# Tank for my female Hysterocrates sp. Cameroon



## XLRX8 (Sep 28, 2012)

Thought I would let you guys see the glass tank I built for my female. Made it tall and narrow, so that I can see the borrows she will (hopefully) make through the glass. I used layers of coconut fiber, potting soil and sand mixed in various ratios to produce striped layers and make it less boring to look at. I will let her settle in, and then introduce the male


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## SamuraiSid (Sep 28, 2012)

Im thinking layers of straight sand will be very problematic for your Hysty, not that you have thick layers... Wait to see what others say.

Otherwise its looking good.


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## AlexRC (Sep 29, 2012)

Also interested in seeing how well this serves, but also gotta say it does look good and original to me.  Good job on the cage!


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## XLRX8 (Sep 29, 2012)

The layers of sand are very thin, piled up on the front mostly for aesthetics, rather than spread right through. I know sand won't support a burrow, which is why I made it this way, unless there is another issue I am not thinking of here? I will post new pics to this thread when it has been burrowed in - with some luck the bits of sand will get mixed through to create an interesting effect. The tank is 60 x 60 x 15cm btw. Thanks for the input guys


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## SamuraiSid (Sep 29, 2012)

All I ws thinking is, as he burrows past a layer of sand, it will start to fall in on him, making for a larger excavating effort and maybe some odd shaped holes. However Im not very familiar with webbing habits of this sp.. It could very well be fine. Either way its good to see someone trying something different


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## XLRX8 (Sep 29, 2012)

Yep, I was thinking exactly the same thing. The sand will be easier to move but won't stay in place, so the burrows may turn out quite unusual shapes. I am new to this species, so I don't know much about the webbing, but the male has put down quite a thick mat of it in his tank so far, so maybe she will line the walls of her burrows and secure the sandy bits. I guess in the wild they would have to burrow through all sorts of obstacles. Anyway, it will be interesting to see the outcome!

Reactions: Like 1


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## SamuraiSid (Sep 30, 2012)

For OBs, Ive got a Hysterocrates sp. and H. schmidti. The Haplo is by far the more serious webber of the two. I havnt really noticed any extra webbing with Hysty.

Good luck. Id love to see pics after the burrow is made.


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## Spyder 1.0 (Oct 1, 2012)

LOVE IT.

I would have added a gravel layer near the bottom too or maybe a clay layer


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## XLRX8 (Oct 1, 2012)

Spyder 1.0 - yep, there is actually a gravel layer at the bottom that I neglected mention  Thought it would be good for drainage.

I am still waiting for her to burrow. The bark you can see at the top is pushed in quite deep, and there is a cavity under it that she has made her lair. I guess she will start off from there. She is eating very well and seems happy enough. I will be sure to post updates as the burrows appear.

Reactions: Like 1


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## XLRX8 (Dec 1, 2012)

The burrow is now quite extensive. I just noticed it is exactly two months since my last post on this, so that's a good idea of time fame on this  I don't have any good photos to post yet, I don't want to disturb the tank as she may well have an egg sack in there. The cavity described in my previous post shot down about a foot, at around the same time the temperatures here dropped for winter. I have now noticed that pieces of gravel are turning up at the entrance to the burrow, so this means she is tunneling around the bottom (only the bottom layer of the tank has gravel). As far as viewing the tunnels through the side - I can see a number of areas that have tunnels running along the sides at different levels, but the dirt is still covering the glass too much to see them clearly, I think the burrows are being dug towards the back side of the tank, which makes sense because it is less disturbed and the heat source comes from there. When I eventually turn it around there could be a very interesting sight! I think I will also make a cover for the front and leave that on for a while to see what happens.

As far as the sand goes - no issue at all. I looked down the burrow with a red torch and the bands of sand can be seen. It looks like the digging style causes the layers to be mixed together a good bit, and whatever is left is moist (and minimal) enough to stay put. There is also webbing covering the the walls and holding them together. The tunnel walls look compacted and neat.

So for now, here are some photos from above ground. You can see I planted some live plants in there, and put some moss in. I'm looking forward to the plants growing all around the surface

Reactions: Like 2


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## grayzone (Dec 1, 2012)

very cool stuff.


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## jarmst4 (Dec 9, 2012)

Looks pretty good.


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