Converting 20gal fish aquarium

[LunarDjinn]

I have a 20gal (12"Dx24"Lx15"H)fish tank that's been sitting in storage for 8 odd years now and i don't have the desire/space for fish at the moment. I've want to convert it into a t enclosure. I was thinking of putting a divider in the center so i can house two ts. I can get plexi glass and have it machined thru work for little to no cost. What would be the best way to pull this off? I'm handy, crafty and have plenty of tools but lack the knowledge of making it an acceptable enclosure for ts. i have a GBB currently and was thinking of a Mexican red knee (exact species tba) as a neighbor.

Is there a special type of silicone/adhesive I'll need?
Does the divider have to solid or should it have air holes near the top?
Would a velcro straping system be ideal to keep the top on or should i look into some sort of locking clip mechanism?

 

[EtienneN]

Divided enclosures aren't such a good idea. Tarantulas are quite adept at scrunching into small spaces; this invariably results in one tarantula in a "double" cage teleporting over while the owner is out at work and eating its neighbour. Because of ventilation issues, unless you have the ability to drill holes in glass these tanks aren't really suited to tarantulas at all.

 

[LunarDjinn]

Divided enclosures aren't such a good idea. Tarantulas are quite adept at scrunching into small spaces; this invariably results in one tarantula in a "double" cage teleporting over while the owner is out at work and eating its neighbour. Because of ventilation issues, unless you have the ability to drill holes in glass these tanks aren't really suited to tarantulas at all.

Think of this set up, as pictured, but only two rooms. The divider would be sealed completely on all sides, including the top (two door flaps attached to the vertical divider, one for each side), to prevent them from venturing into the neighboring side. the air holes would be drilled in the plexi lid possibilty of screened vents vs the glass to provide the necessary ventilation. I work in a millshop and have acesss to machinery to drill the holes and provide an accurate fit to the tank. I know plenty of people make their own enclosures with plexi sheets but would like to utilize the tank if at all possible, even if just to house 1 t.

 

[Nightstalker47]

You would have to make sure there is no gap whatsoever, we have seen this end with one tarantula eating its neighbor countless times...its generally a bad idea.

Now if you can manage to make individual lids for each section, that would be ideal, this negates the chance of a skittish spider running into anothers habitat and turning into lunch.

 

[cold blood]

Everyone who tries dividing enclosures thinks they found the secure way to do it...yet catastrophe still follows regularly. There is probably no critter I can think of, aside from maybe pedes, that is more ill suited to divided enclosures. I would urge you to re-think the divided enclosure thing for ts.

 

[LunarDjinn]

I've been looking for enclosures to upgrade Val and came across quite a few divided one. I love the idea and thought it might be something i can accomplish with the tank and resources i have available. I also figured it wouldn't be as appropriate as it might look as I know ts are notorious escape artists and dash without notice.
What about converting the lid and heavily decorating it up for 1 t? I know they dont need this much space or decoration, and really... i could use a coffee can and an old newspapar as far as they are concerned. Just more so to fill in the excess space and making it estheticly pleasing to my eye.

 

[cold blood]

You could use it for one t, it would just need to be large species and an adult. Because it will only have top ventilation, it would be best for a t kept predominantly dry

 

[LunarDjinn]

You could use it for one t, it would just need to be large species and an adult. Because it will only have top ventilation, it would be best for a t kept predominantly dry

Acceptable for my GBB?

 

[darkness975]

Acceptable for my GBB?

Assuming it is an adult, sure.

You could deck out a 20 gallon with cool stuff to make it more visually appealing since a GBB will web the heck out of its area but likely not the entire enclosure. You could make this your "display" tank that is the most visually stunning setup to be the "spokestank" for your collection.

 

[LunarDjinn]

Assuming it is an adult, sure.

You could deck out a 20 gallon with cool stuff to make it more visually appealing since a GBB will web the heck out of its area but likely not the entire enclosure. You could make this your "display" tank that is the most visually stunning setup to be the "spokestank" for your collection.

She's a confirmed female, approx. 2 years old with a 3.5" span. I think such a tank would be true compliment to her beauty.

 

[darkness975]

She's a confirmed female, approx. 2 years old with a 3.5" span. I think such a tank would be true compliment to her beauty.

She'll grow into it.

Be wary of the height, though.

 

[cold blood]

Acceptable for my GBB?[/QUOT

She's a confirmed female, approx. 2 years old with a 3.5" span. I think such a tank would be true compliment to her beauty.

A 20 gal would be outrageously over sized for a 3.5" t....even a GBB.

 

[SonsofArachne]

You could do a divided cage with inverts that can't climb smooth surfaces - large scorpions, vinegaroons, etc. Otherwise don't do it. About 20 yrs ago (my first serious attempt at keeping inverts) I tried it with a Pandinus imperator and a aphonopelma seemanni. I looked in the next morning to see the seemanni threat displaying in front of the P. imperator's hide. I managed to get the seemanni out before a fight occurred - I doubt that would have went well for the T.

 

[viper69]

20 gal would be a huge mansion. You can do it, but you'd have to make sure your T actually eats. It's also no guarantee the T will use the entire space provided. Some GBBs just don't do that.

Crickets are great at hiding, your T would be hard pressed to eat properly if you threw in 2 dozen crickets. You'd have to drop in more crickets than necessary.

Divided setups more often than not go bad, ie there are 3, and then there was one!

 

[Michael Guirov]

I learned about the 'divided setup' issue when I kept wc giant house spiders as a kid.
I had to stop stealing mums plastic food containers or she'd come looking for them and get a nasty supprise. So I divided one large one into 3 with hot glue.

I went on a long summer holiday and returned to find 1 female, 2 eaten males and a million spiderlings haha.

 

[mantisfan101]

Maybe if you’re up for it a 20 gal communal enclosure for Monocentropus balfouri, but make sure you do your research first.

 

[Angie Rohan]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but they do sell divider panels for aquariums and they are pretty sturdy. I used to have a few back in the day when I kept axolotls and it was a total lifesaver because it allowed the flow of water through so I didn’t have to get two sets of heaters and pumps for 1 aquarium. These are the ones I had (sorry if the image is blurry, But it’s the best I found on google)

You can see they have little holes, so it would be better for adults than slings I believe. And to make a sturdy barrier you can use 2 panels instead of 1 to make it safer (remember to silicone the bottom, if they burrow under it they might slide through) but also have some ventilation between the two habitats.

 

[LunarDjinn]

I went on a long summer holiday and returned to find 1 female, 2 eaten males and a million spiderlings haha.

Haha! What a surprise that must have been! Did you keep any?

Maybe if you’re up for it a 20 gal communal enclosure for Monocentropus balfouri, but make sure you do your research first.

:wideyed:What a wonderful idea! I'll look into this as an option.

 

[LunarDjinn]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but they do sell divider panels for aquariums and they are pretty sturdy. I used to have a few back in the day when I kept axolotls and it was a total lifesaver because it allowed the flow of water through so I didn’t have to get two sets of heaters and pumps for 1 aquarium. These are the ones I had (sorry if the image is blurry, But it’s the best I found on google)

You can see they have little holes, so it would be better for adults than slings I believe. And to make a sturdy barrier you can use 2 panels instead of 1 to make it safer (remember to silicone the bottom, if they burrow under it they might slide through) but also have some ventilation between the two habitats.

This is pretty much what i had had in mind. I'm not so sure i like the idea anymore. I know I'm capable of making a steady, gap-free enclosure but what im not capable of is controlling the unpredictable nature of a T.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

This is pretty much what i had had in mind. I'm not so sure i like the idea anymore. I know I'm capable of making a steady, gap-free enclosure but what im not capable of is controlling the unpredictable nature of a T.

Yeah, not to harp on what everyone else has said already but an old teacher of mine had a college buddy who had 2 Ts in a big aquarium like that with a "secure" divider and one day he came home to a downed divider and a very happy and fat spider.