# Bioactive terrariums and substrate use



## Frogdaddy (Nov 16, 2019)

Admittedly I'm a noob when it comes to T's. However I've kept and bred many species of Dart frogs for years. 
How many T keepers use a "bioactive" terrarium with microfauna, ie. Isopods and Springtails? Is it a newer trend among T keepers?
How many T keepers use alternative substrates like ABG Mix? It seems as if straight coco coir is the norm. Old standard or behind the times?
How many utilize live plants or leaf litter?
I'm curious and hopefully this well be an interesting and informative discussion.

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## moricollins (Nov 16, 2019)

Very few people do bio active tarantula setups.

Isopods can be dangerous to tarantulas.


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## Frogdaddy (Nov 16, 2019)

moricollins said:


> Very few people do bio active tarantula setups.
> 
> Isopods can be dangerous to tarantulas.


Please provide a reference supporting your statement that isopods can be dangerous to Tarantulas.


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## moricollins (Nov 16, 2019)

Search on here. There have been at least 5 threads where Isopods have injured tarantulas or scorpions

Here you go:
https://arachnoboards.com/threads/isopods-and-new-a-seemanni.319490/#post-2928184
https://arachnoboards.com/threads/attack-of-the-isopod.231076/

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Feral (Nov 16, 2019)

For my two pennies...

I have planted enclosures. I don't use isopods or springtails, though I'm not opposed to springtails based on my theoretical knowledge. I would probably use them if I had damper enclosures (for species I keep, I keep moisture at around 3-4 on a scale from 1 to 10). I sometimes use leaf litter on the surface.
I pretty much use straight cocofiber substratefor my Ts. But for the individual plant containers inside the larger enclosure, I use a modified ABG (basically ABG without sand and wood chucks- still a coco fiber base with shredded moss and leaf litter and activated carbon over a false bottom).

[edit- I appreciate how plants provide more cover and therefore a sense of security for animals, increase air circulation and air quality and oxygenation, and maintain healthy moisture levels.]

I'm probably in the minority, but I LOVE planted enclosures and probably will never go back. I think, in many (but not all) situations, and if done correctly, plants are very beneficial for the tarantula and also nice for the human animal.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## moricollins (Nov 16, 2019)

Feral said:


> For my two pennies...
> 
> I have planted enclosures. I don't use isopods or springtails, though I'm not opposed to springtails based on my theoretical knowledge. I would probably use them if I had damper enclosures (for species I keep, I keep moisture at around 3-4 on a scale from 1 to 10). I sometimes use leaf litter on the surface.
> I pretty much use straight cocofiber substratefor my Ts. But for the individual plant containers inside the larger enclosure, I use a modified ABG (basically ABG without sand and wood chucks- still a coco fiber base with shredded moss and leaf litter and activated carbon over a false bottom).
> ...


Planted vivariums are not necessary but also not typically harmful when done correctly. @Feral  do you have pictures of your setups?
(I only keep Isopods, and have given my pods already dead crickets that they consumed instantly, which is another reason why I'd be wary of using Isopods with tarantulas. A molting tarantula is an easy target)


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## Feral (Nov 16, 2019)

moricollins said:


> @Feral do you have pictures of your setups?


Sure. Well, I have one pic handy. A couple of weeks ago I posted this one, the most recent one I built. It's meant to resemble a temperate grassland/Pampas type environment. It's new and sparse yet because it still has some growing in to do.

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## ChaosSphere (Nov 17, 2019)

That looks amazing! What spider did you put in there? And can you post more pics of it?

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## Feral (Nov 17, 2019)

ChaosSphere said:


> That looks amazing! What spider did you put in there? And can you post more pics of it?


Thanks, you're kind!
I keep only Grammostola pulchra, I'm obsessed with them, so it was a pulchra that went into this setup.
Witsi, my little gentleman  I always talk about, went into this setup last month.

I think I have only two other pix of that enclosure, but here ya go:

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Dandrobates (Nov 17, 2019)

Frogdaddy said:


> Admittedly I'm a noob when it comes to T's. However I've kept and bred many species of Dart frogs for years.
> How many T keepers use a "bioactive" terrarium with microfauna, ie. Isopods and Springtails? Is it a newer trend among T keepers?
> How many T keepers use alternative substrates like ABG Mix? It seems as if straight coco coir is the norm. Old standard or behind the times?
> How many utilize live plants or leaf litter?
> I'm curious and hopefully this well be an interesting and informative discussion.



I have a large collection of dart frogs as well and I keep them in naturalistic vivariums for obvious reasons. I don’t bother incorporating any naturalistic elements into my tarantula enclosures though. In my opinion they don’t  serve the same purpose. My frogs benefit from ABG mix, lead litter and micro fauna but my tarantulas don’t. I don’t think that incorporating naturalistic elements in tarantula enclosures is necessarily a bad idea per se; I just don’t bother with it.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## viper69 (Nov 17, 2019)

Isopods often end up being lunch for Ts.



Dandrobates said:


> I have a large collection of dart frogs as well and I keep them in naturalistic vivariums for obvious reasons. I don’t bother incorporating any naturalistic elements into my tarantula enclosures though. In my opinion they don’t  serve the same purpose. My frogs benefit from ABG mix, lead litter and micro fauna but my tarantulas don’t. I don’t think that incorporating naturalistic elements in tarantula enclosures is necessarily a bad idea per se; I just don’t bother with it.



Any blue footed leucs?


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## Frogdaddy (Nov 17, 2019)

viper69 said:


> Any blue footed leucs?


Sorry no blue footed leucs.



Feral said:


> For my two pennies...
> 
> I have planted enclosures. I don't use isopods or springtails, though I'm not opposed to springtails based on my theoretical knowledge. I would probably use them if I had damper enclosures (for species I keep, I keep moisture at around 3-4 on a scale from 1 to 10). I sometimes use leaf litter on the surface.
> I pretty much use straight cocofiber substratefor my Ts. But for the individual plant containers inside the larger enclosure, I use a modified ABG (basically ABG without sand and wood chucks- still a coco fiber base with shredded moss and leaf litter and activated carbon over a false bottom).
> ...


I agree that I think live plants, while not necessary, can enhance the enviroment. 
Spot watering the plants to keep the rest of the substrate dry would help to keep humidity under control. 
I don't know how ABG or an altered ABG mix would stand up to burrowing or tunneling. I wouldn't think it would workout well. 
I don't think springtails could hurt the T or the microenviroment created in a T vivarium.



moricollins said:


> Planted vivariums are not necessary but also not typically harmful when done correctly. @Feral  do you have pictures of your setups?
> (I only keep Isopods, and have given my pods already dead crickets that they consumed instantly, which is another reason why I'd be wary of using Isopods with tarantulas. A molting tarantula is an easy target)


So you only keep Isopods and not T's yet you're dispensing information on how Isopods are not good with T's?
Since you are dispensing anectodal information I'll relate my experiences. I've keep Giant Orange Isopods with small Dart frogs from the genus Pumilio, as well as other thumbnail frogs (Ranitomeya sp) as well as larger Dart frogs. I've never puncture had Isopods attack and eat vulnerable egg clutches even when the clutches were laid amongst the leaf litter where Isopdods live. Perhaps it is because the Isos had plenty of decaying organic (leaf litter) matter to properly feed on. 
Granted Giant Orange Isos are a larger species. What about dwarf white Isos?

I underatand the simplicity of using plain old coco coir as substrate. But why? Just because it is relatively inexpensive and readily available? I'm sure other T keepers have experimented with other substrates. I recall seeing a video by Tom Moran using a new substrate from The Bio Dude. Has anyone else used that with success?


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## moricollins (Nov 17, 2019)

Frogdaddy said:


> So you only keep Isopods and not T's yet you're dispensing information on how Isopods are not good with T's?
> Since you are dispensing anectodal information I'll relate my experiences. I've keep Giant Orange Isopods with small Dart frogs from the genus Pumilio, as well as other thumbnail frogs (Ranitomeya sp) as well as larger Dart frogs. I've never puncture had Isopods attack and eat vulnerable egg clutches even when the clutches were laid amongst the leaf litter where Isopdods live. Perhaps it is because the Isos had plenty of decaying organic (leaf litter) matter to properly feed on.
> Granted Giant Orange Isos are a larger species. What about dwarf white Isos?


I used to keep and breed tarantulas many years ago, kept them for over 10 years before life took me in different directions.
I had over 120 tarantulas in my collection plus scorpions, centipedes, ambigli and true spiders. So I would say I have lots of experience with tarantulas ;-)

If other people's bad experiences aren't enough for you, that's ok. It's not my inverts that will become food for their "clean up crew".


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## Feral (Nov 17, 2019)

Frogdaddy said:


> I agree that I think live plants, while not necessary, can enhance the enviroment.
> Spot watering the plants to keep the rest of the substrate dry would help to keep humidity under control.
> I don't know how ABG or an altered ABG mix would stand up to burrowing or tunneling. I wouldn't think it would workout well.
> I don't think springtails could hurt the T or the microenviroment created in a T vivarium.


I'm not necessarily disagreeing, but since you quoted my post directly and what you said makes me think I didn't explain what I do clearly enough.
I always add water only to the bottom-most level of substrate so the surface stays dry, whether I'm watering the individual plant containers or the enclosure as a whole. But, having said that, one does need to match the plants' water requirements to the moisture level needed by the tarantula species in question.

But to me, designing enclosures that are balanced and healthy for both animal species and plant species is part of the fun/challenge.

I usually only use the enriched substrate (my modified ABG) within the actual individual plant containers, which are inside a larger enclosure that is filled with pretty typical substrate. So my animals aren't burrowing directly in ABG. I don't have any direct experience using original-recipe ABG outside of the plant containers as a regular substrate/burrowing medium, but given its components I don't see why it would be a problem for burrowering tarantulas at all.

I should also add that I water my plants with leftover aquarium water, which has invert-safe fertilizers and additional nitrogen from the aquatic animals' waste, which helps compensate for a nutrient-poor substrate.

I'm currently running a experiment with plants in straight, unenriched coco fiber and then watering with the same leftover aquarium water. Right next to them are the same plants within the previously described containers (with the enriched/modified ABG substrate), and they also get the leftover aquarium water. Lighting and everything except the substrate is exactly the same. My intention is to see if an enriched substrate is even necessary within the plant containers.

All this whatnot is just my opinions gathered from my research and my experiences.

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## Dandrobates (Nov 17, 2019)

Frogdaddy said:


> I underatand the simplicity of using plain old coco coir as substrate. But why? Just because it is relatively inexpensive and readily available? I'm sure other T keepers have experimented with other substrates. I recall seeing a video by Tom Moran using a new substrate from The Bio Dude. Has anyone else used that with success?


I agree with you on all points (particularly regarding isopods). I personally use coco fiber for its low cost but many keepers use soil, soil mixed with vermiculite, etc. (which are in and of themselves even cheeper than Coco fiber in bulk). Ultimately it depends on the keeper’s preferences and the species being housed. The vermiculite for example facilitates drainage within the substrate in a manner similar to ABG mix and false bottoms. It allows for a moisture gradient that many fossorial species appreciate without completely soaking the substrate.

As far as the bio dude goes, my theory is that he’s trying to expand his market by catering to invert enthusiasts. I think a lot of people are getting suckered in and paying top dollar for items that they don’t necessarily need and/or materials they can obtain elsewhere for lower costs. The “bioactive” boom has become an trend that’s easily capitalized off of.  For example, on his website he has a 20 gallon “bioactive” kit for 50 dollars. I can make my own ABG mix and obtain leaf litter etc for half that price if I source properly. He also has an 18x18x24 kit for 100 dollars. I could build 4 dart frog vivariums that size for that cost or less.

I’ve seen Tom Moran’s videos featuring Bio Dude products and that’s fine. I think his intention was to try the premise out with his showcase terrariums.  I respect Tom but I personally think that Bio dude’s products are over priced and unnecessary outside of visual appeal in regards to tarantulas.

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## Frogdaddy (Nov 17, 2019)

@Feral I think our philosophies are very similar and I like your ideas. I also use water from my aquariums. I even water my houseplants with it. What do you use for plant pots? Net pots, regular plastic pots or clay pots?

@Dandrobates
I can see taking advantage of a growing bioactive market. Not faulting Bio Dude of making a profit on his business. I agree I can make it cheaper. I have always made my own ABG.
We will never fully be able to replicate the "dirt" found in nature. But for terrestrial and more importantly fossorial T's I think there is probably a mix of ingredients that could be put together to create a more realistic and functional substrate that would accommodate burrowing T's, plants and microfauna.

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## Dandrobates (Nov 17, 2019)

Frogdaddy said:


> @Dandrobates
> I can see taking advantage of a growing bioactive market. Not faulting Bio Dude of making a profit on his business. I agree I can make it cheaper. I have always made my own ABG.
> We will never fully be able to replicate the "dirt" found in nature. But for terrestrial and more importantly fossorial T's I think there is probably a mix of ingredients that could be put together to create a more realistic and functional substrate that would accommodate burrowing T's, plants and microfauna.


I suppose it depends on the plants. Pothos is always my go to for low lighting and because it will grow in pretty much anything. I think the issue most T keepers have with plants  such as pothos though, is the constant need to trim it. The norm is to try and disturb your T’s enclosure as little as possible. Other plants such as broms need more light and many species of T are photosensitive. Again I have no issue with people doing it I think that is hard to find a happy medium. It is intriguing though. Also are you on IG?


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## Feral (Nov 17, 2019)

Frogdaddy said:


> @Feral I think our philosophies are very similar and I like your ideas. I also use water from my aquariums. I even water my houseplants with it. What do you use for plant pots? Net pots, regular plastic pots or clay pots?


Yay, magic aquarium water! 
Yup, my houseplants get it, too, like yours. In colder weather I save cleaned-out juice containers and give away extra aquarium water if I can't use it, especially if I rinsed my filter media in it to make it extra magical. In summer I use it outside on potted flowers or food plants. I don't typically use regular plant ferts, just magic aquarium water. Agreed, fantastic stuff!

lol Actually, for my pots inside enclosures, I just used some upcycled plastic pint-size gourmet ice cream containers. They would have otherwise just been recycled. lol
They are about 4" (10.2cm) high and about 4" diameter, so they fit nicely buried in an adult enclosure with a reasonable level of substrate. I guess I could have put drainage holes in the bottom with a soldering iron, but I wanted them to be closed. Then I added about 1" (2.5cm)
gravel in the bottom, some activated carbon, a layer of non-metal screening, then enriched substrate.

[edit- I just took another pic of that enclosure from the side, if anyone is interested. I also have one pic of the same type of plants in a different setup, a juvenile enclosure, which was my original experiment for this particular plant species.

Also, if the OP is cool with it, I feel weird being the only one who has shared pix of my planted setups in this thread and would love to see other people's setups!]


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## Dandrobates (Nov 17, 2019)

@Feral 

Not a T enclosure but here’s a few of mine.

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## Arthroverts (Nov 18, 2019)

Tarantulas can survive and thrive on coconut fiber and/or topsoil. That is why you most people keep them on these substrates I think, aside from the price (18 quarts of Terra Aranea substrate from The Bio Dude=$29.95, as opposed to 24 quarts of coco fiber=$6 on Josh's Frog's, which tends to be more on the expensive side as well).

However, planted tanks _done right_ look spectacular. They are also more finicky and more expensive if you are just starting out from my own experience, and can be much more expensive as you build up your plant stock and experiment with making your own substrate at first.
If we look to the European front of the hobby however, we see the effects of year of experimentation and work in the cages of pretty much all their invertebrates (not even to speak of reptiles/amphibians). They are often bursting with microfauna and plants from what I've seen, especially with non-carnivorous invertebrates.

Anyway, what I'm saying is, I think the US front of the hobby is still lagging behind on these issues. It is also much easier for people to charge a premium on anything to do with invertebrates, even the invertebrates themselves, here in the US while in Europe the hobby has been "naturalized" to the point where prices have come down to where even beginning hobbyists can afford nice specimens and supplies. That is why I think the US front has more utilitarian (which work great as they are) enclosures as opposed to incredible planted/communal setups.

That's my two cents anyway.

@woodie, what are your thoughts on this?

Thanks,

Arthroverts

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## Thekla (Nov 18, 2019)

Frogdaddy said:


> Admittedly I'm a noob when it comes to T's. However I've kept and bred many species of Dart frogs for years.


I just started keeping dart frogs. I got my first froglets in April and they still live and thrive, so, there's hope I'm doing something right. 


> How many T keepers use a "bioactive" terrarium with microfauna, ie. Isopods and Springtails? Is it a newer trend among T keepers?


I always had (and have) kind of a bioactive substrate with dwarf isopods and springtails as well as some soil from outside mixed with coco fibre for my more moisture dependent Ts (e.g. Cyriocosmus sp.).
I never had any problems, on the contrary, I never have to bother with removing boluses... those are taking care of. 


> How many T keepers use alternative substrates like ABG Mix? It seems as if straight coco coir is the norm. Old standard or behind the times?


I wouldn't use ABG mix for my Ts though, partly because I think it's not good for burrowing and also I'm not sure about the pine bark and tree fern I have in my ABG mix.


> How many utilize live plants or leaf litter?


I never tried real plants with my Ts, I just don't want to bother with the moisture and light they would mostly need. But I use leaf litter all the time, mostly for aesthetic purposes, but my GBB also loves to include it in her webbing. 

As for a real bioactive enclosure, I have some pictures of my dart frog vivarium: 





And this is my pair of Dendrobates tinctorius Brazil:

Erna...



and Bert



Originally, I named them "Ernie & Bert", but when they grew up I realised I actually had a pair, so, Ernie became Erna.

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## Frogdaddy (Nov 19, 2019)

I tried to upload some frog enclosures from my phone. I guess I'll have to use my laptop.

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## Vanisher (Nov 21, 2019)

I have done some planted terrariums during the years. I have used springtail and small speicies of tropical woodlice and isopods in those. There are some rules to remember. When it comes to plants, use plants that are tolerating low level of lights, like Epipremnum, and some speicies of Photos. In a T blondi tank and a tank for a Cyriopagopus sp i used those plants and others, like orchids and small ferns. In those tanks i had lityle more lightning than i usally recommend. Nowdays i have Epipremnum planted in one terrarium, with no light. Those plants are hard to kill. About springtails and isopods. I had no problems eith tarantulas eating those, but i have heard that they can, nor did i hsve problems them hurting the tarantulas. I have no picture left on those tanks, but they looked really nice. I had a period when  i just like some other here tried to mimic tarantulas diffrent habitats!

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## woodie (Nov 25, 2019)

While I think the US is behind on planted invert enclosures, I think it can be down on a budget. Top photo is more expensive planted tank, middle is cheap pretzel jar planted vivs that I really like. As far as cheap substrates last is fossorial T on sifted sand and clay from the yard in tupperware. So budget can work great too

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## Frogdaddy (Nov 25, 2019)

woodie said:


> While I think the US is behind on planted invert enclosures, I think it can be down on a budget. Top photo is more expensive planted tank, middle is cheap pretzel jar planted vivs that I really like. As far as cheap substrates last is fossorial T on sifted sand and clay from the yard in tupperware. So budget can work great too


The US is behind Europe in every animal hobby. Aquariums, Herps, Tarantulas etc. I don't think things should be too complicated. Having a very complex design will only lead to inverts and T's rearranging things and uprooting plants to their liking. Plus with heavily planted vivs there is always going to be pruning of plants which will disturb and annoy a T. A simple pothos cutting may be all that is needed to help "cleanse" the air in a vivarium.
@woodie what is the plant in the pretzel jar on the left?


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## Arthroverts (Nov 25, 2019)

woodie said:


> While I think the US is behind on planted invert enclosures, I think it can be down on a budget. Top photo is more expensive planted tank, middle is cheap pretzel jar planted vivs that I really like. As far as cheap substrates last is fossorial T on sifted sand and clay from the yard in tupperware. So budget can work great too


Pardon if I asked before, but how do you light those pretzel jars?

I am really liking the idea of desk micro-vivs, and am experimenting to see if they can run successfully in a typical work room. Just imagine walking into your bosses office and seeing a slice of the jungle (or desert, or savannah, or temperate forest, or...) containing any small invertebrate...

Thanks,

Arthroverts

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## woodie (Nov 26, 2019)

Arthroverts said:


> Pardon if I asked before, but how do you light those pretzel jars?
> 
> Just cheap and nasty Led shop lights from Walmart


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## l4nsky (Nov 29, 2019)

I'm honestly a really big fan of bioactive enclosures and I've commented on a lot of threads how I think the benefits outweigh the negatives. From an aesthetic standpoint, they cant be beat. Here's my prototype custom enclosure I made that I will model the rest of mine off of.
	

		
			
		

		
	




And here it is about 10 months later, all matured (needs a little bit of a trim). 
	

		
			
		

		
	




She hasnt complained about it yet.



As far as substrate, I didnt go with ABG because its really light and fluffy. I wanted to offer something that was more compressible and could hold its form really well while still holding a decent amount of moisture I settled on 3 parts Reptisoil, 3 parts coco coir, 1 part sphagnum moss, 1 part orchid bark, and 1 part vermiculite. It's a pretty heavy mix. The reptisoil by itself compacts really well. Over time, it kind of forms a crust and gets to the point of water pooling on the surface before gradually diffusing into the soil. That's not really desirable, so I cut it with coco coir, sphagnum, and vermiculite to make it more permeable while still being fairly compressible and able to support burrowing. As for microfauna, I originally used springtails and dwarf white isopods, however a predator mite population decimated the springtails and all I have now are the isopods. They are doing well and keep the enclosure clean all by themselves. I've heard anecdotes of tarantulas being harmed by isopods during/after a molt but they are few and far between in comparison to the horror stories I've heard regarding Scolopendra sp and isopods. Possibly the molt mat provides some protection for T's as opposed to centipedes (total guess)?

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## woodie (Nov 30, 2019)

Frogdaddy said:


> The US is behind Europe in every animal hobby. Aquariums, Herps, Tarantulas etc. I don't think things should be too complicated. Having a very complex design will only lead to inverts and T's rearranging things and uprooting plants to their liking. Plus with heavily planted vivs there is always going to be pruning of plants which will disturb and annoy a T. A simple pothos cutting may be all that is needed to help "cleanse" the air in a vivarium.
> @woodie what is the plant in the pretzel jar on the left?


Cissus discolor

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## josh_r (Dec 3, 2019)

Alex, is that you?????

I have an old thread on here on a communal liphistius setup I made. I had a teaming population of isopods in there and the spiders bred and successfully had babies, molted etc. It just depends on the species of isopods you use. I used white dwarfs. I am sure you could use many species of springtails and isopods successfully. Just experiment.

Check thst thread here

https://arachnoboards.com/threads/update-on-the-liphistius-communal-setup.124856/

Cheers man.

One more thing... Go with a good natural loamy soil to keep your spiders on. Don't go with pest or coco products. You will get more natural behavior from most species by using a substrate that they are naturally found on. Very VERY few species are found on peat like substrates in nature... Oddly, we found a new species here in Peru thst does burrow in wet peat type substrates at 4100 meters in elevation. 

Natural soils buddy. Good luck

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## Arthroverts (Dec 4, 2019)

josh_r said:


> Alex, is that you?????
> 
> I have an old thread on here on a communal liphistius setup I made. I had a teaming population of isopods in there and the spiders bred and successfully had babies, molted etc. It just depends on the species of isopods you use. I used white dwarfs. I am sure you could use many species of springtails and isopods successfully. Just experiment.
> 
> ...


Nooo! The evil Photobucket strikes again! But seriously now, that is awesome! What ever happened to it?
@TrapdoorSpiderLover, do you see this?

Thanks,

Arthroverts


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## josh_r (Dec 4, 2019)

I sold this setup many years ago for something like 600 dollars. Can't remember exactly how much, but all the females were bred and the new owner was surprised with a ton of babies.

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## Arthroverts (Dec 4, 2019)

josh_r said:


> I sold this setup many years ago for something like 600 dollars. Can't remember exactly how much, but all the females were bred and the new owner was surprised with a ton of babies.


Wow, that is awesome! I've always wanted to try a trapdoor communal, and now maybe I've the found the species to do it with. 
I don't mean to pry, but do you know what happened to it under the other person's care?

Thanks,

Arthroverts

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## StampFan (Dec 4, 2019)

Frogdaddy said:


> So you only keep Isopods and not T's yet you're dispensing information on how Isopods are not good with T's?
> Since you are dispensing anectodal information I'll relate my experiences. I've keep Giant Orange Isopods with small Dart frogs from the genus Pumilio, as well as other thumbnail frogs (Ranitomeya sp) as well as larger Dart frogs. I've never puncture had Isopods attack and eat vulnerable egg clutches even when the clutches were laid amongst the leaf litter where Isopdods live. Perhaps it is because the Isos had plenty of decaying organic (leaf litter) matter to properly feed on.
> Granted Giant Orange Isos are a larger species. What about dwarf white Isos?


Protein hungry isopod species (eg. P scaber) will happily gnaw on a molting invertebrate.

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## Frogdaddy (Dec 4, 2019)

StampFan said:


> Protein hungry isopod species (eg. P scaber) will happily gnaw on a molting invertebrate.


I've never had P. scaber prey on any frog eggs or tadpoles. With T's I would use the dwarf white isopods.


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## woodie (Dec 25, 2019)

That was always one of my favorite terrariums on here. Inspired me to try out a Liphistius communal. set with background slope made of powdered clay and loamy soil mixed. Heavy as hell since  has 6"+ Thick backwall


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