A 1-2 gallon container works fine for a starter colony, as colony grows you can upgrade them to a 5-10 gallon enclosure permanently. This genus appreciates high humidity, and a moderate to high amount of ventilation. The lid of the enclosure should be rather tight fitting, as the adults are adept climbers and fliers, especially the males. Gasket totes are best, however even then it's recommended to check the foam seals often, as adult males can sometimes wiggle under the foam enough to begin chewing at it, over time breaking the seal and allowing for escapees.
They should be provided with at least 1-2 inches of substrate in the form of coconut fiber, peat moss, potting soil, etc. Adding rotten leaf litter and decaying hardwood to the substrate gives the nymphs a little something to nibble on, and may even improve growth and survival rates a bit in some species, but is not necessary to establish a healthy colony.
Hides in the form of vertically slanted bark slabs or "roach-huts" made of plywood or corkboard should be offered for the adults (particularly the males). The nymphs and adults females will spend most of their time underground, though they do enjoy clumping around the bottom, buried layers of the aboveground hides too.
Diet:
Dog/cat/fish/chick food, fruits and veggies work great as a staple diet. Adults prefer fruits, while nymphs are more protein hungry. Nymphs will also nibble on dead leaves and decaying hardwood, but they aren't necessary components of their diet.
Temperature:
Temperatures in the 75-85F° range work best for breeding, but most species will breed at slightly lower temps, albeit more slowly.
Breeding/Life cycle:
Adult males live 1-3 months, while females usually live around 6-7 months, all depending on the species and ambient temps. Females gestate for 2-3 months and give birth to around two dozen tiny nymphs per litter, which then take another 4-6 months to mature.
This genus is fairly intolerant of neglect, if they're allowed to dry out, or run out of food, cultures can crash pretty quickly.
They also don't like filthy conditions and can crash due to frass/body buildups, yet most cleaner crews stress them out too. A chunky, well aerated substrate can help alleviate this, but eventually substrate changes as a whole are often needed after a year or two.
Species notes:
Panchlora sp. "Costa Rica/CR Yellow":
This species really isn't that picky and is fast growing/breeding, however they are very intolerant of lapses in care. When conditions are optimal, they breed very prolifically and could be used as feeders. Males are SUPER hyper and flighty. Oddly, some people report that the line bred Yellow color morph of this species is easier to maintain than the green wild type.
Panchlora sp. "Giant":
One of the largest species in culture, this strain is a very pale green color. Fairly hardy and easy to care for, though lapses in care can shut down cultures quickly. Not as prolific as some of the smaller species.
Panchlora sp. "Guadeloupe":
A species brand new to culture, adults are quite large, broad and flat compared to most of the other Panchlora spp. in culture. Males have two reddish brown stripes on their wings, which females lack. Slow breeding/growing compared to some of the smaller species.
Panchlora sp. "Hobby":
These have been labeled as "Panchlora nivea" for decades in the hobby, however it's come to light that the subgenital plate on this old hobby stock is completely different from that of actual nivea, hence the new strain name.
One of the easiest to keep and breed Panchlora spp., commonly used as feeders. However, some keepers report random colony collapses for seemingly no reason, after years of successful breeding. While other keepers never seem to have this issue.
Panchlora cf. nivea:
Several strains of what appear to be true P.nivea have recently popped up in culture, wild collected from the USA. So far we have several recorded strains in culture, including "Tuscaloosa, AL", "Montgomery CO, TX", and "Little Manatee, FL".
So far their care seems pretty typical for this genus, fairly easy and prolific breeders.
Panchlora sp. "Speckled":
A very prolific, hardy species of Panchlora, that oddly remains quite uncommon despite their great feeders potential. These are decently sized for this genus, and are a silvery green color, covered in white speckles (hence the strain name). Can be sensitive to filth buildups and stagnant conditions, other than that they're pretty easy.
