# Invert rack build thread



## ArachnidSentinl (Feb 17, 2020)

I've been in the hobby for a little over a decade -- on and off at times due to grad school, life, etc. I spent a lot of those years working evenings, nights, and holidays, lurking AB/Reddit/whatever, telling myself that I'll finally get around to some of the exotics projects I've been wanting to do once I graduate, buy a house, and have the time/space. Long story short, it's time to cash in on that delayed gratification! 

I recently renovated a space in my basement for a hobby room, and now that it's mostly completed (just need to add some trim and baseboard), I moved my inverts in and have started construction on my first rack of enclosures. The rack itself is a ULINE H-1750-86 48 x 24 x 86" black wire shelving unit, with usable shelf dimensions of approx. 44" x 23.5". I have it extending perpendicular to the wall, the idea being that I can run a row of enclosures on each side (gives me about 12" of depth). My goal is to fill the two tops shelves with planted/bioactive, glass arboreal enclosures, maximizing the shelf space and achieving some semblance of seamlessness and symmetry (terrestrial enclosures to follow and fit below, but I'm not 100% sure what I want to do with that yet). I've decided on 8x vertically-oriented 10 gallon aquariums on the top shelf, and 10 vertically-oriented 5.5 gallon aquariums beneath.

I've done plenty of sculpted backgrounds in my day through all conceivable means. My impatience has made speed a priority (I want to get these up and planted asap), thus I've settled on the good ol' fashioned spray foam technique. I headed out to several nearby Petcos, cleared the shelves of 5's and 10's (dollar per gallon ftw!), and got to work. I've never done a mass batch of these before; it's murder on the back! At any rate, some shots of the initial silicone applied, then after spray foam, silicone, and coco fibre:





Since speed is the name of the game, here, I got lazy with carving away the hard shell of the Great Stuff. It turned out it wasn't much of an issue, though I did go through and add some Zoo Med Terrarium Moss with some bronze-colored (brown) DAP silicone. It covered some of the patchy spots and added a nice bit of dimension:




Note that 4 of the 10 gal tanks are on the opposite side of the rack. You'll also notice that there are acrylic fronts on the 10's. Originally I had planned to construct fronts myself using pieces sourced from TAP plastics. I've built 1/8" acrylic fronts before and had trouble with warping in higher humidity enclosures. I looked into using polycarbonate, but by the time I sourced all the necessary hinges and clasps, it was beyond budget. I decided just to purchase some 1/8" 10 gallon vertical conversion kits from I Heart Geckos. They look slick, seem to have sufficient ventilation, and they're well constructed, so fingers crossed! I've never used them before, but keeping exotics is all about trying new things.

That smaller rack on the side is a ULINE H-2420-72 24 x 12 x 72" black wire shelf unit on which I house my current and regrettably meager collection (I blame grad school!) in a distastefully motley assortment of tubs and kritter keepers. That just won't do, and as this project develops, all will be rehoused in more display-oriented enclosures. Also, that larger enclosure in the back is a custom PVC snake enclosure I purchased from D.W. Geckos that currently houses my juvenile Drymarchon melanurus; he's moving to an 8ft Animal Plastics enclosure soon, which will be another big build project (stay tuned).

So at this stage of the game, I need to wait for the silicone to fully cure on everything, then I can start the hardscape on the 10's. I went to our local expo here in Chicagoland, the All Animal Expo in Wheaton, and picked up some giant cork tubes that I'll be sawing down into 14-16" pieces for hides. I also picked up some pothos, philodendron, and ivy from a local greenhouse today; I'd like to get my hands on some Ficus pumilia if I can, though. Oh! And each row will be lit with a Finnex Planted+ 24/7 HLC LED light bar, which arrive in a few days. I'm a _big time_ fan of the 24/7 light cycle feature, but the old models never had a sufficient period of darkness. I'm told this new model is more customizable, so I expect this to look amazing when it's all lit up.

Stay tuned for more developments! As always, I'm open to comments and feedback. Any ideas what I should do with the hardscape for the 10's aside from cork rounds? Those tanks are for pokies and violaceopes, btw.

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## jrh3 (Feb 18, 2020)

Nice, write up. Im always looking at efficient ways to fit more tanks in a room. Can’t wait to see it once you get the whole thing done.


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## Rhino1 (Feb 19, 2020)

Keep this thread going. This is awesome, I really appreciate seeing this.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## ArachnidSentinl (Feb 19, 2020)

Today I received two 36in Finnex Planted+ 24/7 HLC aquarium LED lights. I plan to use a couple more, but I wanted to see how they perform before committing to the full investment.The Planted+ 24/7 has a 24 hour varying light cycle which I _love_. I've used several Planted+ 24/7 models in the past for various projects -- aquariums, mostly, but also for herps and such. A buddy of mine used them for frog vivs with great success, and I've found them to be my ideal LED fixture, despite a few problems with older models.  My chief complaint has always been that the period of total darkness was never long enough (two hours in past models) and could not be adjusted. When I discovered that the new HLC model allows for that, I was all in on using them for the inverts. Note that there are other LED fixtures with similar 24 hour light cycles, including the Current USA Satellite Plus PRO (never tried it; too expensive for the scope of this project but looks nice) and the Jungle Hobbies Advanced LED (I have one on another viv; _very_ nice customization, but I've found that it overheats for like, no reason, and it's both ridiculously expensive and too powerful for this application); I'm sure there are more that I'm not aware of.




At any rate, let's unbox this thing!




Included in the box is, of course, the main LED bar, plus two clear plastic mounting rails, a detachable power brick, and a remote with two AAA batteries. I have to say, coming from the past models, the upgrades are immediately noticeable. The bar is extremely thin and light, the power brick is much smaller, and the remote seems more robust (it later proved to be far more responsive than past models).

Here are some general pics:








I decided to forego the mounting rails and zip tie it directly to the shelving. This let me angle it backward somewhat, which is helpful in not obliterating my eyeballs when I walk by and look up (intensity will be decreased, but still).




In the end, this was the result on the top shelf:




The following is the demo mode of the 24 hour light cycle (from 24 hours to 24 seconds). Keep in mind this is the default intensity/color, and it'll be adjusted before I have inhabitants in the vivs. This thing is _sweet_!!

View attachment VID_20200219_134206.mp4



















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jrh3 said:


> Nice, write up. Im always looking at efficient ways to fit more tanks in a room. Can’t wait to see it once you get the whole thing done.


Appreciate that! I often find myself frustrated with how things fail to fit together and waste space. My ideal setup would be a bunch of deep, tall, and thin front-opening glass vivs, which one cannot find outside of constructing them themselves. I don't currently have the time or patience for that, lol. Maybe someday in the future.



Rhino1 said:


> Keep this thread going. This is awesome, I really appreciate seeing this.


For sure! Build threads are my favorite to both lurk and contribute. Definitely planning on seeing this one through.

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## Arthroverts (Feb 20, 2020)

Very, very impressive. Delayed gratification has made you powerful in the vivarium world...

@woodie, do you see this?

Thanks for sharing,

Arthroverts

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## ArachnidSentinl (Feb 20, 2020)

The cork for the first eight enclosures is in hand, if you'll pardon the pun:




Three of these cork tubes are approx 30-36in and will for sure be cut down to 14-16in segments. It occurred to me the other day that I have to be mindful of what will fit through the plexiglass doors...

At this point I'm thinking of a top soil/coco fiber/peat mix for the substrate, with no drainage layer. I want something "diggable," and getting a bazillion gallons of ABG exceeds my budget. I'm planning on using various Epipremnum and Philodendron for the big tanks. Probably will get some wandering jew, as well. I'm looking for hardier stuff that won't require swamp conditions to thrive, though I may try some Ficus pumilia in the violaceopes enclosure. Thoughts on the hardscape and plants?

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Arthroverts said:


> Very, very impressive. Delayed gratification has made you powerful in the vivarium world...Thanks for sharing,
> 
> Arthroverts


Much appreciated! Looking at the progress so far, I think it'll be pretty sweet when I'm finished!

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## viper69 (Feb 20, 2020)

Excellent-- Curious on the front acrylic lids.... Did you have to supply I Heart Gecko w/the inner frame dimensions for the lid?

I ask because not all tanks are the same, there's always differences across brands etc. Jamie's Tarantulas - many, many years ago - used to make excellent acrylic lids for Ts. She stopped because every person's tank is different sized, and most people can't measure properly. A real same because the lids were really nice!


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## ArachnidSentinl (Feb 20, 2020)

viper69 said:


> Excellent-- Curious on the front acrylic lids.... Did you have to supply I Heart Gecko w/the inner frame dimensions for the lid?


Their listing noted dimensions and that the fronts are designed to fit Aqueon brand tanks. Fortunately, Aqueon is the brand Petco stocks for their dollar-per-gallon sale (they are also far superior to Tetra brand tanks, which have thin glass and flimsy rims).

I have to say, so far I've been very pleased with the I Heart Geckos fronts. They fit flush, seem robust, and installed quite easily with a little silicone. I Heart Geckos have some other offerings on their site, including a horizontal model which I am tempted to try (my only concern there is a lack of substrate dam). I'll add that it seems like they're the only ones selling conversions these days.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## viper69 (Feb 20, 2020)

ArachnidSentinl said:


> Their listing noted dimensions and that the fronts are designed to fit Aqueon brand tanks. Fortunately, Aqueon is the brand Petco stocks for their dollar-per-gallon sale (they are also far superior to Tetra brand tanks, which have thin glass and flimsy rims).
> 
> I have to say, so far I've been very pleased with the I Heart Geckos fronts. They fit flush, seem robust, and installed quite easily with a little silicone. I Heart Geckos have some other offerings on their site, including a horizontal model which I am tempted to try (my only concern there is a lack of substrate dam). I'll add that it seems like they're the only ones selling conversions these days.


Yep I know the Aqueon deal. If only it applied to 5 gal tanks!!

There is a guy that makes a conversion kit for froggers. It's pretty cool. Turns your tank into a "ExoTerra".


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## ArachnidSentinl (Feb 21, 2020)

I spent some time yesterday setting up the top shelf/10 gals. Some of the cork I purchased was a little large, so I did a lot of sawing and breaking to both fit the pieces in the door and manipulate them into place. I wish I had been able to find some more interesting shapes rather than the more-or-less straight tubes. I found myself having to lean the cork so as to avoid flooding the hides with light (although again, the intensity will be dimmed). I'm trying to be mindful of the positioning of all these enclosure elements, too (e.g. those facing the side of the rack/door, the room's LED can lights, etc.). I suspect I may have to revisit placement as things evolve.

I also planted some clippings of Epipremnum, Philodendron, and Tradescantia. The goal here is to allow for six or more months of growth before introducing inhabitants. Until that time, I can go a bit harder on the light and water to get everything up to speed.







In case you're curious, here's a shot in the light's evening/sunset period:




Next week I'll be digging into the next shelf, which will consist of 10x 5.5 gallon vertical tanks. I have obtained five so far (cleaned 'em out, lol), and four of the five have completed backgrounds. So stay tuned!

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viper69 said:


> Yep I know the Aqueon deal. If only it applied to 5 gal tanks!!
> 
> There is a guy that makes a conversion kit for froggers. It's pretty cool. Turns your tank into a "ExoTerra".


Dollar-per-gallon on 5 gallon tanks is like my deepest, most perverse fantasy, lol. I'm biting the bullet and paying $15 a pop at the moment. Adds up, though!

You have a name or link for that frog conversion?

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## viper69 (Feb 22, 2020)

ArachnidSentinl said:


> I spent some time yesterday setting up the top shelf/10 gals. Some of the cork I purchased was a little large, so I did a lot of sawing and breaking to both fit the pieces in the door and manipulate them into place. I wish I had been able to find some more interesting shapes rather than the more-or-less straight tubes. I found myself having to lean the cork so as to avoid flooding the hides with light (although again, the intensity will be dimmed). I'm trying to be mindful of the positioning of all these enclosure elements, too (e.g. those facing the side of the rack/door, the room's LED can lights, etc.). I suspect I may have to revisit placement as things evolve.
> 
> I also planted some clippings of Epipremnum, Philodendron, and Tradescantia. The goal here is to allow for six or more months of growth before introducing inhabitants. Until that time, I can go a bit harder on the light and water to get everything up to speed.
> 
> ...


I have the link, and I cannot find it. If you head over to Dendroboard and ask there, you'll find it. He even has a YouTube video. I can "see" it, but cannot remember what the logo etc he has.

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## ArachnidSentinl (Mar 4, 2020)

Busy week, but I'm back at it! I constructed (most of, aside from the moss) the fifth viv on the second shelf, so for now it's nice and symmetrical. With all that's been going on, the silicone has had some time to fully cure and everything is nice and dry and ready to roll. I snagged two more 36in Finnex Planted+ 24/7 HLC lights and mounted them with zip ties as before, and the end result is another shelf starting to take shape!




I have more vertical conversion kits, this time for the 5.5 gals, coming from I Heart Geckos. As a side note, Jeremy from I Heart Geckos has been a real pleasure to work with. He ships very quickly and communication has been great. I'm looking forward to getting the next batch of fronts so I can hardscape and plant this shelf.

You'll notice that below the fives is a row of bins, which are serving as more-or-less temp enclosures for my terrestrials. Right now I'm using 11qt IKEA 365+ bins. They're a little on the pricer side, but the dimensions (which measure 12.5in long, 8.25in wide, and 8.75in tall) are excellent, the plastic is robust, and there's a gasket around the lid. I was previously using Container Store bins (e.g. their hobby-classic, Tall Shoebox), but I found them to be a tad flimsy, especially the lids. The loose lids allowed some of my pokies to crap through the seam and onto the walls/floor, so I made the switch (plus gaskets are more centipede-friendly). Ignore the relative disorganization of this shelf, btw. I usually alphabetize my collection, but right not my focus is elsewhere.

Anyway, here's how things are taking shape on the left side of the rack: 




As a side note, many of the clippings I planted in the tens have begun to take off. This Tradescantia zebrina has nearly doubled in size in a little over a week:




It's all coming together! Stay tuned for adding fronts to the first five, five gallons, along with hardscape and plants. After that, I'll be obtaining five more five gallons for the other side of the rack. I'm thinking about changing the theme of the backgrounds for those to something more arid, possibly for some of my semi-arboreal baboons. As always, I welcome any ideas.

One last thing to note: I'll also be doing some horizontal enclosures for some of my terrestrials when I'm done with these top two shelves.

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## ArachnidSentinl (Mar 8, 2020)

Doors (and background moss) installed on the second row! 




My silicone job was a little sloppy this time, which one cannot see from this photo. Due to an availability issue, I went with GE instead of DAP and it seems to have a slightly different viscosity. I'll do another cleanup pass prior to the hardscape. Speaking of which, it's off to the LPS for cork and the nursery for plants!

I picked up some more fives for the backside, but I'm still mulling over how I want to do the backgrounds. For a more arid feel, my first impulse would be for XPS foam covered in grout. I'm not sure I want to commit to that lengthy (and annoying) process, so I'm considering experimenting with adhering topsoil, clay, or sand to either EPS foam (which I have on hand) or Great Stuff with silicone. Experimentation to follow!

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## ArachnidSentinl (Mar 15, 2020)

Well, COVID-19 has thrown a nice wrench in the works. Both NARBC and the All Animal Expo were (rightly) cancelled this past weekend, which prevented me from getting some decent cork and botanicals. I know there was still an unofficial NARBC gathering at the hotel last weekend, but I'm doing my best to be responsible and "socially distance" myself. Thus, I'm working with what I have on hand. That's partially what's led me to forego the arid 'scapes and continue with the classic Great Stuff/coco fiber backgrounds, but also it just turns out I have lots of arboreals that will need rehousing later this year.

So: five more to construct! Fortunately I had some silicone, Great Stuff, and cork on hand.




Later today I'll trim the GS and adhere the coco fiber. Hoping this panic blows over soon so I can grab some nice plants.

As for the arid enclosures that I'm going to build for my baboons, I'm still pondering the details for those setups. What I do know is that I did some research into using sand adhered with silicone to foam, but that now sounds like a no-go, aesthetically speaking. Using drylok to make nice-looking rocks seems very promising however, and much less labor intensive that grout. Has anyone here used drylok for a tarantula enclosure background? 

Also considering some fossorial enclosures one the bottom shelf, potentially -- if I choose not to use it for storage. Oh, and I just received another 42x24x86 rack to position next to this one. I may be using that for my terrestrials in the future. Right now it's holding my snake until my Animal Plastics T70 comes in mid May.


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## ArachnidSentinl (Mar 20, 2020)

COVID-19 continues to slow down this project, but I certainly won't let a global, society-threatening pandemic get in the way (well, maybe...)! I'm trying to be socially responsible and not run around in-person to find necessary components and plants. Fortunately Glassbox Tropicals sent out an email announcing a quarantine sale and was more than happy to indulge. I received 5lbs. of virgin cork bark tubes and about nine plants (it was shipped same-day and arrived the next, I might add! Very pleased.).

Prior to the delivery, I finished up what I could of the backgrounds:




Cork selection was pretty much the perfect size! I later did a small amount of sawing, but otherwise it worked out well.




My favorite of the new plants are the several _Pellionia pulchra_ ("watermelon vine") I purchased. I've never grown this plant before; it's beautiful and so far seems far more hardy than some of the other plants I purchased. I bet this plant is going to look amazing clinging to the hardscape!




Another of the acquisitions is _Begonia thelmae_, which looked promising but unfortunately all four plants immediately melted overnight. I'm not sure if they'll come back or not. I'm bummed, because it seemed to have a similar, eye-catching leaf pattern to the _Pellionia_, only with small flowers.




I also purchased some _Epipremnum pinnatum_ "Cebu Blue" (blue philodendron), which already look super cool in the right light. One is already taking off, the other is melting. Epis seem pretty resilient, so I'm hoping that bounces back, too.




Finally, I also received two _Philodendron_ "Wend-imbe," which is a cross between _P. wendlandii_ and _P. imbe_. It's my understanding that it won't grow larger than 6in, so it should be a good fit for these vivariums. I don't have much to say on these plants yet. I'm thinking they'll fill the space nicely, however!




Given the accumulated supplies, I had enough cork on hand to complete seven of the ten 5 gal enclosures, including sub, hardscape, and plants. Given the few melted plants aforementioned, I suspect I'll have to revisit several of the enclosures with more robust selections should the initial plants not rebound. Here's a few angles of the first five completed, which completes the top two shelves of the right side of the rack (not that I have yet to add leaves and other botanicals, or water dish)







I just realized I don't have a picture of the other (left) side yet, but there's not much change to see on account of only have two of the five, five gals done. I'll be completing that as soon as I have the cork in hand.

I should note that the plant growth so far in the 10 gal setups has been fantastic! I get the sense that now everything is rooted and ready to blow up. I think these will really begin to pop in a few months when the vines climb and fill out. Stay tuned for more!

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## Rhino1 (Mar 20, 2020)

I've really enjoyed seeing this all come together, you've done a fantastic job with everything, it looks very professional. Last year I built a dedicated invert room but at the moment I have too many inverts of all different sizes and species to be able to have all matching enclosures of the same size although after seeing how neatly you have done this, my brain is ticking away in overdrive, it has definitely given me something to work towards.
Thanks for sharing your build here, I originally joined Arachnoboards for inspiration and this thread hasn't dissapointed.
When will you be looking at adding tarantulas and what species are you intending on keeping, how many vivariums are in this build?
I'm using plantglo (made by reptiglo) led light Bars where it's needed with great results, what lighting have you decided on
Regards Rhino

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## Rhino1 (Mar 20, 2020)

Disregard the light question, just seen the post for that


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## ArachnidSentinl (Mar 20, 2020)

Rhino1 said:


> I've really enjoyed seeing this all come together, you've done a fantastic job with everything, it looks very professional. Last year I built a dedicated invert room but at the moment I have too many inverts of all different sizes and species to be able to have all matching enclosures of the same size although after seeing how neatly you have done this, my brain is ticking away in overdrive, it has definitely given me something to work towards.
> Thanks for sharing your build here, I originally joined Arachnoboards for inspiration and this thread hasn't dissapointed.
> When will you be looking at adding tarantulas and what species are you intending on keeping, how many vivariums are in this build?
> I'm using plantglo (made by reptiglo) led light Bars where it's needed with great results, what lighting have you decided on
> Regards Rhino


Thank you! I appreciate that! I figured there would be a few people on AB who appreciate some obsessive organization and over-the-top projects. I'm just taking what I enjoy most about the hobby and running with it.

As for species I'm housing, the eight, ten gallon enclosures will house various pokies and a couple _O_. _violaceopes _for now. The ten, fives will house various psalmos and tapis. I'd also like to get a nice _Cyriopagopus sp_. Hati Hati for one of them. I'll have a few enclosures left over, so I may get a hold of some avics. In truth, some of these are being built for spiders I don't have yet (although I have plenty of slings up and coming); I want to allow the plants to grow in, and I'm trying to shift my hobby focus to enclosure first, spider later. I'm hoping to restrain myself from rehousing anything into these enclosures for six months or so.

I should note that most of my spiders are actually baboons, and that's actually where my primary arachnocultural interest lies. I started with the top levels of the rack merely from a working-top-down plan of attack. I want to do terrestrial/semi-terrestrial setups on the lower levels, but I haven't figured out how to make that a reality quite yet. I want front-opening enclosures that fit the rack space nicely and avoid wasting space. I've yet to find anything outside of custom-commissioning glass euro vivs, but that's a pricey proposition. I might experiment with constructing my own. We'll see.

In total, I'm guessing I can fit at least 28, likely 38 glass arboreal enclosures on this rack, if I choose to run with the same form factor all the way down to the floor. I have another rack positioned parallel to this one that I intend on filling, as well, though one shelf of that will be for a 40 gal bioactive enclosure for a forest scorp. Between the two racks, I'm sure I can get 50 total enclosures going, not counting delis and whatnot for the slings (which will have their own, smaller rack).

Anyway, again: I appreciate the feedback! I'm glad I could inspire you and I hope you get back into your own invert room soon to pursue your own projects!

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## Rhino1 (Mar 20, 2020)

It's definitely appreciated and I can't help but be even more inspired when you use kick-ass words like "arachnocultural".
For me it's always been a two way street and I like to have naturalistic vivarium style enclosures to complement the beauty of the inhabitants, simulate the environment they come from and the big plus in having enclosures that require a little more maintenance gives me more quality time to spend with my inverts

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## ArachnidSentinl (Mar 20, 2020)

Rhino1 said:


> ...For me it's always been a two way street and I like to have naturalistic vivarium style enclosures to complement the beauty of the inhabitants, simulate the environment they come from and the big plus in having enclosures that require a little more maintenance gives me more quality time to spend with my inverts


This is an admirable attitude, and one that I think is unfortunately in the minority in this hobby. I know there have been many ongoing arguments about the necessity and ethics of such enrichment in arachnoculture - many see simplicity and sterility as avoiding unnecessary complication and as therefore more beneficial to the inhabitants. I think there is something of value lost when this occurs however. I feel a much stronger connection with my animals when I invest in them as individuals. 

That, and complicating hobby stuff for it's own sake is just plain fun.

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## Rhino1 (Mar 20, 2020)

I completely agree, but everyone is different and it isn't an ethics or cruelty argument, sometimes you just have to accept it. Ive been active in the hobby since around 2000-2001 and the single most impressive collection of XL adult spiders I've seen of any hobbyist here, all reside in sterilite tubs of dirt, in a cupboard, in the dark and just quietly, it drives me absolutely crazy everytime I visit.

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## ArachnidSentinl (Mar 21, 2020)

Rhino1 said:


> I completely agree, but everyone is different and it isn't an ethics or cruelty argument, sometimes you just have to accept it. Ive been active in the hobby since around 2000-2001 and the single most impressive collection of XL adult spiders I've seen of any hobbyist here, all reside in sterilite tubs of dirt, in a cupboard, in the dark and just quietly, it drives me absolutely crazy everytime I visit.


Yeah, no judgement. Honestly I've kept hundreds of tubs of dirt in the past, I've just been making a concerted effort to do something else recently.

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## BepopCola (Mar 25, 2020)

This is great! Has there been any warping of the fronts so far?


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## ArachnidSentinl (Mar 25, 2020)

BepopCola said:


> This is great! Has there been any warping of the fronts so far?


Thank you! This has been a lot of fun so far and it's cool to see it working out.

No warping so far, but that usually takes a while. I'd still prefer polycarb or glass, but with the way these are constructed (internal door & good ventilation), I'm thinking they'll be fairly resilient over time. I'm also not going crazy with the humidity, outside of watering the plants semi-daily.

COVID-19's got me on semi-hiatus with this project, as I'm trying not to go out unless totally necessary. Stay tuned, though! I still have the bottom half or the rack to do, and a whole 'nother rack afterwards!

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## ArachnidSentinl (Mar 30, 2020)

Sitting here in quarantine, twiddlin' my thumbs! I'm doing my best to keep moving with what I got, but I ordered a few things from Glassbox Tropicals and Josh's Frogs to supplement. Today, my Glassbox order came in (highly recommended vendor, btw): 5lbs of cork and some oak leaves. 

Time to get the hardscape done in the fives, at least! Fortunately I have plenty of coco fiber, top soil, and peat on hand:




As always the cork order from Glassbox was magnificent. Unfortunately, this time is was a little _too_ big! One of the only downsides to this style of front is that it restricts you somewhat in terms of viv furntiure. It can be tough to find appropriately sized pieces, especially when you're standing at a herp show doing the math in your head!




Sometimes you can finagle the cork in there by twisting and turning (not looking forward to any rehousing, btw), but in this case that was mostly a no-go. I had to break one tube into two halves, and the other I had to saw (which always feels criminal, in a way). Everything more or less worked out in the end.

Keep in mind that this is without plants (some of which are coming) and ground cover, but here's how the second shelf of fives is looking so far:







And here's what it looks like _in situ_:




For those wondering about the plants, most have rooted and some are seeing impressive growth. The most successful so far (and arguably my favorite) is the, _Scindapsus pictus _(satin pothos), which is absolutely blowing up in the two tens in which it's planted. The silver spots really pop under the lights, too!




Some of the other plants are just getting established, but turning a corner. Unbelievably, the _Begonia thelmae_ that had almost completely died after shipping/transplant is coming back. Looks a little spindly and bare for now, but after seeing the growth I got over the course of the last week, I think she'll fill in nicely.




Most of the _Pellionia pulchra_ is doing well, too, although I did lose one plant. I'm anxious to see what this looks like once it fills out. Definitely a cool plant, and breathtaking when wet!




Most of the tanks only have one or two plants so far, which is largely a function of just not having access to a nursery right now. It should also be noted that most also have little or no leaf litter either, which is mostly because I haven't added a cleanup crew yet. I'd eventually like to get some isopods in there, but I need to do some research into what the best species may be for low to moderately moist soil. Fortunately I know some local guys, and _isopods are so hot right now! _

Lastly, just for kicks, I did a quick background on a horizontally-oriented 10 gallon tank. I bought two of the I Heart Geckos 10 Gallon HORIZONTAL Aquarium Terrestrial Conversion Kit just to try it out, and I hope to mount it up tomorrow. It may end up being of little utility for spider keepers on account of its lack of substrate dam ("MOAR SUBSTRATE!" as the kids say), but I'm going to try sloping up the sub and see where that gets me. On the upside, it fits _really_ well on the 24x12 wire shelf I have perpendicular to the big rack. I'm thinking it'll be a cool display rack for some NW terrestrials. This one may house my big ol' _G. pulchripes_; we'll see.

Side note: the coco fiber didn't take too well to this background, so she'll need some TLC. I'll have to nuke it with moss.




That's all for today! Stay safe out there, friends.

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## ArachnidSentinl (Apr 1, 2020)

Today I received a small order of plants from Josh's Frogs. Included in that shipment was a _Philodendron cordatum 'Brasil'_ and several _Epipremnum aureum_ (neon pothos). I overestimated my need for the latter and now I have too much; guess I have a new houseplant!




I split up the pothos and philodendron and planted them in the fives, as well as some clippings of _Tradescantia zebrina_ I have laying around. I'm finding that all the pothos and wandering jew I plant in these vivs absolutely blows up! The philodendron seems to be coming in a bit slower. After I planted everything, I added a nice layer of oak leaves and then hosed it all down. I don't plan on keeping these vivs that wet, but I want to kickstart this growth as much as possible.




And here's the other side, after receiving a nice layer of live oak leaves:




Tomorrow I pick up a bunch of _Porcellionides pruinosus_, blues and oranges, from my man @Ztesch and add the clean up crew! Then all there is to do with these 18 vivs is to get everything established, keep them nice and watered, and grow them out for a few months! All in all, I'm quite satisfied with the first two (lol) shelves of this rack/project.

As a quick detour, let's take a look at this random terrestrial 10 gal I'm piecing together. I wasn't sure what to do with the lighting for this small rack of terrestrial setups, as most of my NW terrestrials are the stereotypical bulldozers and I'm opting for fake plants in these setups. I still would like them to have decent lighting, as a) I want this rack to match, and b) enclosures are all in the lighting, anyway. I snagged a few cabinet LED pucks off Amazon on the cheap and this was the result:




I also got a lamp dimmer to try and bring down the light a bit, but it ended up not working. Fortunately, I might not need it. I'm planning on mounting it up like this:




Here's the enclosure lit with the puck. As you can see, I've mounted the front. I'm still torn on whether to add anything to the background or not; it's clear that the coco fiber didn't entirely take on the back. I may just be too lazy to fix it at this point...

At any rate, I have to wait on the silicone to dry on the front before I move forward. Tomorrow I'll dress it up, add some fake succulents, and see how viable it looks for my _G. pulchripes_.

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## mantisfan101 (Apr 2, 2020)

This is taking tarantula keeping to a whole other level and I absolutely love it. Maybe you could even incorporate some sort of automatic misting system although I’m not sure how that’d run while keeping the Ts contained.


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## ArachnidSentinl (Apr 3, 2020)

Today I picked up some Porcellionides pruinosus "Powder Blue" and "Powder Orange;" about 50 of each. I put 3-5 in each vivarium, seeding the top 8 ten gallon enclosures with the blues, and the second shelf fives with the oranges (I mean, gotta stay organized!). 







I'm trying to decide how I want to proceed on this rack. I have about half of it left and I'd like to maximize its potential. The main problem is finding terrestrial enclosures I like, however. I inquired about a custom option - a variation on the vertical 5 gallon fronts that would provide for a substantial substrate dam/space for burrowing. I'm hoping that option proves fruitful, otherwise I suspect I'll build some glass enclosures myself. Either way, I see the potential for approximately 20 additional enclosures on this rack. At this point, I'm going to eagerly hover over my plants as I wait to hear back about the custom inquiry. Stay tuned!

If you'll indulge me a brief epilogue to this post, one particularly exciting addition today is this _beautiful _2019 _Boa constrictor occidentalis. _She's in a bit of a spartan set up right now, but rest assured this is another project in progress. Ultimately I have a 10x3 enclosure build in mind for her once she puts on some size. 




---



mantisfan101 said:


> This is taking tarantula keeping to a whole other level and I absolutely love it. Maybe you could even incorporate some sort of automatic misting system although I’m not sure how that’d run while keeping the Ts contained.


Thank you!

I do have a ProMist PM-60 which I've used in the past on a large planted vivarium with great success. It's nice to have a mister running if the viv is a tropical setup with a high moisture requirement, but I think it would take a bit of experimentation and an awful lot of trust for it to work with a drier setup. A key piece of that would be getting a timer that runs for seconds instead of minutes. I have one, but I'm planning on being targeted with my watering, so I'll just be doing it manually as needed. That said, I will keep such automation in the back of my mind!

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## Arthroverts (Apr 11, 2020)

Simply...amazing. Truly incredible what you are doing. Wish I could do the same, but I can only imagine how much time and money it takes (I can already see the amount of room that I don't have...) you to put everything together.

Quick suggestion with plants BTW: have you considered using _Cissus discolor_ at all? I am finding it is one of my favorite vining plants and it grows like a weed.

Thanks,

Arthroverts 

P.S Your signature is quite excellent. I have thought of doing something similar but I've practically run out of signature space, ha ha.


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## ArachnidSentinl (Apr 11, 2020)

Arthroverts said:


> Simply...amazing. Truly incredible what you are doing. Wish I could do the same, but I can only imagine how much time and money it takes (I can already see the amount of room that I don't have...) you to put everything together.


Thank you! It's been a lot of fun so far, and it's been great to hear others validate the project. I never had an overabundance of room for my collection in the past. Buying a house really opened up some possibilities; I refinished an old storage room in the unfinished part of the basement, demo'd the whole thing, moved a wall, redid electrical, etc. The walls, ceiling, and floor are matte black, so all the enclosures really pop with the LED lighting. In the end, I have a little under 200 sq ft of room. A significant portion of that will be taken up by my snake enclosures - initially planned for 8'x3', though now I'm thinking I may just build enclosures the full/near width of the room (why not!?  ). I've flirted with getting a 300 gal stock tank for a snapping turtle, but my girlfriend has vetoed that plan...

In terms of cost, it ran me about $60 per enclosure, more or less. I was able to save a lot of money by buying things in bulk, getting cheap plant cuttings, and/or having friends that cut me deals on various things. It hasn't been cheap, but doing everything at once has really helped with the cost.

Time-wise, I think you'd be surprised at how quick this actually went up. To be honest, the worst part was sourcing materials and waiting on packages to arrive. Waiting for Great Stuff and silicone to cure overnight was also a bit of a pain, but I'd crank out the backgrounds in batches of 5-10 at a time. In honesty, GS background are some of the simplest and fastest ones you can do. In the future I want to do some more rocky surfaces with dry-lock and such; I think that will be a bit more time consuming, what with carving, multiple coats, etc. Of course, the COVID-19 quarantine helped me source some free time, as well.



Arthroverts said:


> Quick suggestion with plants BTW: have you considered using _Cissus discolor_ at all? I am finding it is one of my favorite vining plants and it grows like a weed.


I have not, but it's on my radar now! Thanks for the suggestion. I'll see if I can source some. The problem I had with plants is that by the time I was on to the planting phase, Illinois had (rightly) shut down all nonessential businesses and ordered shelter-in-place. I usually get my plants from a semi-local nursery which has _everything_, but since the shutdown I've been restricted to getting whatever I can by mail. I'm trying to order sparingly, as I'm concerned for the warehouse and delivery crews out there. When this blows over, it's time for a plant shopping spree! 



Arthroverts said:


> P.S Your signature is quite excellent. I have thought of doing something similar but I've practically run out of signature space, ha ha.


I adapted that from an old saying in the cycling community (another hobby of mine) about owning more than one bike. Feel free to use it!


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## SigiSpider (Apr 12, 2020)

Thanks for documenting this process. I'll be doing my own build later this year, and I love the inspiration. Gotta get my Ts off my dining table at some point.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ArachnidSentinl (Apr 13, 2020)

SigiSpider said:


> Thanks for documenting this process. I'll be doing my own build later this year, and I love the inspiration. Gotta get my Ts off my dining table at some point.


Lol, I hear that! Glad I could inspire.

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## ArachnidSentinl (Apr 16, 2020)

Most of the plants have been doing well and filling in, with a few notable exceptions where the clippings were having trouble taking root. I decided to snag a few more 4in pots of various philodendrons to help move things along. I split up some small pots of _Philodendron cordatum_ and _Philodendron cordatum 'Lemon' _between the more sparsely planted vivs. I also purchased two small _Aeschynanthus radicans_, just to experiment (somehow managed to miss a picture of that; stay tuned).

Here's a few random pics. Note that this rack is perpendicular to the wall, parallel to another rack (holding my snakes at the moment), and is closely bordered on the other side by another wall. This was all done in an effort to maximize the space in my new hobby room (effectively giving me ~24in aisles), but it makes it difficult to get full pictures of the rack as a whole. So bear with me!










Since I'm still trapped indoors on account of COVID-19, I've been trying to find creative ways to expand the scope of this project. On the suggestion of my girlfriend, I ordered a label maker. In this case, I bought a Brother P-touch, PTH110 off Amazon, which cost me about $25. I paired that with some off-brand black label tape and got to work labeling all the plants.

Overall, not bad. Previously I had been using masking tape and sharpie, so this is a nice step up (though I suspect not nearly as economical). When the time comes, I'll probably print the spider binomials in another color (white?). 








Of course, this process was carefully observed by the foreman:




That's all for now. Stay tuned!

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## Arthroverts (Apr 17, 2020)

ArachnidSentinl said:


> Thank you! It's been a lot of fun so far, and it's been great to hear others validate the project. I never had an overabundance of room for my collection in the past. Buying a house really opened up some possibilities; I refinished an old storage room in the unfinished part of the basement, demo'd the whole thing, moved a wall, redid electrical, etc. The walls, ceiling, and floor are matte black, so all the enclosures really pop with the LED lighting. In the end, I have a little under 200 sq ft of room. A significant portion of that will be taken up by my snake enclosures - initially planned for 8'x3', though now I'm thinking I may just build enclosures the full/near width of the room (why not!?  ). I've flirted with getting a 300 gal stock tank for a snapping turtle, but my girlfriend has vetoed that plan...
> 
> In terms of cost, it ran me about $60 per enclosure, more or less. I was able to save a lot of money by buying things in bulk, getting cheap plant cuttings, and/or having friends that cut me deals on various things. It hasn't been cheap, but doing everything at once has really helped with the cost.
> 
> ...


Yeah, I currently don't have an overabundance of space, ha ha. Maybe one day though...
The amount of effort you are putting into this reminds me of the zealous salt water aquarium enthusiast who builds the house around the tank; very impressive!

Was it the 300 gallon tank or the snapping turtle that got your plan vetoed ?

$60 per enclosure x 20+ enclosures still takes a bit out of the wallet. Probably more than I spend on my animals in a year.
Maybe you should do a video of the process to show how long it takes? Might be something worth considering, IF you have any more enclosures to make, ha ha.

Yeah, I think it might look really good in some of those enclosures.

I can't reuse someone else's signature line, ha ha. I'd have to come up with some other clever version of it if I were to use it.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

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## Hydrophilus (Apr 17, 2020)

Holy bug room goals, batman! This is an awesome thread. I look forward to seeing the progress continue!

How do you heat the space in your basement? I assume you are supplying some sort of room heating as opposed to heating individual cages?

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## ArachnidSentinl (Apr 17, 2020)

Arthroverts said:


> Yeah, I currently don't have an overabundance of space, ha ha. Maybe one day though...
> The amount of effort you are putting into this reminds me of the zealous salt water aquarium enthusiast who builds the house around the tank; very impressive!
> 
> Was it the 300 gallon tank or the snapping turtle that got your plan vetoed ?
> ...


Well, I never said it was cheap. But that's what that stimulus check is for! 

Actually, I have always appreciated the reef subculture. There's something about that subculture - where people take pride in their nuanced husbandry and radical builds - that I think is really missing from arachnoculture and herpetoculture. Subjectively, it's just a different vibe in that scene (although I don't have a reef tank; I enjoy affording food). At any rate, I haven't quite taken it to such an extreme, but...we'll see how this escalates further.

Videos are definitely a possibility in the future. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with the bottom half of the rack - whether I'll convert standard-sized tanks, order some custom-fabricated ones, or what. Right now I'm investigating the possibility of getting some glass euro-vivs made for the terrestrials. Once I get the form factor figured out, I'll do at least one vid for this thread.

I haven't been able to find _Cissus discolor _yet, btw. Glassbox was out of stock and I didn't see any on Josh's Frogs. I'll take a trip to the nursery once all this COVID-19 stuff blows over. 

As for the turtle build, she vetoed the snapper, lol.



Hydrophilus said:


> Holy bug room goals, batman! This is an awesome thread. I look forward to seeing the progress continue!
> 
> How do you heat the space in your basement? I assume you are supplying some sort of room heating as opposed to heating individual cages?


Thank you! There's definitely more to come, so stay tuned!

This room is the closest to the furnace, so it tends to be a lot warmer than the rest of the house. I'm supplementing the normal heat with a 1500W oil radiator heater (just for the winter), and  between the two the ambient temp stays at about 72-75 degrees. Humidity remains a problem that I'll need to lock down (in the winter, it's about 30%).


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## Arthroverts (Apr 17, 2020)

ArachnidSentinl said:


> Well, I never said it was cheap. But that's what that stimulus check is for!
> 
> Actually, I have always appreciated the reef subculture. There's something about that subculture - where people take pride in their nuanced husbandry and radical builds - that I think is really missing from arachnoculture and herpetoculture. Subjectively, it's just a different vibe in that scene (although I don't have a reef tank; I enjoy affording food). At any rate, I haven't quite taken it to such an extreme, but...we'll see how this escalates further.
> 
> ...


Ha ha!

Yes, the reefing hobby is definitely something to behold, but you have two things missing when you go off into the deep end with that: time and money. My setup was pretty cheap to set up, but it is bare-bone's and it sure isn't the most spectacular marine aquarium you'll see by a long shot.

Well, I look forward to whatever comes out of it!

I might be able to get you a cutting or two once it grows back a little bit. If you still haven't found any available after a little while let me know.

O.K, so no snapper, but go ahead the tank ! I'd be interested in seeing what you'd put in a setup like that, whether it be a reptile, fish, or even the most amazing invertebrate enclosure I've ever seen, ha ha!

Thanks,

Arthroverts


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## ArachnidSentinl (Apr 17, 2020)

Arthroverts said:


> Ha ha!
> 
> Yes, the reefing hobby is definitely something to behold, but you have two things missing when you go off into the deep end with that: time and money. My setup was pretty cheap to set up, but it is bare-bone's and it sure isn't the most spectacular marine aquarium you'll see by a long shot.
> 
> ...


She'll come around! Truthfully, she's just worried about my daughter's fingers, which I totally get. I'm mostly being facetious with the blame-the-gf thing (I like to tease her about it; in truth, she's amazingly supportive).

And honestly, I'm trying to restrain myself from getting back into aquatics anyway. In addition to the inverts, I'm poised to begin construction on at least one 8ft snake enclosure whenever my Animal Plastics order arrives. I have equally grandiose plans for that build, although I can't do plants on account of my cribo being an absolute madman. With all these ongoing projects, I'm bleeding chips! I'm gonna need to start stripping soon...

Check out YouTube for some stock tank turtle builds, though! There's more than one channel with some outrageous/over-the-top stuff you'll enjoy.


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## ArachnidSentinl (Apr 19, 2020)

Thought I'd post a few updates on the plants I've mentioned but haven't gotten around to posting. Here's one of the _Aeschynanthus radicans_ I planted; never had one of these before, so we'll see how she does!




Also, that _Begonia thelmae_ that melted earlier has seen an explosive recovery. That, and it's flowering! Definitely a cool touch to the viv. 




And finally, just an overall pic of the left side of the rack so far. I think this'll look really awesome in a few months if I can get all these vines to grow up the cork and/or background. They're just starting to take hold. It's hard to have patience!


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## Mjc5281 (Apr 19, 2020)

This looks amazing! I'm looking into starting something along the same lines as what your invert rack. I was just curious as to what you're doing as a heating element. At the moment I have a heat lamp on my t's and a space heater in the room but I'm trying to clean everything up and make it more aesthetically pleasing.


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## ArachnidSentinl (Apr 19, 2020)

Mjc5281 said:


> This looks amazing! I'm looking into starting something along the same lines as what your invert rack. I was just curious as to what you're doing as a heating element. At the moment I have a heat lamp on my t's and a space heater in the room but I'm trying to clean everything up and make it more aesthetically pleasing.


Thank you! 

I'm a big proponent of supplemental heating, although that's generally a tricky proposition with invertebrates. Heat mats are either completely useless and/or have disastrous results, and heat lamps take up a lot of space and seem pretty inefficient for heating collections. I do my best to keep my collection 70 at the minimum, and generally in the 72-75 range. For years I used a fan-forced space heater, but that honestly did a poor job and cost a lot of money. The room this rack is in is fairly warm to begin with due to being close to the furnace and having several ambient heat sources (e.g. RHP and CHEs in the snake enclosures, and a computer that I use for gaming). Nevertheless, for the winter I'm supplementing the normal house heat with a 1500W oil radiator heater. I've found this kind of space heater to be much more efficient and effective (and safe).


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## ArachnidSentinl (Apr 21, 2020)

Just a quick update: I bit the bullet and commissioned 8x glass euro vivs from Protean Terrarium Design. These will constitute the next shelf layer, and my current plan is to house various baboons in these enclosures. I'm planning on using joint mortar for the backgrounds, and clay-based soil (sourced locally) for substrate. I anticipate a 2 month lead time.

Super excited!


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## ArachnidSentinl (May 7, 2020)

There have been few structural advances in this project over the last few weeks. That said, I do have eight additional glass enclosures on order and I'm anticipating receiving them within the next month. In the meantime...I'm watching the plants grow. Some updated pictures:







Yesterday I visited my LPS for some emergency supplies (my _Drymarchon melanurus_ started an electrical fire and destroyed his enclosure. Funny in retrospect, _not_ at the time!). When I arrived, I saw a stack of beat-up tanks on the floor in the fish section; apparently, a relative of someone recently deceased dropped off the poor man's entire tarantula collection. I browsed a bit and ended up snagging this _Avicularia avicularia_ M6. I was told that the person who dropped her off hadn't fed or watered the collection for many months, and it was apparent how weak and dehydrated she was upon my return home. Though I initially wanted these tanks to grow out more before I added inhabitants, I decided that she would be a good fit for one of the 5 gallon setups. Here she is after a long drink, settling in:




Itching to get those new tanks!

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## Dorifto (May 8, 2020)

mantisfan101 said:


> This is taking tarantula keeping to a whole other level and I absolutely love it. Maybe you could even incorporate some sort of automatic misting system although I’m not sure how that’d run while keeping the Ts contained.


I have one installed on my vivs, but it's more like a backup setup, ie when I'm in long vacations etc. You can do an auto misting system for cheap, sourcing some parts from aliexpress etc. 

The biggest problem to is check the humidity levels on each enclosure, since one could stay humid the other could stay more dry. So if you set the system to activate automatically could be more of a problem than a solution. You have to do it correctly, checking humidity levels, in small groups or something like that.

I have only two vivs, so there isn't so much problem checking the temps etc. I use a Trixie reptiland Hygrostat and thermostat, and I take the humidity and temps from my geniculata enclosure, since she needs the most humid and warm enviroment. You can use different nozzles to supply different amounts of water too.


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## Dorifto (May 8, 2020)

@ArachnidSentinl I think that the chamaedorea elegans will look great in those vertical enclosures. It's my fetish plant along with the hawaii crespo hahahahaha


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## Konstantin Konstantinov (May 9, 2020)

Dorifto said:


> I have one installed on my vivs, but it's more like a backup setup, ie when I'm in long vacations etc. You can do an auto misting system for cheap, sourcing some parts from aliexpress etc.
> 
> The biggest problem to is check the humidity levels on each enclosure, since one could stay humid the other could stay more dry. So if you set the system to activate automatically could be more of a problem than a solution. You have to do it correctly, checking humidity levels, in small groups or something like that.
> 
> I have only two vivs, so there isn't so much problem checking the temps etc. I use a Trixie reptiland Hygrostat and thermostat, and I take the humidity and temps from my geniculata enclosure, since she needs the most humid and warm enviroment. You can use different nozzles to supply different amounts of water too.


Hi 
Have you thought about adding water directly in the bottom layers of the substrate(with a tube going straight in there)  instead of misting over the top with nozzles.It will be more controlled way to add moisture without making things too swampy on top.
Regards Konstantin


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## Dorifto (May 9, 2020)

Konstantin Konstantinov said:


> Hi
> Have you thought about adding water directly in the bottom layers of the substrate(with a tube going straight in there)  instead of misting over the top with nozzles.It will be more controlled way to add moisture without making things too swampy on top.
> Regards Konstantin


It's a good idea, but in the reallity doesn't work quite well. Adding water this way,  you will only get a first layer of ultra damp substrate, but the top layer will remain almost dry. Then you gonna have mold isues etc.

In my old setup with the clay balls happened that. The clay balls drained water from top layers of substrate. They dry. The layers close to the clay balls were flooded, but I have to water my plants, so more water was added. Mold.

It's better to check visually and then if you have to mist your plants or enclosure to do it. You can also install valves to activate o deactivate nozzles if you are using automatic setups.

Gravity works quite well. Capillarity not so much in some cases


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## Mjc5281 (May 16, 2020)

This has been one of the most inspirational threads I have yet to come across on this forum. It has definitely given me many ideas,although most of my t's are too small to be rehoused into anything like these. I have started to prepare a rack with naturalistic enclosure though. I had a few questions I was hoping you would be able to answer for me. what kind of substrate are you using in accordance with the live plants? I've started to buy Terra Aranea from BioDude.com but have not started using it just yet. Also are you using spring tails and isopods, and if so what species in particular? Lastly I have really started to gain interest in centipedes as well as hope to start adding some to my collection of inverts and wanted to know what species you find to be the most enjoyable and interesting to own and do you plan on keeping them in bioactive enclosures? Thank you again for keeping us all up to date with your invert rack build it's by far one of the best I have ever seen.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Arthroverts (Mar 15, 2021)

Any updates on this project @ArachnidSentinl?

Thanks,

Arthroverts

Reactions: Agree 2


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## me and my Ts (Feb 6, 2022)

Please update!!!


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