Newly finished viv for T. stirmi

[Saark]

So, after a few weeks of goofing around, I finally completed my first attempt at a bioactive, custom vivarium. This will be for my female T. stirmi, "Ungoliant" She will go in in about a month after the plants and clean up crew (springtails and dwarf isopods) settle in. The link is to my Flickr album showing some pics throughout the process of building the setup (I didn't want to add 39 pics to this thread). Materials used are mentioned in the photo descriptions. Check it out and tell me what ya think! Thanks.

Steps in the process:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm7yLDNt

Completed tank:
20171110_104629

 

[darkness975]

Not trying to rain on your parade @Saark but if it climbs up the side and falls down it could be an issue. Also, there does not seem to be a lot of open floor space?

Either way, not a bad looking creation you have there. Are those "air plants" in the back?

 

[Saark]

Not trying to rain on your parade @Saark but if it climbs up the side and falls down it could be an issue. Also, there does not seem to be a lot of open floor space?

Either way, not a bad looking creation you have there. Are those "air plants" in the back?

Yeah, on the back wall and on that branch there are Tilandsia bergeri. There are also Spathiphyllum 'Petite', Pilea depressa x3, Davallia fejeensis, and Pellaea rotundifolia in the tank. I was a little worried about floor space when I finished it too but there is about 10x20in behind the fern in the foreground and then there's the 8x8in cover over the waterfall box and there's also room to move down under that heavy branch with the fern that leads to the small pool. My hope is that when she burrows up above she'll have an exit down under that branch with the fern. The height is a little misleading, The highest point on the right (~8in) is less than 1.5x her current legspan and a bit less than that all along the back wall. My only concern would be in area in front of the waterfall where the drop is a bit higher. I may do something there with some vine type plants to put a bit of a "roof" over the water. My thought is by the time she goes in, the plants will have grown a good bit providing over her head cover so I don't think her first impulse will be to climb. I associate that behavior with the T being uncomfortable in its surroundings. If she's anything like my last stirmi, she'll go straight to burrowing. My last girl was 10in and in a tank with the same footprint though not nearly as "fancy" She spent most of her time in her burrow or quite near it. We'll see, if this doesn't work I'll build a bigger tank for her and maybe move my 7in L. parahybana into this one

 

[darkness975]

While climbing can and does indicate an issue with the Enclosure many times, if the conditions are right they sometimes climb just to climb. Not really sure why. Though I am not sure if Theraphosa spp. are any more or less prone to it as others.

I say as long as you compensate for the height and what not like you said it should be fine.

I only mentioned space because I am one who likes to give them a decent area of unobstructed space to move. Not saying this is the "right" way or the "only" way, just my way

 

[Raven Jess]

Wow! The Flickr pics are very inspirational! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Saark]

Wow! The Flickr pics are very inspirational! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! I've had to make a few changes due to slight error in design and will post a new pic when it is done.

 

[Saark]

Okay, here's a few updated pictures. The problem I ran into was that with the water running under the whole area of the tank I needed a deeper drainage layer above it to keep the water from flooding the bottom of the substrate. So, I removed the egg crate false bottom from the land area and then siliconed in a piece of glass to divide water from land. This worked out well because it allowed me to increase the substrate depth from 6 in to about 10 in so she can burrow a bit more. There's not a ton of floor space, maybe 2/3 of the 36x18 footprint but given how much time the T. stirmi seems to spend in its burrow I think it will be enough considering she will not have to wander at all to find prey.

Substrate out, glass divider in.


Burrow location
[url=https://flic.kr/p/DyZFp7]

Finished (I hope!) tank
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Zmrx2P][/url][/URL]

 

[BC1579]

I want to see your T in its new home!

 

[Saark]

I want to see your T in its new home!

Maybe I'll shoot a little rehouse/release video when I make the switch. It'll be 4 weeks or so before I do it. I want the plants, particularly the moss, to get good and settled in first and hopefully the springtails and isopods will start multiplying by then too.

 

[BC1579]

I noticed that in your first post about 30 seconds after I submitted mine.

Hell, if your stirmi doesn't like it I'll move in.

 

[viper69]

Nice setup, reminds me of setups for PDFs really. There was a stirmi owner on here years ago, did something much more simple, BUT included a misting system/live plants. The T "loved" it according to owner, good luck.

 

[Saark]

Nice setup, reminds me of setups for PDFs really. There was a stirmi owner on here years ago, did something much more simple, BUT included a misting system/live plants. The T "loved" it according to owner, good luck.

What are PDFs? Not familiar with that outside of digital documents Oh wait, you mean poison dart frogs? I've given them some thought too, those and I'd love a couple crocodile skinks. As terribly bad luck would have it, my T. stirmi developed a fungal infection and died a few days ago Wicked sad about it and quite surprised as I had no trouble with my old girl. She went into her burrow a few weeks ago in premolt and came out with a huge patch of white fuzz on the back of her abdomen, was really hoping she'd get through a molt in hopes that would get rid of the fungus. She never even got to enjoy the new tank because I've been waiting for the plants to settle in and had her in a smaller enclosure. I think that even with a full screen top, a nice drainable substrate and a drainage layer below to catch any build up, the cork bark hide which was basically like a half buried igloo, was still able to trap too much moisture without letting it circulate. Had the hide been a hole in the ground, I think the substrate would have been able to breathe and would have dried a bit. Ah, the lessons you learn too late... I may use this time to make a few small modifications to the tank while the plants get nice and rooted and then I'll try with another strimi. They are my favorite and I have to have one.

 

[Saark]

I have a juvenile female P. ultramarinus. Maybe I'll put her in this tank after she gets a bit larger and the plants are fully established. I'll just turn the humidity down a bit. I'd feel better with a 7ish inch adult in that tank than a 10-11 inch adult T. stirmi, given the floor space.

 

[Ratmosphere]

Looks very live! I like this enclosure a lot.