would make pretty good laying spots. I don't really want to go with film canisters for astetically pleasing reasons, but if I must I must lol


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## reggorf (Oct 24, 2006)

you will have to add some sort of a water source. you could use a glass ash tray or any type of glass dish. i have small tupperware containers in some of my vivs too. they will need somewhere to deposit. good luck!


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Broms are not necessary, mine have raised a couple in the broms, but they prefer to deposit tads in the suction cup mounted (2/3 up the tank wall) film cans. They lay eggs wherever will be a PITA to get to...

In my experience, they will lay their first few clutches on the glass.


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## black_envy (Aug 12, 2006)

Well thats awesome, I will eagerly await for them to lay eggs (I think I have 2.2 or 1.3


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

Broms are favorite hangouts for my imitators.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I bred my imis without broms - at the time I couldn't keep them alive. HAH, like I even keep broms anymore anyways, only my TFs like them.

Hell, in the wild they don't use broms anyways! Tho you can't exactly fit the heliconia or dieffenbachia they *do* use into our tanks...

Anything that holds water is something they will use for tads... film canisters are good ones (you can set them up in different directiosn and such). They like laying on vertical surfaces (Mine liked between leaves of philo. scandens hanging down).


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

Need bromes, no... like bromes, yes. I think they can lay about anywhere, but I have 6 film canisters, most with water in them and they never do anything more than hang out in them... All the tads have been deposited in bromes. So I think it can go either way and its just a matter of finding what your particular group likes.


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## elmoisfive (Dec 31, 2004)

My imis do fine raising tads in film cannisters half filled with water but as Sarah notes, individual groups will have their own preference(s).

Bill


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