2.5 and 5.5 gallon tanks

Puppet Master

Arachnoknight
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One of my friends recently came across dozens of 2.5 and 5.5 glass aquarium tanks, and asked me if I wanted a few I said sure.

so my Q is what T,s will do well in these tanks. I have a G. rosea,Chaco,P.lugardi,Tiger rump, and A. avic. And I want somthing different but cheap not rare expensive T's.

p.s. I did a search but didnt find the info I needed.

Thanks
 

Windchaser

Arachnoking
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Both are good tanks for most tarantulas. The 2.5 can be a bit small for some of the larger terrestrials, but smaller is usually preferred to a tank being too big.
 

MindUtopia

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Yes, you can house just about any sub-adult or adult that's large enough. If you had a 7"+ T, you might want to consider something a little larger but there are only a few T's that would ever need that size. I don't have any of my T's in anything larger than a 5 gallon and frankly prefer 2.5 gallons.
 

Vys

Arachnoprince
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Windchaser said:
Both are good tanks for most tarantulas. The 2.5 can be a bit small for some of the larger terrestrials, but smaller is usually preferred to a tank being too big.
?

No tank can be 'too big' except in the mind of the keeper. As long as you provide ample possibilities for retreats. 'Usually preferred'..well, if keepers suffer from claustrophobia, like me, the opposite is fact : P
 

Windchaser

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Vys said:
?

No tank can be 'too big' except in the mind of the keeper. As long as you provide ample possibilities for retreats. 'Usually preferred'..well, if keepers suffer from claustrophobia, like me, the opposite is fact : P
If the tank is very large, it is quite easy for the prey and the predator to miss each other. Even in a very large tank, a tarantula will only use a very small portion of it. There is no benefit for the tarantula to have tons of space. The extra size is more for the keeper than for the tarantula.
 

Vys

Arachnoprince
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Windchaser said:
If the tank is very large, it is quite easy for the prey and the predator to miss each other. Even in a very large tank, a tarantula will only use a very small portion of it. There is no benefit for the tarantula to have tons of space. The extra size is more for the keeper than for the tarantula.
Last sentence cannot be said with certainty. Anyway, 'benefit' me here and there, but more 'natural' is the bigger enclosure. Let the tarantula spend it's entire life in its burrow? And if you are worried about 'feeding problems' ..well, aim well? :p
 
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Puppet Master

Arachnoknight
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Thanks everyone.

would a 5.5 gallon tank put up on end work well for arboreals also, like pokies.
 

Ryan C.

Arachnoprince
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I think pokies will be a little large for a 5.5g tank. I would go for a 10g on end for an adult pokie.
 

Windchaser

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Yes, a 5.5 gallon on end would work for an arboreal. Your biggest challenge would be a good lid/door for the enclosure.
 

MRL

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RyanC said:
I think pokies will be a little large for a 5.5g tank. I would go for a 10g on end for an adult pokie.
I don't know. I think 2.5 gallon is well enough. I agree some larger terrestrials may not be the best for a 2.5 gallon, thinking T. blondi really.
 

MindUtopia

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Yes, 5 gallon would be fine for any pokie. I know folks who keep them in set-ups much smaller than that with no problems.
 

Ronj

Arachnobaron
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Wow, I sure wish I could come across dozens of aquariums! I have to agree that these are large enough unless you are dealing with something like a Lasiodora parahybana. Since I am still new I have had larger then smaller tanks, but as my collection wants to grow, smaller is better because I can keep more in the space that I have for them. Also, you will notice that your t's will tend to stay in one or two places all the time. I have a 5.5" Grammostola aureostriata that is in a 5 gal tank. He has one spot that he stays in and rarely moves so even a 2.5 gal would work fine.
 

Vys

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1. You only notice it 'isn't moving around much' because it actually can in a bigger tank.

2. You can keep most T's in shoeboxes, for they don't seem to get very claustrophobic, but this A: makes sane people viewing them claustrophobic and B: makes the spider stay in its retreat all of its time(which may be practical for some, but appears about as natual as a Christmas palm tree.)

3. 'Too big' does not exist for the spider, it exists only for you.
 

Thoth

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Most of my adult/subadult ts are housed in 5 gal tanks. 2.5 gal are okay but a bit on the small side for most the ts you mentioned, with the exception of the tiger rump and maybe the P.lugardi.

The very general rule of thumb for enclosure size the length should be 3x the legspan and the width 2x.

Congrats on the find.
 

Ewok

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All I have to say at you puppetmaster is "lucky" lol{D
 

Puppet Master

Arachnoknight
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All I have to say at you puppetmaster is "lucky" lol
Ha you dont know the half of it. My friend had so many tanks that I ended up with about (5) 2.5 gall and (10) 5.5 gall. all new (they were 5 years old but never used) and glass.my mom saw them and she looked me in eye and said very loudly 6 TARANTULAS NO MORE!

I was able to talk her to 8 so one will be a Pokie and the other would be a blondi.
so I had to give the tanks back exept for a few.

Thanks everyone.
 
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