# Swamp/Semi-Aquatic Tarantula/Scorpion?



## AbraxasComplex (Jan 11, 2008)

So I have a tank that is half land, half water. And I need your help/suggestions.

I have been trying to find an arachnid that will thrive in such an environment. Either semi-aquatic, or swamp.

Is there such an arachnid on the market?



Here are some terrible photos of the settup:


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## David_F (Jan 11, 2008)

A Hysterocrates sp. might do okay in a half land/half water enclosure if you could ensure the burrow wouldn't be flooded all the time.  There was a thread by Conipto that was about what you're trying to do.  Maybe search and check it out.  If the enclosure was taller I'd say maybe an Avicularia sp.


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## sick4x4 (Jan 11, 2008)

an avic maybe???? but thats alot of water area...though i have seen avics crossing rivers, soo it might work....

wayne


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## Mushroom Spore (Jan 11, 2008)

That is NOT half water, more like 2/3 water. You're better off getting firebellied newts or something...and a filter or something, because that is some nasty water.


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## AbraxasComplex (Jan 11, 2008)

Mushroom Spore said:


> That is NOT half water, more like 2/3 water. You're better off getting firebellied newts or something...and a filter or something, because that is some nasty water.


Nope it's not... Actually crystal clear... Looks that way due to the duck weed and the flash on the camera. I check all the levels of the chemicals every few weeks. Perfect.


I had newts in there once. They bred like mad. So does every organism that I place in there, from gouramis, to shrimp, to galaxy rasboras. I literally take out a bucket of overgrowth of plants and baby animals once a month.


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## David_F (Jan 11, 2008)

AbraxasComplex said:


> They bred like mad. So does every organism that I place in there, from gouramis, to shrimp, to galaxy rasboras.


Only problem with that line of though is that those are all aquatic animals (are rasboras animals or plants?).  Tarantulas aren't aquatic so there may be a problem.  Like Wayne said, an Avic is probably the best bet.  Might live okay in the plants you have there and you might be able to put some guppies or something in the water to give you something to look at while the spider is hiding.  It's best to design the habitat around the animals needs rather than designing a habitat and then asking what would do well in it.


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## NevularScorpion (Jan 11, 2008)

i think cameron baboon can swim i heard some researchers found them hunting for fish. I'm not sure which T dealer i heard that description about them.


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## AbraxasComplex (Jan 11, 2008)

Rasboras are fish.


Just so you know all my animals do better with that stradegy. I create an ecological niche, and find an animal that suits it. Such as my rainforest habitat I created (complete with self renewing food sources, running previously for 2 years), I placed an infant Avicularia sp. and she has grown faster and is more vibrant than any other Avicularia I've housed in any other setup. Only now as she is maturing have I needed to actually add additional food (all the original food items are now too small to actually interest her). My tailless whip scorpions reproduce constantly in my other set ups, also created 2 years before they were added.


The tank I posted is a complete asiatic swamp system. All the plants (besides the pothos I placed in there to mature it for another tank) are actually asian semi-aquatic plants that have both terrestrial and aquatic phases, and thus they have taken over my land portions over the last 2 years(which are actually pieces of malaysian drift wood). Before I had to move, the tank had 1st, 2nd and possibly 3rd generation firebellied newts, who know's what generation white cloud, as well as a self renewing shrimp population.. After I moved my new house was too warm, my room got to 90'F so I removed the white clouds, and newts into the basement. Now the tank only has galaxy rasboras, and shrimp.

I want to find a species that fits this ecological niche.


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## Mushroom Spore (Jan 11, 2008)

AbraxasComplex said:


> I want to find a species that fits this ecological niche.


You're just not going to. Besides the odd tarantula species that will take a dive for fish, tarantulas and scorpions are just...not aquatic creatures, and most of your tank is water.


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## Ice Cold Milk (Jan 11, 2008)

I think the closest you'll get to aquatic is a Hysterocrates spp...
They need soil though, and that setup has so much water.  
I have kept H. gigas in a setup of 12" of peat on one side, with the other side of the tank flooded to about 4-6" of water.  Gotta use sand or small pebbles to hold the dirt down, otherwise the water gets all manky.  And be careful of waste...it can muck up and wreak havoc pretty easily.  

Hysterocrates will love the extremely wet soil, and will burrow so far as that their burrow is half-submerged.  They will also come out at night and swim around a little bit, and can hunt things in the water from sensing their vibrations.  But for the most part they live in their burrow.  

I think you'll get something appropriate if you remove 2/3 of that water, and add 1 part substrate for every part of water you take out.  

-=ICM=-


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## Sabatta (Jan 11, 2008)

I want one :worship: 

What do you use for filtration?  And do you give your plants natural light or do they grow well enough with bulbs?  And how do you avoid mold?  And, and...

Ok, enough questions.  Well, maybe you could put a water spider, the kind that makes a little diving bell under the water.  Or maybe a fishing spider.  But like most people said, there is no T that will truly appreciate the full scope of that setup.


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## RoachGirlRen (Jan 11, 2008)

There are some attractive smaller Dolomedes sp. that travel on the water's surface, but they are only about 1/4"-1/2" so perhaps not too interesting to you. I know that some larger (about 3-4" legspan) dolomedes sp. do tend to dwell right on the water's edge (hence earing the name "dock spider")... I want to say it is Dolomedes tenebrosus but I'm not 100% sure. 





Probably the closest you'll get to a T for that habitat.


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## Merfolk (Jan 11, 2008)

We have plenty of Dolomedes in Quebec. However, juvenile specimen that I kept at room temperature during the winter failed to grow, they started producing dummy eggsacs on and on once they reached 2 in. Like if they need the winter dipause or something. I fed them to my Pokies...


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## scottyk (Jan 11, 2008)

When spring rolls around grab a dipnet and get some of the larger carniverous aquatic beetles and dragonfly nymphs. They are absolutely voracious predators and make a great display. You will also get to see the dragonfly metamorphasis on the emergent plants.

Just make sure to incorporate a screen lid into your system to corral them as they turn into adults, then feed them to your arboreal T's....


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## Aarantula (Jan 11, 2008)

*Underwater Spiders...*

I was in PA a few years back and (to make a long story short)...

This river actually had a small island out in the middle of it and from what I heard from a few people in the area it was "infested" with what they called "water spiders".

Well needles to say I didn't believe them until hanging out at that exact same spot where I could see the small island I saw NUMEROUSE spiders with a leg span of approx. 4" that actually were swimming under the water!!! When they came up onto land I noticed that some were black and some actually looked transparent yellowish... CRAZY HUH!!?? It was impossible to see the clear ones under water! 

I know I know... sounds VERY sci-fi but I just thought I'd mention it! If I ever go back there I'm gonna DEFINITLY bring a few home with me. I have no idea of the species!


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## Talkenlate04 (Jan 11, 2008)

> Well needles to say I didn't believe them until hanging out at that exact same spot where I could see the small island I saw NUMEROUSE spiders with a leg span of approx. 4" that actually were swimming under the water!!!


Sounds like the fishing spider. I am not sure of the scientific name but they are cool to watch.


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## AbraxasComplex (Jan 11, 2008)

Sabatta said:


> I want one :worship:
> 
> What do you use for filtration?  And do you give your plants natural light or do they grow well enough with bulbs?  And how do you avoid mold?  And, and...
> 
> Ok, enough questions.  Well, maybe you could put a water spider, the kind that makes a little diving bell under the water.  Or maybe a fishing spider.  But like most people said, there is no T that will truly appreciate the full scope of that setup.



I used to use a submersible fluval 1. But turned it off, and found everything did better. I turn it on for an hour every few days to filter out the tannins from the drift wood (purigen does wonders). I have a flourescent bulb on the tank due to the fact I have no south facing window big enough for that tank. Otherwise the plants are all low light and would work perfectly in that setting. Mold tends never to grow in this acidic environment, but I also have isopods living and cleaning the land portion.


But there may be a scorpion:
http://www.americanarachnology.org/J...4_p15_grey.pdf



> Remarks.—This
> species has been collected only from water-filled spaces
> between leaf sheaths of the bromeliad Glomeropitcairnia erectora Mez. On live
> specimens a large chamber extending from the stigmata and surrounding the
> ...


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## Stylopidae (Jan 11, 2008)

There are some _Dolomedes ssp._ around here that can attain 3" +

Difficult to find and even harder to catch.


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## AbraxasComplex (Jan 11, 2008)

I just realized... are there not species of Centruroides (bark scorpions) throughout the Florida everglades?


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## KenTheBugGuy (Jan 11, 2008)

sick4x4 said:


> an avic maybe???? but thats alot of water area...though i have seen avics crossing rivers, soo it might work....
> 
> wayne


I agree with the avic if it is only half water.


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## Brian S (Jan 11, 2008)

AbraxasComplex said:


> I just realized... are there not species of Centruroides (bark scorpions) throughout the Florida everglades?


The Fla Centruroides prefer to live in run down neighborhoods under trash alot more than they prefer the glades. Those not living close to man would prefer the high ground I'm sure


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## KenTheBugGuy (Jan 11, 2008)

*Just relized*

If there is anything else like newts or lizards in the tank there is a good chance a tarantula would try eating them....that also goes into a whole mess of your tarantula possibly getting bitten and stuff.


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## AbraxasComplex (Jan 11, 2008)

KenTheBugGuy said:


> If there is anything else like newts or lizards in the tank there is a good chance a tarantula would try eating them....that also goes into a whole mess of your tarantula possibly getting bitten and stuff.


None in that tank. Only aquatic organisms.


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## Truff135 (Jan 11, 2008)

AbraxasComplex said:


> None in that tank. Only aquatic organisms.


You should be wary of those few frisky goldfish though  
But seriously, that is an amazing set-up, I would love to see what it looks like after the creatures are in it.  I am also curious to find out what ends up getting put in there.  I like it a lot :clap:


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## AbraxasComplex (Jan 11, 2008)

Truff135 said:


> You should be wary of those few frisky goldfish though
> But seriously, that is an amazing set-up, I would love to see what it looks like after the creatures are in it.  I am also curious to find out what ends up getting put in there.  I like it a lot :clap:


Haha I despise goldfish. I will never have one (I had a mutant feeder as an example of artificial selection/evolution once in a 10 gallon... it had the twin tails that fancy goldfish have but with the top 2 fins fused). But he passed on since I left for a week and my roommates fed him too much (I told them to feed him once, they dumped a handful of food in).

But I will let you know. I always wanted to exapand my Avic. settup. But I may fear it may be too humid at times.


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