# these are the reasons I love planted enclosures......



## curiousme (Jan 6, 2011)

There are many different ways to house a tarantula, but my absolute favorite way is to surround them with plants.  Natural wood also adds a little something extra for me too.  The tank that is featured in these pictures now has its 3rd occupant and it was bought mainly because we wanted to have a T in the tank, not just plants.   It is an overkill on space for it, but it has plenty of hidey holes and suitable shade to set up shop.  It has not settled in, so no web yet. 

I know there are others here on the forum that feel the same and I hope you will share pics of your plants as well.    I would love to see what others do with their plants and how their Ts' interact with them.  So, please share!




This is a very established tank, so the plants have had time to go wild and send down roots.(literally)  I went a little macro crazy on it this morning, so there are quite a few pictures in this first post.  I hope you don't mind.  The plants in it are pothos and wandering jew, the wood was gathered from our woods.  Mr. Gone(my husband) is mainly the one responsible for this beautiful tank, but I help on occasion.  He is the plant guy.


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## Great Basin Ben (Jan 6, 2011)

I've ALWAYS wanted to do something like this, but often wondered about lighting requirements. Does the light that the plants require for their health, adversely affect the Tarantula in any way? We regularly read how, T's do not enjoy direct, bright light, but plants on the other hand are dependant upon it for their survival. The Orchid though is AMAZING, and something that I had NOT considered, until seeing this post. 

It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL BTW.  What species of T, is being kept in there?


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## crawltech (Jan 6, 2011)

I'd say it looks frickin great!.

...i have been experimenting wit some pothos planted enclosures aswell....very resiliant, these plants are!<yoda voice>

Reactions: Funny 1


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## gmrpnk21 (Jan 6, 2011)

Gorgeous! I am thinking about putting in a small waterfall and maybe a small plant in the terrarium I'm getting, today. I will ask you for advice if I do!


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## Mr. Gone (Jan 6, 2011)

The purple/pink plant is actually Wandering Jew (Tradescantia genus).  It, along with Pothos are capable of growing in mostly shade.  So they have a relatively low light/lights on them.  They would do alright with less, but the amount we have doesn't seem to bother the Ts.  They all get ample hiding spaces which; some use, some don't.  The species in this one is a juvy pet-store A. avic.  Avics in general, from my observation, seem to take cover from light very little.  
Also, the lights on these tanks aren't that much compared to say, sunlight, planted aquariums, or; greenhouse lights, for example.

There is a dual 4ft 32W shoplight on it.  It actually spans across the entire bookshelf which has this tank and another arboreal 10g at either end, like this:

________________
|___|______|___|_
With the book-
shelf underneath,
like this. 

So, neither tank really gets the full span of light.  Each tank also has a 13W compact florescent on it.  In between there are 3 arboreal sling/ juvie (hobby cube) enclosure who get a carpet square on top for shade (the sample kind you get for free at home depot) because they have no plants inside or good hiding spots.  Also, I keep my potted house-plants that I put out side during the summer and bring inside for a semi-dormant period for the winter (all succulents).




gmrpnk21 said:


> Gorgeous! I am thinking about putting in a small waterfall and maybe a small plant in the terrarium I'm getting, today. I will ask you for advice if I do!


From prior experience with a similar idea involving an Emperor Scorpion enclosure:  You will have humidity through the roof, make sure you have extra ventilation, and no wood anywhere near the waterfall.  If the water falls from much height, it will make a fine mist radiate from it that will invite mold in wood.


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## gmrpnk21 (Jan 6, 2011)

Mr. Gone said:


> The purple/pink plant is actually Wandering Jew (Tradescantia genus).  It, along with Pothos are capable of growing in mostly shade.  So they have a relatively low light/lights on them.  They would do alright with less, but the amount we have doesn't seem to bother the Ts.  They all get ample hiding spaces which; some use, some don't.  The species in this one is a juvy pet-store A. avic.  Avics in general, from my observation, seem to take cover from light very little.
> Also, the lights on these tanks aren't that much compared to say, sunlight, planted aquariums, or; greenhouse lights, for example.
> 
> There is a dual 4ft 32W shoplight on it.  It actually spans across the entire bookshelf which has this tank and another arboreal 10g at either end, like this:
> ...


I would probably get an exo terra waterfall kit or something similar and maaaaaybe put an Avic in it to enjoy the humidity...


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## Terry D (Jan 6, 2011)

Curiousyou, :clap: I love the color mix with the Pothos and wandering jew! I've been thinking about adding Pothos to my arboreal enclosures. My terrestrials, which account for most of the collection, would just uproot them and drag them around, then sit there as if they're awaiting my applause upon opening the enclosure.


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## AmbushArachnids (Jan 6, 2011)

Very nice! Thanks for reminding me i need to go to flower world.


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## Johnny1320 (Jan 7, 2011)

gmrpnk21 said:


> Gorgeous! I am thinking about putting in a small waterfall and maybe a small plant in the terrarium I'm getting, today. I will ask you for advice if I do!


Water features can be a pain, but they are also nice.  I have been wondering why more T owners do not use false bottoms in planted terrariums for drainage, as well as seeding the substrate with springtails to break down waste(and maybe kill mites?)  I know a false bottom would be bad for a burrower.  I'm definitely going to try some planted terrariums for our Avic's to give them the humidity they need.  

Not a hijack, but here are some water features we have done


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## codykrr (Jan 7, 2011)

I too like enclosures which are naturalistic.  I prefer to use corkbark over wood from outdoors though.  not knocking it, I just like cork bark better.

here are a few of mine.  As soon as the funds are avalible again, I will be making 4 more.







Ps- the light is for picture purposes.


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## curiousme (Jan 7, 2011)

Terry D said:


> Curiousyou, :clap: I love the color mix with the Pothos and wandering jew! I've been thinking about adding Pothos to my arboreal enclosures. My terrestrials, which account for most of the collection, would just uproot them and drag them around, then sit there as if they're awaiting my applause upon opening the enclosure.


It is true that some will drag plants around, but there are also some that will leave _some_ of the plants alone.  Our _G. rosea_ interacts with her plants the most, but we think she has finally killed one of her little succulents.  They were both planted in their own little pot though, which is a way to ensure the roots stay intact.  She just pruned it leaf by leaf until there was nothing left.  She then left the leaves scattered around the enclosure like trophies.  The one that is left is doing fantastic though and is also the one she likes to perch on and sun bathe under the light.  Perhaps she decided that one plant was good enough and two was a crowd!  

Here is a picture of the lone succulent.









Thank you for the compliment, but Mr. Gone truly is the plant man.   I just help with placement ideas and sometimes a little pruning and watering, but he is the mastermind.  For the most part, I just enjoy them and take pictures!


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## gmrpnk21 (Jan 7, 2011)

That's amazing John! I am still debating on what to do when I get this tank. 18" cubed is pretty darn big. I am starting to have second thoughts about getting it even... I  like the natural looking enclosures because I think they bring out more of the T's beauty, but at the same time I understand that they don't really care for it and simple suits most of them. I still think water features are nice though...


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## jbm150 (Jan 7, 2011)

codykrr said:


> I too like enclosures which are naturalistic.  I prefer to use corkbark over wood from outdoors though.  not knocking it, I just like cork bark better.
> 
> here are a few of mine.  As soon as the funds are avalible again, I will be making 4 more.
> 
> ...


Hey Cody, are those 2.5s or 5s?  I like how those stack together on that rack....


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## curiousme (Jan 7, 2011)

John911 said:


> Water features can be a pain, but they are also nice.  I have been wondering why more T owners do not use false bottoms in planted terrariums for drainage, as well as seeding the substrate with springtails to break down waste(and maybe kill mites?)  I know a false bottom would be bad for a burrower.  I'm definitely going to try some planted terrariums for our Avic's to give them the humidity they need.


You know it is funny you brought the false bottom up.  We have 2 enclosures with them.  Our first was in our _H. sp.Vietnam_ enclosure and she quickly showed us why it was a good idea for obligate burrowers.  She meticulously brought up an entire section of the gravel that was down there, rock by rock, until she was on the glass bottom.  Then she used the rocks to fortify the entrance to her burrow, which is definitely a cool thing to see.  Her tank also has a thriving isopod population to help with the plant matter and food waste in the burrow.

_H. sp.Vietnam_ with her friends and her rocks.







The second is our _P. cambridgei_ enclosure, which is also planted.

false bottom











> Not a hijack, but here are some water features we have done.


Not a hijack, I see plants in those pictures and I asked for others to post pictures of plants.    I do like the water features though and hope that when we finally set up a tank with one again, we are able to accomplish what we semi-failed at the first time.


*gmrpnk21* ~ it totally brings out the beauty in them and nothing is more beautiful than getting to see something like this IMO.  

[YOUTUBE]qyXJfQCOaaE[/YOUTUBE]


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## jbm150 (Jan 7, 2011)

And I forgot to mention Curious, these vivariums/T enclosures are stunning!  Fake are ok but there's nothing quite like seeing these spiders against live plants, you know


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## curiousme (Jan 7, 2011)

codykrr said:


> I too like enclosures which are naturalistic.  I prefer to use corkbark over wood from outdoors though.  not knocking it, I just like cork bark better.


What do you like better about it, just out of curiosity?   Thank you for sharing your enclosures!  What plants do you have?


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## Johnny1320 (Jan 7, 2011)

curiousme said:


> You know it is funny you brought the false bottom up.  We have 2 enclosures with them.  Our first was in our _H. sp.Vietnam_ enclosure and she quickly showed us why it was a good idea for obligate burrowers.  She meticulously brought up an entire section of the gravel that was down there, rock by rock, until she was on the glass bottom.  Then she used the rocks to fortify the entrance to her burrow, which is definitely a cool thing to see.  Her tank also has a thriving isopod population to help with the plant matter and food waste in the burrow.
> 
> _H. sp.Vietnam_ with her friends and her rocks.
> 
> ...


Thats so cool that she did that.  Do you sepparate the substrate from the rocks with a screen of some type?


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## curiousme (Jan 7, 2011)

John911 said:


> Thats so cool that she did that.  Do you sepparate the substrate from the rocks with a screen of some type?


No, the substrate is directly on top of the rocks.  Here is the thread that goes through the construction of that enclosure, if you are curious.

and Thank you, she is one of my favorites, but she is Mr. Gone's baby.


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## Johnny1320 (Jan 7, 2011)

curiousme said:


> No, the substrate is directly on top of the rocks.  Here is the thread that goes through the construction of that enclosure, if you are curious.
> 
> and Thank you, she is one of my favorites, but she is Mr. Gone's baby.



That looks awesome.  Thanks for posting the link, now i have some motivation to throw down on the 10's we have sitting around!  Do you treat, or bake the wood before using it with T's?


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## curiousme (Jan 7, 2011)

John911 said:


> That looks awesome.  Thanks for posting the link, now i have some motivation to throw down on the 10's we have sitting around!  Do you treat, or bake the wood before using it with T's?


The wood in that enclosure was collected from our 70+ acres of undeveloped forest, then brought home and left on the back porch(in town) for months to sit/ bake in the sun.  That's it, no baking, no boiling and no infestation or problems.


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## Introvertebrate (Jan 7, 2011)

codykrr said:


> .................I prefer to use corkbark over wood from outdoors though.  not knocking it, I just like cork bark better................


It has a nice texture doesn't it?  I can't find any bark outdoors in Ohio as appealing as corkbark.


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## lampeye (Feb 15, 2011)

As a plant guy, I'd like to make some suggestions for some _tremendously _underrated/underused vivarium plants.  _Rhaphidophora tetrasperma_ has to be at the top of the list.  GIS it for images aplenty.  It think its "problem" is that it looks too much like the colossal and slow-growing_ Monstera deliciosa_, but _R. tetrasperma_ is a pothos-fast vine that stays pothos-sized.  In fact, if you've ever seen a mature pothos, it stays smaller than that.  And it makes an all-but-unkillable houseplant.  Get some - this plant deserves to be spread around.

Any of the _Rhipsalis_ are highly underrated as vivarium plants (or even aviary plants, as they are non-toxic if ingested), especially _R. crispata _(the trickier _R, crispimarginata_, isn't bad either), _R. pachyptera_ and R. _elliptica_.  I can give a personal seal of approval for all three, but they do need good light.

_Cryptanthus _is a great genus of mostly small to medium terrestrial bromeliads.  Great colors, and I'd imagine they're good for stabilizing substrate for burrowers when heavily planted.  Michael's Bormeliads is a good source. 

Anyway, I got carried away here as I was just trying to push _R. tetrasperma _as a substitute for the yawn-worthy but ever-popular pothos.


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## MrJohn (Feb 15, 2011)

*This is my  A. Avicularia pinky's enclosure.*


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## curiousme (Feb 21, 2011)

lampeye said:


> As a plant guy, I'd like to make some suggestions for some _tremendously _underrated/underused vivarium plants.  _Rhaphidophora tetrasperma_ has to be at the top of the list.  GIS it for images aplenty.  It think its "problem" is that it looks too much like the colossal and slow-growing_ Monstera deliciosa_, but _R. tetrasperma_ is a pothos-fast vine that stays pothos-sized.  In fact, if you've ever seen a mature pothos, it stays smaller than that.  And it makes an all-but-unkillable houseplant.  Get some - this plant deserves to be spread around.
> 
> Any of the _Rhipsalis_ are highly underrated as vivarium plants (or even aviary plants, as they are non-toxic if ingested), especially _R. crispata _(the trickier _R, crispimarginata_, isn't bad either), _R. pachyptera_ and R. _elliptica_.  I can give a personal seal of approval for all three, but they do need good light.
> 
> ...


We will be keeping our eyes open for the Monstera deliciosa and thank you for the other suggestions as well.  We are always looking for different plants to use other than pothos.  The enclosures all tend to look alike if pothos is all you use.  We like the enclosures to be as different as the Ts housed in them.


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## curiousme (Feb 21, 2011)

Mr. John, what kind of lighting do you have on that croton and how long have you had it in that enclosure?  It is a beautifully colorful plant that would be a neat addition to an enclosure, though I do wonder about the lighting for it.  Beautiful enclosure!


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## curiousme (Feb 22, 2011)

Here are a couple more of our planted enclosures.  We got some new plants to add to them and took pics in the process.

_P. cambridgei_ (Lilith)  We removed the wandering jew from this enclosure and added more greenery instead.




















_H. sp.Vietnam_ (Oblivion)  This is our most established enclosure, but we wanted something besides just pothos in it.
















If you have pictures of planted enclosures, please add them!  I enjoy seeing the variety of plants that others use.


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## AmbushArachnids (Feb 22, 2011)

I love the P. cam enclosure curious! Especialy the water dish. I am in dire need of raising my water dishes. My psalmos are always making a mess of them.. Great thread btw. Beautiful enclosures! :}


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## curiousme (Feb 25, 2011)

AgentD006las said:


> I love the P. cam enclosure curious! Especialy the water dish. I am in dire need of raising my water dishes. My psalmos are always making a mess of them.. Great thread btw. Beautiful enclosures! :}


That stump caught my eye walking through the woods and once the top was cut off, it was perfect for a water dish, so thank you.  

Thank you for the compliment, though I keep hoping to pull others out of the woodwork to post pics of theirs.  A few takers so far, but I know there are more out there!


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## Rue (Feb 25, 2011)

I agree..beautiful enclosure!:worship:

How do you clean it?


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## mikebannon (Feb 25, 2011)

Those are really nice cages!


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## curiousme (Apr 13, 2011)

Rue said:


> I agree..beautiful enclosure!:worship:


Thank you!  



> How do you clean it?


We only grab boluses when we see them and some enclosures have isopods, some don't.  Other than that, we clean water dishes when its needed and that's all.


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## SpidSquid (Apr 13, 2011)

Isopods in a T enclosure help the plants in someway, right? I'm not a plant person, but have been really wanting to add some to my girl's tanks. I'm heading to Lowe's tonight for lumber...add something else to the list, lol!


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