# Lantern enclosure for A. merianae



## Thekla (Mar 27, 2018)

Since I saw @Dovey's beautiful lantern enclosures, I was looking for a suitable lantern myself. A few days ago I found a reasonable cheap and IMO beautiful lantern, that could work.




But the first and most important question right now is:
*Would be the size of it appropiate for an adult A. merianae?*

Without the ornamental part at the top, it measures approx. 6,5"x 6,5"x 12".

I'm planning to replace the glass walls (except maybe the one at the front) with acrylic sheets, so I can drill loads of ventilation holes in it. I would also put a cover sheet (with some more holes) on the top to separate the ornamental part from the rest of the enclosure. Just to be sure there's no danger of her getting her feet stuck in there.

I'm still at the very early planning stage, and I also have loads of time on my hands, because she (or he ) is still a 1,5" sling/juvie. I just wanted to make sure that all the planning won't be for naught if this isn't the right size as a final enclosure. 

So, what do you think? @Dovey @CEC @all?

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## Dave Jay (Mar 27, 2018)

Just two days ago I thought about this! I was looking around various shops for possible enclosures and saw these. They're about 2' high without the metal tops though. I don't have a tarantula big enough for them atm, but it would look good imo.
	

		
			
		

		
	





	

		
			
		

		
	
No need for added ventilation with the last two. The last one would be my first choice I think.


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## Andrea82 (Mar 27, 2018)

Dave Jay said:


> Just two days ago I thought about this! I was looking around various shops for possible enclosures and saw these. They're about 2' high without the metal tops though. I don't have a tarantula big enough for them atm, but it would look good imo.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You would still need to add ventilation at the sides to create cross ventilation.

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## Dave Jay (Mar 27, 2018)

Andrea82 said:


> You would still need to add ventilation at the sides to create cross ventilation.


I think it would be okay actually, there are gaps around the glass that I would have to silicone at the bottom for substrate, if I put spacers in there would be ventilation around every pane of glass. They cost between $69 and $99 aud though, but that's comparable to the price of proper enclosures or small fish tanks . It might be nice for my wife one day for a special spider. 
BTW though, Miss Phantom Fangs on YouTube, who's videos are often recommended in threads, keeps her Phlogius species in glass tanks with glass lids and no ventilation . She even tapes up the holes in kritter keepers to reduce ventilation. So I'm not sure it's that crucial with the Australian rainforest species, although I have been adding as much ventilation as possible with my enclosures but I'm using false bottoms so if they want moisture they just have to dig for it. Her reasoning is that it is moist in their burrows where they spend most of their time so having the whole tank moist and humid means they are out most of the time. I have found that to be the case with our rainforest scorpions though , lots of ventilation and you never see them, reduce ventilation and they'll be out roaming around hunting. I still go for lots of ventilation though.


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## Andrea82 (Mar 27, 2018)

Dave Jay said:


> I think it would be okay actually, there are gaps around the glass that I would have to silicone at the bottom for substrate, if I put spacers in there would be ventilation around every pane of glass. They cost between $69 and $99 aud though, but that's comparable to the price of proper enclosures or small fish tanks . It might be nice for my wife one day for a special spider.
> BTW though, Miss Phantom Fangs on YouTube, who's videos are often recommended in threads, keeps her Phlogius species in glass tanks with glass lids and no ventilation . She even tapes up the holes in kritter keepers to reduce ventilation. So I'm not sure it's that crucial with the Australian rainforest species, although I have been adding as much ventilation as possible with my enclosures but I'm using false bottoms so if they want moisture they just have to dig for it. Her reasoning is that it is moist in their burrows where they spend most of their time so having the whole tank moist and humid means they are out most of the time. I have found that to be the case with our rainforest scorpions though , lots of ventilation and you never see them, reduce ventilation and they'll be out roaming around hunting. I still go for lots of ventilation though.


She seems to be using the European style tanks, which have a ventilation strip in the top of the tank, and one at the front low. 
I have no idea how to keep Australian Theraphosidae

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## Dave Jay (Mar 27, 2018)

Andrea82 said:


> She seems to be using the European style tanks, which have a ventilation strip in the top of the tank, and one at the front low.
> I have no idea how to keep Australian Theraphosidae


Me either really! I have read everything I can find, it's not much and what there is is contradictory. The Selenotyus species are arid burrowers, so I'm keeping them like arid burrowing scorpions, false bottoms with the surface dry, and keeping Phlogius much the same but with some surface moisture . At the moment all I have are slings and small juvies but they seem to be doing ok


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## Andrea82 (Mar 27, 2018)

Dave Jay said:


> Me either really! I have read everything I can find, it's not much and what there is is contradictory. The Selenotyus species are arid burrowers, so I'm keeping them like arid burrowing scorpions, false bottoms with the surface dry, and keeping Phlogius much the same but with some surface moisture . At the moment all I have are slings and small juvies but they seem to be doing ok



I totally forgot you are from Australia! 
I was thinking like, why is he setting spiders up like MissPhantomFangs does, it makes no sense, just watch the Dark Den or something! 
Lol, sorry about that

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## Thekla (Mar 27, 2018)

Could we come back to my original post and my original question now, please? 



Thekla said:


> Since I saw @Dovey's beautiful lantern enclosures, I was looking for a suitable lantern myself. A few days ago I found a reasonable cheap and IMO beautiful lantern, that could work.
> 
> View attachment 270818
> 
> ...

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## Dave Jay (Mar 27, 2018)

Thekla said:


> Could we come back to my original post and my original question now, please?


I apologise, I just happened to have had the same idea and took pictures so I thought I'd show you.Then I was explaining that with most of these lanterns the glass is a very loose fit and putting spacers in would mean there is a gap around each pane of glass which would give a fair bit of ventilation. Then I got sidetracked somewhat discussing ventilation needs of the species I keep. Sorry about that, it's just I am debating whether to use lanterns myself. I can't tell if with your lantern the pattern on the top is actually cut out like metal lacework or if its just an indented pattern, you mention feet getting stuck so I guess it is lacework. I  see that you plan to seal it off, but if it's lacework you could add ventilation holes to the 'ceiling'. Without a ceiling , I think an arboreal spider would make it's home in the top and you wouldn't be able to see it, with a ceiling the door would open all the way to the top which is not good either, you may need to add lips at both the bottom and the top. I'm not quite sure if it would be deemed big enough for a final enclosure, but it does seem to be on par with a lot I've seen on here. If your sling is only 1.5" atm, I think it would still be worth doing as it would be quite a while before it out grew it, if in fact it will eventually. It seems a lot of people recommend smaller enclosures over big ones for various reasons, the most common being better prey/predator interaction. My vote is it would be a great idea with the right modifications .

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## Thekla (Mar 27, 2018)

Dave Jay said:


> I apologise, I just happened to have had the same idea and took pictures so I thought I'd show you.


No worries, I really do love the lanterns you found!  I just never had a thread got sidetracked that quickly. 



> Then I was explaining that with most of these lanterns the glass is a very loose fit and putting spacers in would mean there is a gap around each pane of glass which would give a fair bit of ventilation.


You may be right, but I think I'd play it safe and replace at least three side walls with acrylic, so I'll be able to have proper cross ventilation.



> I can't tell if with your lantern the pattern on the top is actually cut out like metal lacework or if its just an indented pattern, you mention feet getting stuck so I guess it is lacework.


Yes it is. That's why I'm planning to add a "fake ceiling" with additional holes to be on the safe side.



> with a ceiling the door would open all the way to the top which is not good either, you may need to add lips at both the bottom and the top.


Yup, I was planning that as well, because there's also a gap around the door, that has to be secured. But thanks for the idea to make that upper lip a bit wider to have a smaller opening when I've to open the door. 



> I'm not quite sure if it would be deemed big enough for a final enclosure, but it does seem to be on par with a lot I've seen on here. If your sling is only 1.5" atm, I think it would still be worth doing as it would be quite a while before it out grew it, if in fact it will eventually. It seems a lot of people recommend smaller enclosures over big ones for various reasons, the most common being better prey/predator interaction.


At the moment my sling is way too small for that enclosure, it would probably hide even more than it is doing now (if that's even possible). 



> My vote is it would be a great idea with the right modifications .


Thanks!

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## CEC (Mar 27, 2018)

A. merianae only get about 4" so the size shouldn't be an issue. As long as you add ventilation as mentioned it should be suitable. That would be my only concern.

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## Thekla (Mar 27, 2018)

Thanks a lot!  That's really all I wanted to hear.  And don't you worry, there'll be plenty ventilation. If I learned one thing in this forum, it's that Avics need proper cross ventilation and to avoid stuffy conditions at all cost. Of course, I learned a lot more than just that. 

And because time is on my side I can now slowly ease into phase two of my lantern project.

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## Dave Jay (Mar 27, 2018)

Thekla said:


> Thanks a lot!  That's really all I wanted to hear.  And don't you worry, there'll be plenty ventilation. If I learned one thing in this forum, it's that Avics need proper cross ventilation and to avoid stuffy conditions at all cost. Of course, I learned a lot more than just that.
> 
> And because time is on my side I can now slowly ease into phase two of my lantern project.


Don't forget to keep us updated!

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## Thekla (Mar 28, 2018)

Dave Jay said:


> Don't forget to keep us updated!


Don't worry I most certainly will!

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## Orionoid (Mar 29, 2018)

Are you planning on covering the non-glass (or once you replace it, acrylic) interior surface with silicone? I think that might be a good idea both because god knows what they used to color+seal it and for waterproofing.


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## Thekla (Mar 29, 2018)

I plan to attach the "fake ceiling" with silicone, yes, but other than that, I'm really not sure that's neccessary. I mean I don't need it waterproof. There'll be only a bit of dry substrate on the ground, so no need to have everything sealed off hermetically, I guess. 

@Dovey Do you seal off your lanterns? Do you think it's neccessary?


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## NukaMedia Exotics (Mar 29, 2018)

Honestly a pretty cool idea, I think it would look great if you have a T that it would be appropriate for.


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## Orionoid (Mar 30, 2018)

Thekla said:


> I plan to attach the "fake ceiling" with silicone, yes, but other than that, I'm really not sure that's neccessary. I mean I don't need it waterproof. There'll be only a bit of dry substrate on the ground, so no need to have everything sealed off hermetically, I guess.
> 
> @Dovey Do you seal off your lanterns? Do you think it's neccessary?


Well, waterproofing was the secondary thought. My bigger concern was that, since they weren't designed to hold inverts, the stuff they used to coat/make the lantern might be toxic to them over time. It's probably not a big deal but I'm a worry wart


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## viper69 (Mar 30, 2018)

My only concern is you don't have more Avics  That will work it's a small species.

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## Dovey (Mar 31, 2018)

Hey, sorry, I've been off for a couple of days. No, I do not seal the bottoms. I let them leak through so that they never get soggy. I only use these for arboreals and only have about half an inch to an inch of substrate underneath a layer of moss, so I want to be able to really soak the substrate when I top off the water bowls. Dripping through is ideal for me... I just make sure they are sitting in a sink or over a water impervious surface. The most successful setup I have had involved hanging a lantern on a hook so that water dripping out with land on a fern below it, which really appreciated the moisture!

Also, when I use screen to cover up gaps that were too wide in decorative areas, I just hot glued them. I've never had a spider mess with cooled hot glue.

And finally, I have found that the Avicularia, Tapenachenius, Psalmopoeus, and Carabina species were perfectly happy to make their nests behind half corks that came up to just below the top of the window, rather than at the top. This was perfect, because I could check on them in the back occasionally and make sure all was well. Weirdly, the most successful Lantern setup has been one that was only about 4 inches deep but 10 inches wide and high. My Versi made a lovely nest with a "cala lily" lip and he would climb out and sit on the lip where I could see him really well. He would often come out and watch me working at the desk where that lantern sat. Just sent him off for breeding. I'm going to miss that guy! Hoping to replace him with a braunshauseni  that's getting to be the right size for that lantern. It would have been a bad setup for the more hyper species like the Psalmies and Taps, though, who would have bolted out the front door every time they felt a breeze. Got to match the house to the occupant, of course!

Those are beautiful lamps, by the way. Keep it simple. Just let the water run through. And make sure you use a flexible plastic on the front so that the door will close if the wet substrate bulges. I really have found the plastic used on disposable food containers to be ideal. Very tough and long-lasting.

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## Dovey (Mar 31, 2018)

One other consideration was I found that my Psalmopoeus cambridgei required a lot of additional moisture. I live in New River, Arizona, which of course has very dry air all the time. Even in a lantern set up, I had to mist his setup just about every day and top off the water. One time I was gone for just 3 days, and when I got back I set a cube of cantaloupe inside his lantern for his free-ranging dubias. When I came back with the water to top off his bowl, he was actually sucking on the cantaloupe for moisture! Those guys do not like to get too dry, so make sure lantern habitats have as much substrate as possible to hold moisture for that species and other humidity lovers if you live in a dry environment.

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## Thekla (Mar 31, 2018)

Mvtt70 said:


> Honestly a pretty cool idea, I think it would look great if you have a T that it would be appropriate for.


Thanks!  And I already have a T for which it'd be appropiate:


It just has to grow into it. 



Orionoid said:


> Well, waterproofing was the secondary thought. My bigger concern was that, since they weren't designed to hold inverts, the stuff they used to coat/make the lantern might be toxic to them over time. It's probably not a big deal but I'm a worry wart


I appreciate your concerns, but IMO there's no big risk. I think if it would've been coated with something harmful, I could probably smell it. And it's sitting here for almost 2 weeks now, and I don't smell anything.  



viper69 said:


> My only concern is you don't have more Avics  That will work it's a small species.


Hey, I'm only starting with arboreals.  Just let me get the hang of it, then we'll see. 



Dovey said:


> Hey, sorry, I've been off for a couple of days. No, I do not seal the bottoms. I let them leak through so that they never get soggy. I only use these for arboreals and only have about half an inch to an inch of substrate underneath a layer of moss, so I want to be able to really soak the substrate when I top off the water bowls. Dripping through is ideal for me... I just make sure they are sitting in a sink or over a water impervious surface. The most successful setup I have had involved hanging a lantern on a hook so that water dripping out with land on a fern below it, which really appreciated the moisture!
> 
> Also, when I use screen to cover up gaps that were too wide in decorative areas, I just hot glued them. I've never had a spider mess with cooled hot glue.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info. That helps a lot.  
I was a bit worried, when you didn't reply... I thought your OBT might have eaten you or something.  How's your hunt going?

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## NukaMedia Exotics (Mar 31, 2018)

Thekla said:


> Thanks!  And I already have a T for which it'd be appropiate:
> View attachment 271184
> 
> It just has to grow into it.
> ...


I'm thinking its not a good idea to assume that humans would be able to smell anything & everything (that could be harmful to our Ts) on field-collected decorations.


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## Dovey (Mar 31, 2018)

Oh, he's still out there someplace. I've  gotten very philosophical about it. I put water down for him, and I hear the girl drumming ever so often. Sooner or later I'll  find him.


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## Mirandarachnid (Mar 31, 2018)

Thekla said:


> I appreciate your concerns, but IMO there's no big risk. I think if it would've been coated with something harmful, I could probably smell it. And it's sitting here for almost 2 weeks now, and I don't smell anything.


It's sometimes hard to tell if there is any "off-gassing" from paints (or whatever) when the object is out in the open. I'd suggest you put it in a plastic tub and seal it up real good for a week or so (especially since you're not in a rush to use the enclosure) Then open it up and see if you smell anything. If no smells have built up in a sealed environment by then, I imagine it would be totally safe

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## Thekla (Apr 21, 2018)

Mirandarachnid said:


> It's sometimes hard to tell if there is any "off-gassing" from paints (or whatever) when the object is out in the open. I'd suggest you put it in a plastic tub and seal it up real good for a week or so (especially since you're not in a rush to use the enclosure) Then open it up and see if you smell anything. If no smells have built up in a sealed environment by then, I imagine it would be totally safe


I did that. No smell whatsoever.  I also showered it off thoroughly with steaming hot water and left if outside for a few days to dry off, having removed the glass beforehand. I think I'm good to go. 

And so I finished the three side walls and the upper cover today. Just wanted to check with you guys, if there'll be enough ventilation. What do you think?

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## Thekla (Aug 11, 2018)

Well, after her (still hoping) last moult I think my A. merianae is ready to move into her forever home. 

This morning I started to build the interior of my lantern enclosure. Everything else I fixed already a couple of months ago. Now, what do you say? Is it suitable? Is there enough leaf clutter for her to build her web tunnels? Obviously, there'll be dry substrate and a second water dish on the ground. 

Front: 
	

		
			
		

		
	



	

		
			
		

		
	
  Side: 
	

		
			
		

		
	



	

		
			
		

		
	
  Back:


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## beccadarling (Aug 12, 2018)

Sounds like a cool idea! It would definitely take some finagling though. As far as ventilation goes, i think that whatever you do on top should be plenty. I'd probably recommend keeping a species  that likes dryer environments if you opt not to add any side ventilation simply because the risk of growing mold would be a bit higher.


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## Thekla (Aug 13, 2018)

beccadarling said:


> Sounds like a cool idea!


Thanks. 



> It would definitely take some finagling though. As far as ventilation goes, i think that whatever you do on top should be plenty. I'd probably recommend keeping a species  that likes dryer environments if you opt not to add any side ventilation simply because the risk of growing mold would be a bit higher.


Like I said I'll be housing my Avicularia merianae in that enclosure, so yes, it'll be dry in there. 
As for ventilation... when you have a look at the picture I posted before, you can see that there's is plenty of ventilation on three sides and the top of the enclosure. I don't think I have to worry about mould.


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