# question about  H. incei communal setup?



## cj5y (Mar 3, 2012)

i have found a lot of info about H. incei communal setups, but i have not really seen anything about what kind of tank layout they like the best. my question is would the enjoy a setup like (figure 1) where there is more over all area for burrowing and some clutter, or one like figure 2 where there is not as much area but i could add more clutter to hide in? my tank is a 29 gal fish tank btw. so it has more height than anything else.


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## Hobo (Mar 3, 2012)

From my experience, and from what I've seen of other's setups, I think figure two, with a little bit more sub would be better.

With more clutter, there are more places to hide, and more room for more spiders. You can pile pieces of cork or something in a slope towards the back, which would be better than just a slope of sub, IMO.


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## xhexdx (Mar 3, 2012)

I don't like using styrofoam, but that's just me.

Two of my three incei communals are planted.  One is a full-blown vivarium and the other is a ten gallon.  Both have lots of cork bark so there are lots of places to hide.  The third is a large kritter keeper with fake plants and no cork bark.  The incei in this one webbed the tar out of everything, and have their own little city in there.


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## cj5y (Mar 4, 2012)

ok, thanks for the info.


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## LucasNorth (Mar 4, 2012)

On the note of plants vs fake plants, what species of plants are you using which can tolerate the crazed webbing of an H incei communal?
(id like to go that root if possible) Thanks


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## cj5y (Mar 4, 2012)

LucasNorth said:


> On the note of plants vs fake plants, what species of plants are you using which can tolerate the crazed webbing of an H incei communal?
> (id like to go that root if possible) Thanks


i would like to know the answer to that question also.


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## Jared781 (Mar 4, 2012)

cj5y said:


> i have found a lot of info about H. incei communal setups, but i have not really seen anything about what kind of tank layout they like the best. my question is would the enjoy a setup like (figure 1) where there is more over all area for burrowing and some clutter, or one like figure 2 where there is not as much area but i could add more clutter to hide in? my tank is a 29 gal fish tank btw. so it has more height than anything else.


Figue 1, but not as intense! like push the incline back a bit more?


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## xhexdx (Mar 4, 2012)

cj5y said:


> i would like to know the answer to that question also.


I use pothos and wandering jew.

Reactions: Like 1


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## cj5y (Mar 5, 2012)

Jared781 said:


> Figue 1, but not as intense! like push the incline back a bit more?


yeah, i have been thinking about what hobo and xhexdx said, and i think im going to do most of it flat with a sharp incline to the back of the tank. it will give me a little more surface area, and give the plants in the back some height. plus, when i lean cork bark/drift wood against the incline there will be a small gap they can use as hides.

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xhexdx said:


> I use pothos and wandering jew.


awesome! i wont have to spend any money on plants bc i have some wandering jew in the yard, and a hanging variegated pothos.


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## Jared781 (Mar 5, 2012)

definitely update us bro!


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## billopelma (Mar 10, 2012)

Over the past 6 years I've had and still have a number of various communal incei setups (as well as other species), the largest being a hex about 9" across and 14" high, the smallest about 2"x4"x5". The hex is sometimes planted, the others just substrate, branches and bark pieces. There's an ebb and flow of behavioral patterns and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to if and when they web everything over, the planted tank will go the better part of a year with only partial webbing between plants and then suddenly they'll start covering everything and before long the plants are smothered. I'll put up with it for a while and eventually do a makeover. To make things easier, I'll wail until there's a minimum population of small slings (that are difficult to work around) and pull most of the webbing out and replant, I just use indigenous plants from the back yard and woods.
I also presently have one set with a lot of juvies and one adult (the mom) that's not even half webbed up and another with large slings and some adults was almost solid right to the top until I just leveled most of it digging out slings.

From my experience, to do a long term successful planted tank (not just with a communal but with any t) you simply need to have more space than the T's will use and abuse. Otherwise it's often a battle that requires frequent attention and landscaping.
 I've found that while incei will sometimes burrow into solid substrate, they will generally just web over it and definitely prefer to be opportunistic and use natural gaps/crevices. To maximize space in a smaller set it's better to use minimal substrate and stack bark, branches and leaf litter to create a lot of livable area but if putting a dozen slings in a 29 gal it may be better to fill it in with some solid sub as in figure 1 (just to take up some of the cavernous excess space) and then excavate it as they grow and will take advantage of more space. As with any slings, it's hard to make sure they all get food when they're spread out in an overly large area.
They will web up into plants, branches and such but usually only if it's as an extension of a solidly grounded network.

My communal's started with two females and a mm male loaned from a friend. He put his half of the slings in a big 18" exoterra with a single continuous huge slab of dirt/moss/plants straight out of the woods that filled half the tank and while being somewhat solid in the middle, had tons of voids going all the way around the perimeter. 







Years later it's still going and has yards of continuous tunnels going round and round, up and down, in and out. While not being really efficient use of the space, it's nice because you can see the majority of the inhabited area all along the glass. 

This was my fairly fresh planted setup, maybe a few months along...







I've redone it multiple times but with no maintenance it gradually turns into a solid mass of web that resembles a snow covered hill, as it is presently. I keep threatening to set up something bigger and consolidate my three communal's as well as some individually housed adult females. Would make it very difficult when I want to sell a few slings though, takes some mass destruction to dig them out of big complex sets, as well as a high risk of crushing some while doing it.
Plus, I like to keep a couple of separate bloodlines to mix and match for breeding, I'll pull mm males from one and swap them to another.


Bill

Reactions: Like 1


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## maxfightmaster (Mar 11, 2012)

those are really nice setups. i have a question for some of the experienced communal h. incei keepers... do any of yall use woodlice, pillbugs, or springtails to help keep mold down and keep the tank clean?


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## billopelma (Mar 11, 2012)

> do any of yall use woodlice, pillbugs, or springtails to help keep mold down and keep the tank clean?



All of the above, in any enclosure that maintains enough moisture to support them.


Bill


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