# H. Gigas Land/Water Vivarium Awesome !



## arachnidsrva (Mar 19, 2012)

So I put together this awesome Vivarium for two female H. Gigas!

The bigger one hustles out of the water when I come home as if she doesnt want me to catch her in the act. I'll find her moving up the glass covered in water droplets...

I put all the damn work into building the tank, I think I have the right to see her in action. 

She will literally dive for Guppies, it's pretty crazy. It's startled me a few times already....

The waterfall is made by "Terra Fauna" I believe. It has a nice little pump with dual filters so it really provides that heavy trickle sound that I love falling asleep to. Oh and I bought it at Petco, I felt bad for spending a dime there...but it was the best deal i've found so far, for a quality product.

The third photo is a waterfall I purchased from an Expo... the setup is great and the waterfall may look more appealing, but it has no filtration built in...so after about a week the pump gets dirty and it slows to a slight trickle. WEAK

Late at night I can catch her through the glare of flatscreen tv - she'll be posted on the logabove the water, waiting for an easy kill.

I plan on loading up the back of the enclosure with fog moss, (it wont mold easily) that way she can start making burrows

Any suggestions on other T's that may tolerate water?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Boatman (Mar 21, 2012)

I have a suggestion: I think you should make me one of those.

That's pretty awesome!...


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## creepa (Mar 21, 2012)

She looks realy happy in her enclosure climbing the glass and all....:sarcasm:

I realy think you should put her in a bucket with a shedload of substrate

Reactions: Like 3


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## matt82 (Mar 21, 2012)

Nice!!  I'd love tokeep one or two of these, just so I could try one of these water setups!!


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## GiantVinegaroon (Mar 21, 2012)

creepa said:


> She looks realy happy in her enclosure climbing the glass and all....:sarcasm:
> 
> I realy think you should put her in a bucket with a shedload of substrate


I agree with this.  I think the spiders should have more land.


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## Austin S. (Mar 21, 2012)

That is a nice set up yes, but gigas are burrowing species. Keep the waterfall/little pond in there, but on the opposite side, is there anyway you can take out the pebbles, make a divider and put in moist peat moss or something else?

Reactions: Like 1


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## arachnidsrva (Mar 23, 2012)

*For the moment you've all been waiting for !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*






1. for the people that said "awesome" - thanks!

2. for the people that said "thats a burrower" - i understand! thanks for the advice, I just needed time to finish it. 

This will make everyone even more happy! But not me, well sort of...I'll never see her again.....

im gonna end up swapping it out with one of my big-ass Pokies I think. The gigas will probably go on the table at Hamburg next month...


What should I put in the second enclosure?????? What would you guys like to see?? I'll order whatever the majority vote is and take pictures


So that pile of fog moss is half of a large-sized box of the ExoTerra Brand. She's already made a tunnel system inside of it.

Of course, she hasn't come out since I made it. So the H. Gigas wins and now I have a pet terrarium with some guppies.


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## Philth (Mar 23, 2012)

arachnidsrva said:


> What should I put in the second enclosure?????? What would you guys like to see?? I'll order whatever the majority vote is and take pictures


Maybe some newts or something if its going to have all that water.



arachnidsrva said:


> At night I can hear her splashing around trying to catch guppies, I recently installed a log over-top
> of the water, which she fishes from.
> 
> Im gonna leave my webcam setup to catch all the action of her fishing while I am at work!


I'm still waiting to see a good video of this.

These water set ups for tarantulas blow, and make no sense.  

Later, Tom


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## arachnidsrva (Mar 23, 2012)

If you have something that isnt nice to say, post it somewhere else. Go put on some Minor Threat and leave me be.

---------- Post added 03-23-2012 at 02:31 AM ----------

I like my waterfall, and I'll put a newt in it and name it after you.


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## Philth (Mar 23, 2012)

arachnidsrva said:


> The bigger one hustles out of the water when I come home as if she doesnt want me to catch her in the act. I'll find her moving up the glass covered in water droplets...


Sounds like her wet legs are causing her to slip off the glass.  Why do you think she hangs out in the water? Sounds like torture to me.



arachnidsrva said:


> She will literally dive for Guppies, it's pretty crazy. It's startled me a few times already....


Video's, pics???




arachnidsrva said:


> I put all the damn work into building the tank, I think I have the right to see her in action.


Since you have made these claims, so do we 

Later, Tom

---------- Post added 03-23-2012 at 02:45 AM ----------




arachnidsrva said:


> If you have something that isnt nice to say, post it somewhere else. Go put on some Minor Threat and leave me be.
> 
> ---------- Post added 03-23-2012 at 02:31 AM ----------
> 
> I like my waterfall, and I'll put a newt in it and name it after you.


My comments were offered as friendly advice, sorry if I came off offensive.  I'll take your advice on the Minor Threat though lol. Name that newt TP


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## arachnidsrva (Mar 23, 2012)

I don't have a video camera, or time to sit and wait for her to catch a fish on video. Usually i am at the desk next to her. 

but it's rude people up your alley that will discourage me from posting further content on this site, you've stained my thread.
i wish i had never started it, im sure you feel the same mr. spiteful.     

what do I owe you specifically anyways? Do you need me to buy you a little waterfall kit and maybe a little gravel? Is that the problem?

YouTube might be a better fit for you, they're a little bit more flexible with profanity and generally expect negative feedback from most comments.


maybe you can convince the mods on this site to make you a section called "debbie downer" - you can comment all day long on your own.

---------- Post added 03-23-2012 at 03:07 AM ----------

I just saw your last sentence just now. We're cool, sorry but I had to retort.  You took this thread from cruising through the mountains to inner city traffic with one post.

It was pretty Martha Stewart, I admit...but you turned it into Richard Pryor.

I was always into D.R.I way more than anything else. Also noted:Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Agnostic Front and Cro Mags. 

I am now at a point in my life where it is all way too loud.


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## Jared781 (Mar 26, 2012)

arachnidsrva said:


> View attachment 100708
> View attachment 100709
> View attachment 100710
> View attachment 100711
> ...


WOW!!!! thats sick! i love how a well done Viv/Ter is! lol

---------- Post added 03-26-2012 at 11:30 AM ----------

Quick question, why do you go the Malboro pack in there?? random but funnny!!!


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## syndicate (Mar 26, 2012)

This tank may work well for some fishing spiders (Dolomedes can be found in your area!) but I would say it is not very suitable for a tarantula to live in.While yes some tarantulas have been observed near water they are not aquatic by any means!Not trying to diss your thread here but do your spider a favor and give it some dirt!hehe!
-Chris


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## arachnidsrva (Mar 26, 2012)

i plan on changing it up quite a bit.   i caught her underwater yesterday when i got home - she had the remains of guppies in her grasp
im gonna upload some pics tonight

i want something similar to dirt that she can burrow in, i switched her into the less arboreal setup with more land and more moss

---------- Post added 03-26-2012 at 06:49 PM ----------




Jared781 said:


> WOW!!!! thats sick! i love how a well done Viv/Ter is! lol
> 
> ---------- Post added 03-26-2012 at 11:30 AM ----------
> 
> Quick question, why do you go the Malboro pack in there?? random but funnny!!!


i put the marlboro pack in there for reference to show how big it is in comparison


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## syndicate (Mar 26, 2012)

I bet if you search some ponds/lakes in your area this summer you could find something like this:


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## arachnidsrva (Mar 26, 2012)

*Oh holy diver*

Holy Diver 
You've been down too long in the midnight sea 
Oh what's becoming of me 
Ride the tiger 
You can see his stripes but you know he's clean
Oh don't you see what I mean 
Gotta get away Holy Diver 
Shiny diamonds 
Like the eyes of a cat in the black and blue 
Something is coming for you 
Race for the morning 
You can hide in the sun 'till you see the light
Oh we will pray it's all right
Gotta get away-get away 







Between the velvet lies 
There's a truth that's hard as steel
The vision never dies 
Life's a never ending wheel 
Holy Diver
You're the star of the masquerade 
No need to look so afraid 
Jump on the tiger 
You can feel his heart but you know he's mean 
Some light can never be seen


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## Philth (Mar 27, 2012)

Great pics of a _Hysterocrates_ under water for sure.  I still think if she had some dirt she can burrow in , she would choose to hide there in stead of fleeing to water.  And these pictures don't really prove that ..."She will literally dive for Guppies"  

Again, my comments are not meant to be offensive or rude, I just say what I think. I am not denying that they are water tolerant but,  until I see a video or pics of this species actively and free willing entering the water without the owners encouragement, I just won't understand why people keep them this way.  I'm all for experimenting with new and innovative ways to keep animals, but I don't think they will reproduce successfully in this type set up.  To me , happy animals in captivity, are the one's that reproduce in captivity.  _Hysterocrates_ are not difficult to breed in captivity in the simple set ups I've kept them in over the years.

later, Tom

P.S. I think Dio stinks too haha;P


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## arachnidsrva (Mar 27, 2012)

shes got a bunch of moss tunnels in the new enclosure which she seems to love. i  didn't force her into the water i've caught her in there a few times

the water is about 80 degrees, the neat part is that the guppies keep breeding, but also keep being eaten. im gonna pull her out soon because the fish diet
won't really help her molt very well. 

i need to figure out something similar to dirt that won't mess up the water - i need stuff that won't mold due to the water, the fog moss is good
my main goal is to get these tanks full of live plants... 

i have a few pairs of gigas now and im working on a couple sac's - but here at home i only have a few setups - specifically for looking pretty


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## arachnidsrva (Mar 28, 2012)

*H. gigas -*

So i made a gigantic pile of fog moss - which the H. Gigas has been working on for several days now - she has a perfect hole in the middle - and you can see the tunnel system through both sides of the glass

So earlier my back was turned  - and I heard a splash. 

I was able to get one shot off before she crawled onto the plant... she was not a fan of the flash and me turning the lights on in the apartment -but shes not back in her burrow yet.. im assuming she's hungry ... look at how tiny her bum is - she's hanging in the plant still... i restocked larger fish in there and a salamander earlier today

a lot of the wild-caught stuff that rolls in always looks underfed and skinny.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Philth (Mar 28, 2012)

arachnidsrva said:


> So i made a gigantic pile of fog moss - which the H. Gigas has been working on for several days now - she has a perfect hole in the middle - and you can see the tunnel system through both sides of the glass


Can we see pics of that?  I'd like to see her in her tunnel system.



arachnidsrva said:


> So earlier my back was turned  - and I heard a splash.


She was prob attempting suicide. lol


arachnidsrva said:


> a lot of the wild-caught stuff that rolls in always looks underfed and skinny.


or dying.

I agree many captive spiders are over weight , but that spider looks hungry to me.

Later, Tom


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## jayefbe (Mar 28, 2012)

Yeah, some roaches and actual substrate would serve better than a tank of water, moss and some guppies. Just because it will enter the water and it will eat guppies and will attempt to "burrow" in moss does not necessarily mean it's a suitable environment. I personally would at least make sure it was fat and healthy before placing in an experimental enclosure.


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## mcluskyisms (Mar 28, 2012)

*Ok, Ive bit my tongue long enough.*

How do you know when you're hearing these splashes that the spider is hunting/fishing? I suspect it is spending most of its time on the glass due to being highly stressed due to the ridiculous enclosure you've housed it in. Burrowing species of tarantulas rarely spend _any_ time on vertical surfaces, when they do it is usually a sign that there is something wrong. The splashes you're hearing are most likely the tarantula loosing grip and falling into the water. 

As Tom mentioned, many captive tarantulas _are_ vastly overweight. The specimen you have there looks emaciated to put it lightly (I think we can rule dehydration out). Just because some guy on the internet posts up some videos on YouTube of him poking a tarantula into a tub of water doesn't mean you have to follow suit? 

People have been fairly easy going on you up to now, although I think you need to rethink your husbandry out & stop trying to kid yourself that the tarantula is happy, _it isn't_. 

As many people have mentioned to you on numerous times _Hysterocrates_ spp. do well in a set up of deep substrate, why not just take the advice?    

:?

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## arachnidsrva (Mar 29, 2012)

most of the stuff that comes in from Africa always looks underfed, i know this due to the fact that they come in almost weekly.  - little children with buckets and sticks go around and collect this stuff and it is often not fed for long periods of time. i have to sort through this stuff 

thanks for going easy on me ! i really appreciate it greatly and I owe you. - I am well aware that they're burrowers and pet holes and that they like dirt.

i have plenty that live in holes, this is an example of one experiment

I'll make sure this is the last thread that doesn't conform to what everyone else is doing. the tarantula clearly enters the water on it's own and I know this because I have tried it and still continue to experiment. you guys are downplaying this, but have you tried it? you just go by what other people tell you. 

i'll shoot some photos of the land soon and post pictures so you don't wet your britches in frustration - i'll add even more substrate so this doesn't hurt anyone's feelings.


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## Robotponys (Mar 29, 2012)

Why don't you guys look it up? H. Gigas actually "like" swimming apparently. They also need a burrow, which has been provided. The poster stated this is still in the works...

 I don't see how it's the poster's fault for buying an animal that happens to be unhealthy. 

http://www.google.com/search?q=h.+gigas+swim&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

A google search of "h. Gigas swim"

Super cool enclosure!

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## Philth (Mar 29, 2012)

Robotponys said:


> Why don't you guys look it up? H. Gigas actually "like" swimming apparently. They also need a burrow, which has been provided. The poster stated this is still in the works...
> 
> http://www.google.com/search?q=h.+gigas+swim&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari
> 
> ...


They "like" to burrow. They can and will swim if they are forced to. Its 2 different things. I'm well aware of the video's and links provided in your google search.  ( the owner of those video's was criticized for the same reason years ago when he posted them here)  

As I mentioned earlier , until I see a* good *video or pics of the spider actively entering the water on there own (when burrows have been provided), and "diving for guppies" without the owner prodding or poking at it, I don't think its a practical set up.




Robotponys said:


> I don't see how it's the poster's fault for buying an animal that happens to be unhealthy.


Fair enough, but as jayefbe mentioned why experiment with a animal that already looks unhealthy?  And if its eating all those fish, why is it so skinny?:?

Later, Tom


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## Crysta (Mar 29, 2012)

I dont have a water setup, but a big dirt setup with a big waterdish. She will wait for the crickets to fall in the water...and go get them. 

In the third photo you can see where she can set herself on her "web hammock" in the back corner, under her. 

Making a cricket run into the water dirt line, so she can stay on the dirt "ledge" while waiting for water movements, with her front 2 legs on the waters surface.

























Cricket probably decided to swim/float to the far side and captured! But they dont stay in the water to eat in my experience, for example they will climb the ledge and eat as in this picture:







Seperate occasion from above photos

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## grayzone (Mar 29, 2012)

thanks for that reply crysta... maybe in the ops case the t IS diving ... you said yours is CHOOSING to go get the cricket in the waterdish, but your ts leg span is OBVIOUSLY larger than the dish, so it doesn't HAVE to fully submerge itself.... i thank BOTH of you for showing me something other than the norm, and think the OP's experimental enclosure is pretty cool...

---------- Post added 03-29-2012 at 12:08 PM ----------

also, in the op's case, why NOT experiment with an already underfed... and WC t?? id rather THAT then to experiment with a healthy, CB one... hell, maybe even with real old CB females and MMs


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## arachnidsrva (Mar 29, 2012)

the gigas was way worse a couple weeks ago, she's been eating and i hope to have her restored soon.. i throw crickets in as well as the fish

maybe i should put a newt in there and video her eating it...i'd feel bad for the newt.


part of me wants this entire thread deleted - but I don't want to give up yet.   the naysayers make it hard though, they want everything done their way and how they want it

im experimenting.


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## rockhopper (Mar 29, 2012)

Awesome addition to the thread Crysta and cool set up/experiment arachnidsrva.  I got a little A avic from you at the reptile show in Manassas not long ago!    

The only thing I don't like about these boards is a lot of the members are very closed minded and they seem to only regurgitate info from other posts here as if it were gospel.  There are some very experienced people here, but that doesn't mean there isn't more than one way to skin a cat.


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## Philth (Mar 29, 2012)

arachnidsrva said:


> part of me wants this entire thread deleted - but I don't want to give up yet.   the naysayers make it hard though, they want everything done their way and how they want it
> 
> im experimenting.


Some pretty big claims were made in this thread. Big claims will get people's attention. Since it's is a public disscusion board, people have the right offer opinions, comments, complaints, or advice.  How did you think people would react? I for one just wanted to see some proof backing up some far out claims.  Don't delete the thread on my account, who cares what I say, my feelings wont be hurt lol. I just personally wouldn't keep mine set up like that.

Crysta's picture are some of the best I've seen of a H. gigas going into the water. (thanks for sharing!) Although her set up is a bit different, I'd love to see a video.



grayzone said:


> also, in the op's case, why NOT experiment with an already underfed... and WC t?? id rather THAT then to experiment with a healthy, CB one... hell, maybe even with real old CB females and MMs


This is the craziest logic I've heard so far, In *my* opinion.

I think I've offered my opinion enough here though, I will kindly bow out of this thread now. Enjoy

Later, Tom


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## arachnidsrva (Mar 29, 2012)

you can't bow out now!!!! -  i just took pictures of all the stuff I added last week, i moved some stuff around and added some real ivy that my grandmother brought me today at work.... catching her in the water is the hard part. she does it at night, randomly - and it takes me a minute or two to get my camera working - the flash scares her back into her holes

here are some of the photos you personally requested Tom  (the burrows)  hopefully this will calm the people that had problems with the original photos

oh and to clarify, obviously they need dirt. but I didn't want to mix water and dirt.  maybe the naysayers can come up with some alternatives to something that won't
make the water all dirty.


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## jayefbe (Mar 29, 2012)

rockhopper said:


> The only thing I don't like about these boards is a lot of the members are very closed minded and they seem to only regurgitate info from other posts here as if it were gospel.  There are some very experienced people here, but that doesn't mean there isn't more than one way to skin a cat.


So expectations of evidence and voicing one's opinion is being closed-minded? Well if that's the case, I'd rather be closed-minded than just post that users just "regurgitate" information all the time. 

Like Philth, I saw a lot of big claims made with no evidence backing them up. The OP posted claiming that the tarantula was regularly diving into the water, feeding happily on guppies and was doing well in the enclosure. What I saw could just as easily have been an uncomfortable tarantula spending excessive time on the enclosure walls, vastly underfed, and forced to enter the water simply to feed. Simply demanding proof to support big claims, such as the OP's, is NOT being closed-minded. That should be the MINIMUM expectation no matter what the situation. Sorry, but I still don't see any evidence supporting the OP's claims. Crysta's pictures were great, and like Philth already said, offer probably the best evidence of H. gigas behavior near water. On another note, if I couldn't figure out an enclosure design effectively combining a water feature and some sort of substrate that a tarantula could burrow within, I personally would have stayed with a substrate only enclosure. Burrowing > diving for guppies. My opinion.

Reactions: Like 2


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## grayzone (Mar 29, 2012)

Philth said:


> Some pretty big claims were made in this thread. Big claims will get people's attention. Since it's is a public disscusion board, people have the right offer opinions, comments, complaints, or advice.  How did you think people would react? I for one just wanted to see some proof backing up some far out claims.  Don't delete the thread on my account, who cares what I say, my feelings wont be hurt lol. I just personally wouldn't keep mine set up like that.
> 
> Crysta's picture are some of the best I've seen of a H. gigas going into the water. (thanks for sharing!) Although her set up is a bit different, I'd love to see a video.
> 
> ...


    well, crazy logic or not, i dont see who you think you are to criticize other peopled experiments tom... let the guy make all the claims he wants, and stop arguing with him... if you dont like what hes saying DONT READ THE THREAD...or egg people on... IMO , he/she isnt doing anything different than trying communals, or putting freakin ping pong balls in a cage, or feeding mice and such... you will even admit ts are unpredictable. NOBODY can ever know how ts will act with out trying ... no risk no reward... and is it so wrong to rather do the experiment with weak, dying , or mature wild caught ts, other than healthy and young CB ones? is that so crazy?

---------- Post added 03-29-2012 at 07:53 PM ----------

BTW i do agree that Crystas photos are likely more natural IN CAPTIVITY... but thats prob. because not many people have the balls to try this kind of experiment. we see crystas going into the waterdish, and bracing itself so it doesnt get what... but thats because its GIVEN THE OPTION... in the wild, im sure a t could and would dive for food, given it was hungry. AND i bet that ...seeing how the OP's whole tank is kind of , well, a waterdish... and it isnt GIVEN that option it is DEFINITELY a possibility.  im not trying to start an arguement, or side with anybody, im just saying i can see it making sense... its a WC t that is acting in a manner it would in a more natural type setting...

Reactions: Like 2


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## jbm150 (Mar 30, 2012)

I think the biggest problem people are having with this isn't the water set up, no one probably cares about that (though it's cool).  It's that you're not allowing the T to burrow, stubbornly refusing to give it proper substrate so it can excavate to its liking.  Put a bunch of dirt in there along with the aquatic set up, THEN we'll see what's up (similar to Crysta's).  It's quite likely that these Ts do hunt fish to supplement their diet; we find lots of animals that have novel behaviors outside the norm of their group.  But Hysterocrates spiders are obligate burrowers; you giving it gravel and a bit of moss is far from an ideal set up for it.  Without a suitable habitat, we learn absolutely nothing from this setup


Also, just saw where you said you didn't want to the water and dirt to mix.  I suspected this was the case but wasn't going to make mention of it.  That's the unfortunate reality of that set up and why most people abandon it.  You get dirt in the water, algae growing, etc.  People here want to see Ts being taken well care of (because Ts are so often neglected); post pics of Ts that aren't and you can expect nothing less than criticism.  We aren't debby downers or anything else you like to throw out, we're looking out for the welfare of animals that we have a special attachment to and are tired of seeing in improper conditions.

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## arachnidsrva (Mar 30, 2012)

the back of the enclosure has 8" tall by 18" long and 7" deep of fog moss - im pretty sure it would fill up most of a ten gallon aquarium 

is there any reason to go bigger?


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## syndicate (Mar 30, 2012)

Judging by the photo you posted I predict your Hystocrates will be dead in a week or two unless you move it out of that enclosure and give it food...
-Chris


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## creepa (Mar 31, 2012)

Imo. tarantulas in the wild will not swim out of free will ever.
I think they wil only swim when forced by nature. (flooded areas) 
Just because they are predatorial doesent mean there on top of the food chain...
Arachnids, insects and other small creatures in water are bound to be eaten by bigger fish.

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## arachnidsrva (Mar 31, 2012)

i've been feeding her crickets and superworms - its not like i've only given it the option to eat fish - im not going to starve her to death

she looks much better now from when she first arrived to the states a few weeks ago

im going to get her up to a good weight and start rotating a few different H. gigas to see if they act differently at all towards the water

i have a separate facility for tarantulas now - I needed my house back.. 

I keep only the Gigas here for my experiment and so I can feed her more often

she went in the water last night - i heard the splashing - but i couldnt get my ass up

her tunnel system is awesome, im gonna let her work on it for a few more days and photograph the back of it

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## arachnidsrva (Apr 1, 2012)

are those Dolomedes okeefinokensis communal at all ?  i was thinking i could put like four in that enclosure  (if they are)


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## Shay (Apr 22, 2012)

didnt realize how old this thread was since the last time someone posted. i actually dont know how i got to it but.....and im really bored so i drew somethin up.. just for an idea.... as shown here you can have as much substrate you want for your H gigas to burrow depending on how high you want your plexi. silicone your plexi in good enough to hold water. but make it higher so that the substrate couldnt fall out and put some bushes and/or some sort of padding on top of the plexi.build up a rock formation type thing and a ramp for it so it wouldnt be able to fall that far if i happened to fall. i dont know im bored.

Reactions: Like 2


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## creepa (Apr 24, 2012)

That is one awsome drawing dude!, did you draw that with your feet?:tongue:


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## arachnidsrva (Apr 24, 2012)

i think that many more drawings are in-store now.  im going to do own my rendition of a pink toe this evening in color pencils


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## Shay (Apr 24, 2012)

lol!!!!!!!uh oh!! i got the color pencil thing goin!


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## kwacky (Apr 25, 2012)

Awesome enclosure



for a frog.

Reactions: Like 1


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## arachnidsrva (Apr 26, 2012)

*Thanks for the diss.*

Thanks for the diss - Most appreciated !

I'll go ahead and add some updated pictures while we're at it -

so it's been a while... - the back of the tank has much more moss now - it's 10" deep and she's made a pretty awesome series of burrows and tunnels so i think she's much happier now as a T

i've been throwing in several crickets a week but the fish are also all gone. when i come home it's totally normal for her to haul tail back into one of her holes. There were 12-15 fish in the end part of March.


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## arachnidsrva (Apr 26, 2012)

These two pictures I took today when I got home - I looked in at her and realized she had a fish in her mouth. 

I tried really hard to get a good shot - but to no success and within a couple minutes the fish was mush....

I later got her into a container but the head was liquid, I still don't even know how to take a close-up with this camera.

It came with a 28x300 mm lens but the auto focus drives me crazy. I need to take a class on this camera.





Regardless....I promise I will get a good shot of that one day soon. She's got 10" of moss and plenty of humidity - and several live plants.


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## grayzone (Apr 26, 2012)

creepa said:


> That is one awsome drawing dude!, did you draw that with your feet?:tongue:


 lol... THAT was funny... shays drawing IS a good idea tho.

Anyway, glad to see the t is still alive..still like the cage too... whether or not its a RECOMMENDED enclosure, its proving functional and the t is doin seemingly fine. im just curious as to why the t still looks so small if it ate all the fish and crix... Keep us posted

Reactions: Like 1


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## arachnidsrva (Apr 26, 2012)

im gonna add even more moss tomorrow - im gonna fill it to the top so there is 18" inches of moss from bottom to top

that would mean that her burrows would be as deep as a 20 gallon tall aquarium

I jammed a piece of acrylic down inside it a few weeks ago to separate the gravel from the moss - 

she's actually really big - that enclosure is huge.  some of the gigas I have get that real football shaped abdomen - some not as much

i'll take a picture of her tomorrow next to a quarter - she's gotta be atleast 7"


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## grayzone (Apr 26, 2012)

sorry then.. i was just referring to the abdomen size in post #45. could just be the angles... and sounds like it has plenty of room to do what ever it wants.. i like it... i hope your t lasts a long time in there.. its awesome to see something "unusual" working

Reactions: Like 1


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## Shay (Apr 26, 2012)

right on man. IMO though you shouldnt keep adding moss and adding more and more because then it will always be trying to get used to its enclosure. but i could be wrong. it could be very comfy .. keep us updated

Reactions: Like 1


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## wesker12 (Jun 10, 2012)

Awesome, awesome idea! I'm jealous 
On thing though - Shay drew pretty much exactly what I was thinking! Moss is cool and all but isn't the best medium for burrowing, ya dig me?
Do the plexiglass wall with cocofiber/peat moss! That would shut the naysayers up pretty fast ahaha 

Post more pictures! Try using a red light to view it at night so it doesn't get spooked as easy! 
Good luck - I might have to try and replicate something similar when I have some time in summer (school gets out)


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## grayzone (Jun 11, 2012)

Hey aaron, just popping in to see how the enclosure is going.. everything still good?


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## arachnidsrva (Jun 11, 2012)

It's hard for me to spend time with the photographs/video/posts etc... which is why I havent updated it

I do exotic pet expos every weekend. I drive 10 hours sometimes to go vend at one.


Full Time Job - Unfinished Websites - Driving to Pet Expos - Shipping Them - Focusing on Breeding.... too much to do...


It was nice cruising back down 95 and zoning out on Chinese food and Netflix.


Now - The H gigas / enclosure - she's got moss tunnels that go almost all the way to the bottom of the enclosure. They have to be about 12 inches long

I added another waterfall, i was able to increase the land size and the amount of water, but now it's a little less gradual. (The gravel was at an angle sloping into the water)

There is a ton more moss.


She certainly makes good use of the enclosure - Infact, I did an experiment a few weeks ago. I took her out and put her in a 5 gallon filled with coco fiber.
She didnt do anything, she sat in the corner.... so I messed the moss up and put her back in the enclosure and she almost immediately went to town redesigning it. 

Sometimes when I come home, I'll see her scampering up the moss to hide (she's always wet)

Also, I installed two tadpoles...by the time each of them got their rear legs - they disappeared. The first one on a Friday night, the other a few days later.


Now I want to catch this stuff on video, but I need it to have a motion sensor and some kind of night vision. Any suggestions? I need something I can just leave on and view later...

haha maybe we could even launch it live????

I was thinking after a while I could change a new gigas out every week or two... we could do an experiment with 10 and see what happens.... 



let me know!

 - Aaron


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## AmysAnimals (Jun 11, 2012)

hmmm this thread got heated for a while.  While I don't totally agree with the idea of the enclosure for a T it looks nice for something else like a frog or something.  

Also, I looked through this whole thread and at all the pictures...the T doesn't appear to be getting fatter.  Maybe it's just the pics.  Could you post current pics of the t?  

I think if you keep feeding it fish it may pose a problem with molting so maybe just stick with crickets and roaches?  I know I wouldn't feed my t's fish no matter what.  It may look cool for them to go "fishing" but it's probably not the healthiest for them.  

Anyways, good luck with that enclosure, I guess.


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## wesker12 (Jun 11, 2012)

AmysAnimals said:


> hmmm this thread got heated for a while.  While I don't totally agree with the idea of the enclosure for a T it looks nice for something else like a frog or something.
> 
> Also, I looked through this whole thread and at all the pictures...the T doesn't appear to be getting fatter.  Maybe it's just the pics.  Could you post current pics of the t?
> 
> ...


why wouldn't fish be healthy?

---------- Post added 06-11-2012 at 01:52 AM ----------

Hmm as for motion sensitive cameras that are delicate enough to catch a t moving and allow be viewable with night vision would be expensive! Ill have one of my tech oriented friends give me a recommendation.


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## AmysAnimals (Jun 11, 2012)

wesker12 said:


> why wouldn't fish be healthy?
> 
> ---------- Post added 06-11-2012 at 01:52 AM ----------
> 
> Hmm as for motion sensitive cameras that are delicate enough to catch a t moving and allow be viewable with night vision would be expensive! Ill have one of my tech oriented friends give me a recommendation.


Pardon me, as I seem to have made a mistake there.  I could have SWORN I read fishies cause molt issues too.  Guess not as I just read fish are fine to feed...just messy!  Lol

Sorry my mistake!


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## arachnidsrva (Jun 11, 2012)

anything with lots of calcium can cause the T to have a problem with molting.

I throw a few crickets in every week

A lot of people don't agree with this enclosure... but it has over 18 inches (deep of moss) and 24 inches of moss (left to right)

Most people MIGHT put an H gigas in a 10 gallon (mostly filled with dirt) The moss area alone is larger than a 10 gallon aquarium in size. 

It has MORE than enough humidity and obviously all the water it needs. 

This enclosure is overkill, but it's an experiment - which usually involves trying something out of the norm. 
I'll try and post some image content in the next few days, I'd rather spend that time trying to figure out how to setup a badass camera. I was thinking I could actually mount it INSIDE of the enclosure (on the top)

FYI - my budget would be around 100 bux. also noted... I have a second mini-book that I could use for this purpose.


Also noted, I have two enclosures in this room -  the humidity is improved vastly by the land/water setups in this room.


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## jayefbe (Jun 11, 2012)

It has everything it needs...except for substrate that it can actually burrow in. The experiment also doesn't confirm anything but observer bias.


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## arachnidsrva (Jun 11, 2012)

she made tunnels in the back of the tank that are well over a foot deep - so i guess you could call them burrows

unless burrows can only be made out of dirt.


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## AngryMothNoises (Jun 11, 2012)

This is rather amazing. I infact would like to try this some day! (but to find a way to add some substrate).

 I think you should keep doing this. Its so differant! We need people to test stuff out like this. So untill the expearament ends. No one should really say "its a good idea" or "its a bad idea." Because no matter how well people may know how to care for a T. Any thing can happen. 

=D keep it up!


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## thehappyheathen (Nov 26, 2013)

I just found out about this species. I have, of course, seen the Youtube videos. How is this working out? If it was dangerous/unhealthy the T should've died by now. There's surprisingly little info about this behavior outside of one or two sources, and you're one of them. Any clear outcome?


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