Australian Tarantula (Phlogius sp. Kuranda) Enclosure Dimensions and Bioactive Questions

[andyfined]

Hi everyone!

I have a juvenile Phlogius sp. Kuranda, named Gus, and I plan to get him a new enclosure to house him for the rest of his life. I got Gus from Minibeast Wildlife on the 21st of November, 2022. As such, I'm still relatively new to the hobby.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out the best dimensions for Gus' new enclosure, which I intend to make bioactive. Information on Phlogius sp. Kuranda is hard to find, but from what I've found, they typically get to 2.36" / 6cm in body length with a leg span over 4.72" / 12cm. Tarantulas of the Phlogius genus generally live in burrows but will also use spaces under logs and rocks in the wild.

The enclosure I'm currently looking at is the Large Slider Crib Pro - White Bottom (dimensions: 12" x 8" x8" / 30.48cm x 20.32cm x 20.32cm) from Tarantula Cribs. Here is a link to it: https://www.tarantulacribs.com/product-page/tarantula-Enclosure-cage. I just want to make sure this will be suitable for Gus as an adult and allow for natural behaviours, especially considering that it will be bioactive. I would prefer it to be acrylic (as long as it's high and long-lasting) and with holes for cross ventilation (not mesh).

Enclosure recommendations are welcome! However, please keep in mind that I live in Australia, so certain websites and delivery are, annoyingly, limited. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[viper69]

Are you being charged extra for shipping to Aus? If so, I would pass and get a fish tank. They are easier to clean.

 

[NMTs]

I think the dimensions are fine - a 4.5-5" leg span T isn't very large, and the extra depth will allow it to dig a good burrow.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Are you being charged extra for shipping to Aus? If so, I would pass and get a fish tank. They are easier to clean.

Yep Just build an acrylic lid for it , will not scratch like acrylic or warp .

 

[andyfined]

Are you being charged extra for shipping to Aus? If so, I would pass and get a fish tank. They are easier to clean.

Yeah, I'm being charged heaps for shipping. I'm super fine with getting a fish tank, but the problem is just that I don't have the time, money, or skills to make a lid for one. I don't know if there's a place where I could get a custom-made lid for cheap or something?

Yep Just build an acrylic lid for it , will not scratch like acrylic or warp .

I looked into that and would if I could, but I don't have the time, money, or skills to make a lid. Time is the main issue, and I won't have enough free time for months, sadly. Is there anywhere I could get a custom-made lid for cheap if I go with a fish tank instead?

I think the dimensions are fine - a 4.5-5" leg span T isn't very large, and the extra depth will allow it to dig a good burrow.

Awesome, thank you!

Do you have a suggestion on how much substrate I should put down (in inches/centimetres)? Somewhere I read said 4" / 10.16cm minimum for an adult, but like I said, information on Gus' species is hard to find. Probably because they're still sorting out the Genus.

Also, do you have any idea what the maximum dimensions should be? And if there are more suitable dimensions for Gus' needs? Sorry for the extra questions, I just want to make sure Gus will be safe, happy, and comfortable .

 

[NMTs]

Awesome, thank you!

Do you have a suggestion on how much substrate I should put down (in inches/centimetres)? Somewhere I read said 4" / 10.16cm minimum for an adult, but like I said, information on Gus' species is hard to find. Probably because they're still sorting out the Genus.

Also, do you have any idea what the maximum dimensions should be? And if there are more suitable dimensions for Gus' needs? Sorry for the extra questions, I just want to make sure Gus will be safe, happy, and comfortable .

You could put it in a 75 gallon aquarium, but it would just be a bunch of wasted space. Aside from mature males that wander constantly, most T's are happy to have their burrow, hide, or web castle to hang out in and a couple of steps in any direction - and that's it. You may occasionally find a T that wanders far from their home base, but it's usually the exception. Considerations for enclosure size are really driven by meeting minimum requirements (which you have just about done with 12x8x8"), the rest is just how much space you have to spare. Most of us have multiple T's, so spare space is nonexistent.

As for substrate depth, there's not really a min/max for any species. If you don't have deep enough sub for T's that like to burrow, they'll generally improvise by webbing the inside of the enclosure like crazy - make their own burrow, so to speak. On the other hand, you don't want to leave enough space between the top of the enclosure and the surface to make it risky that your T might fall a long way and hurt itself if it climbs, either (unless it's an arboreal T that climbs for a living). That's not much of a worry in an 8" deep enclosure, though. Remember that the more sub you put, the better you can control moisture/humidity levels by adding water to the substrate. I think your T will appreciate deep, slightly moist substrate, so I'd shoot for about 2/3 full.

Hope that's helpful. Got any pictures of Gus that you can share?

 

[TheraMygale]

You could put it in a 75 gallon aquarium, but it would just be a bunch of wasted space. Aside from mature males that wander constantly, most T's are happy to have their burrow, hide, or web castle to hang out in and a couple of steps in any direction - and that's it. You may occasionally find a T that wanders far from their home base, but it's usually the exception. Considerations for enclosure size are really driven by meeting minimum requirements (which you have just about done with 12x8x8"), the rest is just how much space you have to spare. Most of us have multiple T's, so spare space is nonexistent.

As for substrate depth, there's not really a min/max for any species. If you don't have deep enough sub for T's that like to burrow, they'll generally improvise by webbing the inside of the enclosure like crazy - make their own burrow, so to speak. On the other hand, you don't want to leave enough space between the top of the enclosure and the surface to make it risky that your T might fall a long way and hurt itself if it climbs, either (unless it's an arboreal T that climbs for a living). That's not much of a worry in an 8" deep enclosure, though. Remember that the more sub you put, the better you can control moisture/humidity levels by adding water to the substrate. I think your T will appreciate deep, slightly moist substrate, so I'd shoot for about 2/3 full.

Hope that's helpful. Got any pictures of Gus that you can share?

Thats pretty much the infamous rule for terrestrial substrate levels.
If they can touch the top of enclosure while standing on back legs, that should be right. Risk of falling is reduced.

If you cant get cribs localy, you really should make you own or get fish tank and bother about the top screen in time: some mesh tops are fine. Its the weaving that is problematic.

you could easily drill holes in cheap peice of acrylic and lay tons of rocks on it.

 

[Brewser]

Don't know about Down Under?
Here in the States we have Supply Stores that'll Cut Plexiglas to Size at No additional charge.
Drill a few ventilation holes... Instant Lid

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Don't know about Down Under?
Here in the States we have Supply Stores that'll Cut Plexiglas to Size at No additional charge.
Drill a few ventilation holes... Instant Lid

Do you think they would cut it into three pieces if I got the measurements?
I’ll wait til I can afford it but I got a few cages I’m planning on fixing .

How to Replacing zilla screen lid or modify it ?

any guides or videos that show how to replace a screen lid with something else or a cheaper way to make it so a t can’t get legs stuck ? I got a few lids that aren’t plexiglass, But the zilla ones slide out , so replacing them is a challenge or near impossible I can’t just glue a plexi lid on...

arachnoboards.com

 

[Brewser]

Do you think they would cut it into three pieces if I got the measurements?
I’ll wait til I can afford it but I got a few cages I’m planning on fixing .

How to Replacing zilla screen lid or modify it ?

any guides or videos that show how to replace a screen lid with something else or a cheaper way to make it so a t can’t get legs stuck ? I got a few lids that aren’t plexiglass, But the zilla ones slide out , so replacing them is a challenge or near impossible I can’t just glue a plexi lid on...

arachnoboards.com

Not a problem

 

[viper69]

Yeah, I'm being charged heaps for shipping. I'm super fine with getting a fish tank, but the problem is just that I don't have the time, money, or skills to make a lid for one. I don't know if there's a place where I could get a custom-made lid for cheap or something?

I see now.

 

[andyfined]

I see now.

Turns out it's cheaper than I thought. I'm definitely thinking of a fish tank with a custom-cut acrylic lid, now.

Don't know about Down Under?
Here in the States we have Supply Stores that'll Cuwayiglas to Size at No additional charge.
Drill a few ventilation holes... Instant Lid

No, but that's an amazing idea and I checked my area, and there are heaps of companies that do that. It costs money, but wayyyy cheaper than I thought. Thank you so much!

Is there a specific type of acrylic that's best?

Do you think they would cut it into three pieces if I got the measurements?
I’ll wait til I can afford it but I got a few cages I’m planning on fixing .

How to Replacing zilla screen lid or modify it ?

any guides or videos that show how to replace a screen lid with something else or a cheaper way to make it so a t can’t get legs stuck ? I got a few lids that aren’t plexiglass, But the zilla ones slide out , so replacing them is a challenge or near impossible I can’t just glue a plexi lid on...

arachnoboards.com

I looked into this today for myself, and it seems you just need to find a company that does custom cuts. They usually do the dimensions and thickness, too. I've also found heaps near me that drill the ventilation holes, with several diameter (or radius, depending on the company) options.

 

[TheraMygale]

I looked into this today for myself, and it seems you just need to find a company that does custom cuts. They usually do the dimensions and thickness, too. I've also found heaps near me that drill the ventilation holes, with several diameter (or radius, depending on the company) options.

The thicker the acrylic the better.

 

[andyfined]

You could put it in a 75 gallon aquarium, but it would just be a bunch of wasted space. Aside from mature males that wander constantly, most T's are happy to have their burrow, hide, or web castle to hang out in and a couple of steps in any direction - and that's it. You may occasionally find a T that wanders far from their home base, but it's usually the exception. Considerations for enclosure size are really driven by meeting minimum requirements (which you have just about done with 12x8x8"), the rest is just how much space you have to spare. Most of us have multiple T's, so spare space is nonexistent.

As for substrate depth, there's not really a min/max for any species. If you don't have deep enough sub for T's that like to burrow, they'll generally improvise by webbing the inside of the enclosure like crazy - make their own burrow, so to speak. On the other hand, you don't want to leave enough space between the top of the enclosure and the surface to make it risky that your T might fall a long way and hurt itself if it climbs, either (unless it's an arboreal T that climbs for a living). That's not much of a worry in an 8" deep enclosure, though. Remember that the more sub you put, the better you can control moisture/humidity levels by adding water to the substrate. I think your T will appreciate deep, slightly moist substrate, so I'd shoot for about 2/3 full.
Hope that's helpful. Got any pictures of Gus that you can share?

This is so helpful, thank you! I've been trying to find exact numbers for dimensions and substrate depth, as well as what environment Gus would love best, all month ‍. He does tend to be a bit of an explorer (I always manage to get the odd ones), but it's great to know what I should get him as a minimum as well.

Here are a few photos of Gus taken last month during a feeding. Sorry, it's such bad image quality; my phone is a $500 Oppo, so it doesn't have the best camera. My favourite is the first photo because it looks like Gus has buck teeth .

Thats pretty much the infamous rule for terrestrial substrate levels.
If they can touch the top of enclosure while standing on back legs, that should be right. Risk of falling is reduced.

If you cant get cribs localy, you really should make you own or get fish tank and bother about the top screen in time: some mesh tops are fine. Its the weaving that is problematic.

you could easily drill holes in cheap peice of acrylic and lay tons of rocks on it.

Yeah, I'm thinking of going with the fish tank and custom acrylic lid combo. Much more in my price range and easier to come by.

Regarding mesh lids, how can you tell the difference between a weaved mesh vs a non-weaved mesh? I've heard of a few different types of lids that are safe (can't remember the names), but I couldn't really tell the difference because I couldn't find good/clear enough examples.

The thicker the acrylic the better.

How thick do you reckon?

 

[TheraMygale]

Yeah, I'm thinking of going with the fish tank and custom acrylic lid combo. Much more in my price range and easier to come by.

Regarding mesh lids, how can you tell the difference between a weaved mesh vs a non-weaved mesh? I've heard of a few different types of lids that are safe (can't remember the names), but I couldn't really tell the difference because I couldn't find good/clear enough examples.

How thick do you reckon?

Woven: think of knitted fabric. Best metal lids are PERFORATED. So circle holes.

for thickness, if you can get more then 3mm thats great.

but if you put rocks on top of lid then it dorsnt matter. You want to avoid your tarantula escaping; thats the point.

thicker acrylic does not warp so much.

 

[andyfined]

Woven: think of knitted fabric. Best metal lids are PERFORATED. So circle holes.

for thickness, if you can get more then 3mm thats great.

but if you out rocks on top of lid then it dorsnt matter. You want to avoid your tarantula escaping; thats the point.

thicker acrylic does not warp so much.

Ooooh. The lid difference makes so much sense now. Thank you!

Most places around me offer 2mm to 10mm thickness. Would 10mm be overkill, or is the rule as thick as you can get?

Another completely different question, sorry, but I was wondering if there will be an issue with not having cross ventilation if I use a fish tank? I don't think I'd be super successful drilling into glass .

 

[TheraMygale]

Ooooh. The lid difference makes so much sense now. Thank you!

Most places around me offer 2mm to 10mm thickness. Would 10mm be overkill, or is the rule as thick as you can get?

Another completely different question, sorry, but I was wondering if there will be an issue with not having cross ventilation if I use a fish tank? I don't think I'd be super successful drilling into glass .

Acrylic lids will be best over 3mm to avoid warping. If just for a lid, and it is permanent enclosure, i would go for as think you can afford under 10mm.

For cross ventilation, depends on species and your husbandry.

 

[viper69]

Turns out it's cheaper than I thought. I'm definitely thinking of a fish tank with a custom-cut acrylic lid, now.

Smart

 

[andyfined]

Acrylic lids will be best over 3mm to avoid warping. If just for a lid, and it is permanent enclosure, i would go for as think you can afford under 10mm.
For cross ventilation, depends on species and your husbandry.

Thank you!

Regarding cross ventilation, Gus' species are specifically located in Far North Queensland (in the Kuranda region near Cairns) in the tropics and like higher humidity. Husbandry-wise, I haven't decided on that yet as I've only just started planning. I'm not sure what would be best for his species, but I would love suggestions if you have any! So far, for the substrate, I'm planning to use coco fibre brick/coir peat brick, as that's what I'm using now. I'm thinking of adding either peat moss or sphagnum moss (or a different moss, whatever's safest for Gus) and the plants I'm considering are Bromeliads, Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum), Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), and Tillandsia (air plants). I'm also more than happy to use fake plants if that would be best. I'm planning to get isopods (Porcellio scaber) and springtails (Tropical Springtails) as the enclosures clean-up crew.

 

[andyfined]

Australian Tarantula (Phlogius sp. Kuranda) Bioactive Enclosure Questions

Hello everyone!

This one is going to have heaps of questions, so, sorry in advance!

I could really use some advice on setting up a new bioactive enclosure for my Phlogius sp. Kuranda tarantula, Gus. I want to make sure I provide him with the best possible living environment, especially considering his species' natural habitat and behaviours. I've copied and pasted the important information from my previous thread (about enclosure dimensions) below.

I have a juvenile Phlogius sp. Kuranda, named Gus, and I plan to get him a new enclosure to house him for the rest of his life. I got Gus from Minibeast Wildlife on the 21st of November, 2022. As such, I'm still relatively new to the hobby.

Information on Phlogius sp. Kuranda is hard to find, but from what I've found, they typically get to 2.36" / 6cm in body length with a leg span over 4.72" / 12cm. Tarantulas of the Phlogius genus generally live in burrows but will also use spaces under logs and rocks in the wild.

I just want to make sure this will be suitable for Gus as an adult and allow for natural behaviours, especially considering that it will be bioactive.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

I've got a new tank, which is a fish tank that I plan to customize with an acrylic lid. I've decided on using coco fibre brick/coir peat brick for the substrate and intend to introduce isopods (Porcellio scaber) and springtails (Tropical Springtails) for the enclosure cleanup crew.

What I need help with are the specifics of the plants and other components needed for the bioactive enclosure.

Here are the questions I have:

1. What are the basic steps to setting up a bioactive enclosure? Should I use clay balls, a mesh layer, or other components?
2. What type of plants and moss would be suitable for Gus's enclosure? I'm considering peat moss or sphagnum moss, along with plants like Bromeliads, Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum), Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), and Tillandsia (air plants). I'm open to suggestions for other plants that would be best for his species. I'm also open to using fake plants if they would be better for Gus.
3. Since I'm customizing an acrylic lid for the tank, would a sliding lid or one with hinges and a latch be better? Also, how many ventilation holes should I include, and where on the lid? Is there a specific pattern or position for them?

Once again, sorry for all the questions! There will probably end up being more . I just really want to make sure that Gus will be safe and comfortable in his new enclosure.

Thank you all for your help!