# Post pics of your favorite T and enclosures



## robc (Feb 3, 2008)

I started this thread to help a lot of people just starting out in the hobby.....It will give them some Ideas on how to housev there T's.....post some pics of your favorite T's and there set-ups/enclosures.


*My favorite T's that I have.*

*Female L. Parayhbana (8")*







*Here is her enclosure*












*Female T.Blondi (8")*












*Here is her enclosure*












*Male P.Cancerides*












*Here is his enclosure*












*Male L. Parayhbana *












*Here is his enclosure*












*Male Versicolor*












*His enclosure*


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## morris (Feb 3, 2008)

how do you control the mites man ? oh my i hate mites so much. my L parahybana had an enclosure like your ,and sooon enough mites and all wierd stuff started to live under the moss, they had ants! yikes, baby centipides and many many mites. i need some really goodadvise on how to stop mites from reproducing.


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## robc (Feb 3, 2008)

morris said:


> how do you control the mites man ? oh my i hate mites so much. my L parahybana had an enclosure like your ,and sooon enough mites and all wierd stuff started to live under the moss, they had ants! yikes, baby centipides and many many mites. i need some really goodadvise on how to stop mites from reproducing.


The first step is getting your humidity from the air not evaporation (misting cage). My T's all get there humidity from the air and I can basicaly let my substrate be pretty dry and still have 70-85% humidity. To control the reproduction of mite (Isopds also known as rollie pollies)....will eat mite eggs and will also eat un-eaten food matters. You also need to make sure no prey Item is left in the tank and is forgotten about and dies and you cant see it and its a buffet for mite, you also must remove the un-eaten food balls (left-overs) out of the cage as soon as you notice them.......rob


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## morris (Feb 3, 2008)

robc said:


> The first step is getting your humidity from the air not evaporation (misting cage). My T's all get there humidity from the air and I can basicaly let my substrate be pretty dry and still have 70-85% humidity. To control the reproduction of mite (Isopds also known as rollie pollies)....will eat mite eggs and will also eat un-eaten food matters. You also need to make sure no prey Item is left in the tank and is forgotten about and dies and you cant see it and its a buffet for mite, you also must remove the un-eaten food balls (left-overs) out of the cage as soon as you notice them.......rob


then how do you water your moss ? i have many many moss in my tank,and usually those darn mites are found under the moss. to makes matters worst my tank has been in the rain . i changed the whole subtrate today and had a hard time finding all the isopods in my old subtrate,cos i had a isopod colony going on in there .


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## robc (Feb 3, 2008)

morris said:


> then how do you water your moss ? i have many many moss in my tank,and usually those darn mites are found under the moss. to makes matters worst my tank has been in the rain . i changed the whole subtrate today and had a hard time finding all the isopods in my old subtrate,cos i had a isopod colony going on in there .


I water the moss every other day.....I have had very few mites.


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## Le Wasp (Feb 3, 2008)

morris said:


> how do you control the mites man ?


I was thinking the same thing.  How do you keep those plants watered without harboring mites?  Do you have a lot of pillbugs in there?  I suppose if there are enough detritivores in the tank, the mites might not have enough food to take off...


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## robc (Feb 3, 2008)

Le Wasp said:


> I was thinking the same thing.  How do you keep those plants watered without harboring mites?  Do you have a lot of pillbugs in there?  I suppose if there are enough detritivores in the tank, the mites might not have enough food to take off...


I water the root system with a food injector (long needle & syringe...holds 20ml of water) that way the moisture is basicaly under ground....this seems to help and yes in my 125 gal split set-up I have 40-50 Isopods. But in my Blondi cage the blondi eats inside the hollow log and leaves all scraps (if any) in one spot this realy helps. My L.Parahybana leaves the scraps in her hide.....she only uses it for this.


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## fictitious (Feb 3, 2008)

robc said:


> I water the root system with a food injector (long needle & syringe...holds 20ml of water) that way the moisture is basicaly under ground....this seems to help and yes in my 125 gal split set-up I have 40-50 Isopods. But in my Blondi cage the blondi eats inside the hollow log and leaves all scraps (if any) in one spot this realy helps. My L.Parahybana leaves the scraps in her hide.....she only uses it for this.



I always wanted to give my buddies a little fern or somthing, this would work I guess. Are you using cocoa-fiber? the moisture dosn't radiate upwards? also what isopods are you using, can I just lift a rock in the middle of the forest and bring home instant mite control?


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## robc (Feb 3, 2008)

fictitious said:


> I always wanted to give my buddies a little fern or somthing, this would work I guess. Are you using cocoa-fiber? the moisture dosn't radiate upwards? also what isopods are you using, can I just lift a rock in the middle of the forest and bring home instant mite control?


I find mine in the woods.....but make sure there is no chemical usage near them. I use Eco-Earth.....the moisture does come up a bit....but not bad at all....I also have a above/under ground misting system I use Twice a month. I still think the best way to control mites is keeping your cage clean....cut off there food supply. I am not saying my tanks are a 100% mite free....but I have very few.


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## clearlysaid (Feb 4, 2008)

Looks like this thread was hijacked by mites, lol.  Your enclosures are AWESOME... I aspire to be able to do something like that.  Right now my ts will have to rough it with fake plants and aquarium backing.


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## robc (Feb 4, 2008)

clearlysaid said:


> Looks like this thread was hijacked by mites, lol.  Your enclosures are AWESOME... I aspire to be able to do something like that.  Right now my ts will have to rough it with fake plants and aquarium backing.


I am sure your enclosures are fine....post some pics.


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## clearlysaid (Feb 4, 2008)

robc said:


> I am sure your enclosures are fine....post some pics.


In comparison they're kinda boring.    

But!  I did do more for the new GBB I got this week than I have previously.  I'll have to get some enclosure pics tomorrow, though, as I have a rosie molting right now and I'd hate to disturb her.  She's on the shelf right below the GBB.  ...and being a GBB she's pretty much webbed up the entire thing anyway.  

That being said you also say to post pics of your fave T and my fave t is this little guy here:





My H mac a molt ago drinking out of his large bottle cap.  Even after recently molting he's only about 2 1/2"... still a baby.


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## robc (Feb 4, 2008)

clearlysaid said:


> In comparison they're kinda boring.
> 
> But!  I did do more for the new GBB I got this week than I have previously.  I'll have to get some enclosure pics tomorrow, though, as I have a rosie molting right now and I'd hate to disturb her.  She's on the shelf right below the GBB.  ...and being a GBB she's pretty much webbed up the entire thing anyway.
> 
> ...


Very cool....no comparing here....all enclosures are cool


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## thedude (Feb 4, 2008)

heres my fav T, my E. murinus (skeleton tarantula) 

	
	
		
		
	


	




.. to bad his a penultimate male though....


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## robc (Feb 4, 2008)

thedude said:


> heres my fav T, my E. murinus (skeleton tarantula)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You should be proud...thats a nice looking T


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## mwh9 (Feb 4, 2008)

Very nice enclosures, mine are set up a lot like yours. It never crossed my mind to do it any different. My T's are from tropical areas, so live plants and high humidity seemed natural. I use humidifiers and heat pads to keep everything just right. Setting tanks up like this are not difficult, and are much more appealing. I do have one T that is set up rather plain because the T digs up the hole tank.


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## robc (Feb 4, 2008)

mwh9 said:


> Very nice enclosures, mine are set up a lot like yours. It never crossed my mind to do it any different. My T's are from tropical areas, so live plants and high humidity seemed natural. I use humidifiers and heat pads to keep everything just right. Setting tanks up like this are not difficult, and are much more appealing. I do have one T that is set up rather plain because the T digs up the hole tank.


I totally agree with having large enclosures for large terrestrials. Ours are in a temp controlled room with humidifiers. This keeps their environment humid without having to keep the substate too wet and having to worry about mites. We have some plain cages too...our curly hair's cage is just substrate. he mangles anything else you try to put in there. but he eats anything that touches the ground...


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## Stylopidae (Feb 4, 2008)

clearlysaid said:


> Looks like this thread was hijacked by mites, lol.  Your enclosures are AWESOME... I aspire to be able to do something like that.  Right now my ts will have to rough it with fake plants and aquarium backing.


You'd be surprised what you can do with fake plants and aquarium backing. I don't like aquarium backing for my tanks for a handfull of reasons, but the only tanks that I have set up as displays use fake plants.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showpost.php?p=941872&postcount=31

Here is my _Poecilotheria formosa_ enclosure. This was taken seconds after the introduction...the condensation from the sides is actually from the fridge I set the enclosure in to make the hot glue harden faster.

She's since taken to the enclosure quite well and has webbed up the half of the enclosure under the cork bark log.



morris said:


> how do you control the mites man ? oh my i hate mites so much. my L parahybana had an enclosure like your ,and sooon enough mites and all wierd stuff started to live under the moss, they had ants! yikes, baby centipides and many many mites. i need some really goodadvise on how to stop mites from reproducing.


All of those nasties actually came in _on_ the moss...or in it.

It would be a good idea to let the tank stand for a few weeks and give some of those critters a chance to die off because of a lack of food as well as other needs. I would be far more worried about potential parasites (such as nematodes) than I would be about smaller centipedes.

Some of those 'mites' might actually have been springtails, which are a much better cleaning crew than isopods, IMO.

Rob, because I don't see any trace of webbing in any of those pictures, I have to ask you how long have those Ts been in those tanks and are those pictures relatively recent?


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## smof (Feb 4, 2008)

Oh man it's really hard to pick favourites, I think all my Ts rock  But if I have to for the sake of this thread (as an excuse to show them off  )

Favourite for being the best to handle, the best eater and having the funniest behaviour - Sketch my 4" _G. pulchra_






Favourite for being the best looking - The Baron my 4" _G. rosea_ RCF






Favourite for just being awesome in every way - Super Hans my 2" _C. cyaneopubescens_







And unfortunately my tanks are all boring plastic things with hardly any decor cos they are too small. When I have the space I plan to put all my big female Ts into really decorative tanks, but that won't be for a while.

These are all the adult tanks (minus the big Exo Terra my MM Chaco is in). You can see they're pretty dull. Especially Sketch's tank cos she buried her hide so it's just a box of dirt, lol. All the slings are just in ugly little pots.


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## robc (Feb 4, 2008)

Cheshire said:


> You'd be surprised what you can do with fake plants and aquarium backing. I don't like aquarium backing for my tanks for a handfull of reasons, but the only tanks that I have set up as displays use fake plants.
> 
> http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showpost.php?p=941872&postcount=31
> 
> ...


Nice setups chesire.....moss can harbour a lot of parasites.....I usualy bake or freeze it. The T.Blondi enclosure is pretty new....2 weeks....the other enclosures are pretty old....the Female L.Parahybana has a lot of webbing on the left side of the enclosure by the potho....you realy can't see it....but you might not have seen it anyway....I misted the enclosure before the pic....but my male L.P never webs not at all. The pics were taken the night I posted. My hatian webs very lightly around plants.....you can hardly see it. I am in the process of making a 125gal pokie enclosure......it should be pretty neat I am going to put a colony of pokies in there.


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## Moltar (Feb 4, 2008)

robc said:


> I started this thread to help a lot of people just starting out in the hobby.....It will give them some Ideas on how to housev there T's.....post some pics of your favorite T's and there set-ups/enclosures.


I'm gonna be the party pooper here and point out something important for people new to this hobby. 

The large, elaborate enclosures that robc and others have shown here although beautiful and well constructed are NOT NECESSARY for a tarantula to survive.

T's can be set up in relatively small, simple enclosures and thrive that way. they don't need warm air humidifiers, digital gauges, live plants and 40 gallons. These things are very nice and i'm not trying to take anything away from robc and others. Those are some amazing enclosures.

Listen new guys; *You no not NEED to set up enclosures like this.* In fact, trying to set up something this large and elaborate can actually prove very dangerous to your t if you don't do it right. All tarantulas NEED is a kritterkeeper or similar enclosure with substrate, a hide and a water dish. Arboreals need a tall enclosure with a little substrate, a water dish, something to climb on and good ventilation.

That being said, the habitats shown here are really awesome. I hope to set up something like this soon for my large female A metallica and for my P regalis when she matures. Currently however the most expensive container i have among my 34 is a $14 2.5 gallon aquarium.

No offense meant Rob.


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## robc (Feb 4, 2008)

etown_411 said:


> I'm gonna be the party pooper here and point out something important for people new to this hobby.
> 
> The large, elaborate enclosures that robc and others have shown here although beautiful and well constructed are NOT NECESSARY for a tarantula to survive.
> 
> ...


No offense taken you have some realy good points here that I should have stated......yeah I agree in a large enclosure you *must*Take precautions....substrate height.....sharp objects and some species like haplopelma SP....baboons do not need this amount of space. My set-ups are for the (2) largest Sp in the world or close to it....they do not need a huge tank to survive a 20gal would do them fine, I like the natural enviromt....my tanks are display tanks .....I beleive its personal preference. To anybody new to the hobby a large enclosure like mine you must also incorporate (Isopods) and make sure to keep track of food items, make sure the T is hungry enough to eat or it might not find the prey Item ( I am lucky mine hunt them down....not all T's do this if very few).


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## robc (Feb 5, 2008)

smof said:


> Oh man it's really hard to pick favourites, I think all my Ts rock  But if I have to for the sake of this thread (as an excuse to show them off  )
> 
> Favourite for being the best to handle, the best eater and having the funniest behaviour - Sketch my 4" _G. pulchra_
> 
> ...


Nice T's......my favorite is the red phase rose hair....very pretty.


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## Topcat1 (Feb 5, 2008)

The Martha Stewart setup.  Silk leaves, dantily placed hide, and cute doilies placed out for effect.


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## robc (Feb 5, 2008)

Stalker13 said:


> The Martha Stewart setup.  Silk leaves, dantily placed hide, and cute doilies placed out for effect.


Awesome looking t you have there....it matches the leaves.


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## opticle (Feb 5, 2008)

hey mate i cant tell you enough how cool your Enclosures are!!! when i have money to spend i'm gonna pimp my T's enclosures out:clap: :clap: great Ts mate you should be very proud:drool: :drool:


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## desertdweller (Feb 5, 2008)

Thanks for this nice thread Rob, I have gotten some great ideas.  Am in process of rehousing my H. minax in her 30 gal tank.  Also am learning to use my macro focus on my camera.  Will post pics when I do!


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## Sabatta (Feb 5, 2008)

My T Blondi and her live tank.  Inspired by robc and a few others.  It's not quite as organised and pretty, but Brazil's undergrowth probably is worse.  And aside from aesthetics, it will hopefully provide her with a richer concentration of oxygen, more suitable for a larger T.  Now I don't just keep T's, I keep plants too, lol.


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