bioactive set up for a tarantula

[Redbarren]

so basically, I have a classroom (high school) and one of our topics is soil health (including decomposition) one great way to teach this is to have a bioactive encloser in the classroom. I have tropical springtails and white dwarf isopods. we have a corn snake in the class, but I don't trust the humidity compromise with a bioactive setup. I'd really love setting up a bioactive tarantula vivarium. I'm thinking a tropical soil substrate with pothos plants. thing is that I have no idea about species. I've considered getting a tarantula for the classroom before, but I was looking at species on the opposite humid spectrum like Brachypelma albopilosum or Grammostola pulchripes. I have no clue about what would be a good tropical species, I'm thinking since the soil has to be so moist for the isopods that maybe an arboreal species would be best, but I've also looked into Aphonopelma seemanni and can't help but wonder if this species would do alright in this set up. additionally, the temperature fluctuates greatly in the classroom, but generally stays in the 70's, also the classroom is dry, so the lid will probably be50-60% covered to hold in humidity. finally, will the UVB light for the plants hurt a tarantula?

 

[Thekla]

I'm not an expert by far, but I think a tarantula genus such a bioactive enclosure might work with would be a Theraposa species, but afaik their husbandry is quite difficult to get it right. And they're definitely no beginner species!

DON'T use an arboreal species like an Avicularia for example, you would kill it with such a set up!

An A. seemanni might like it a bit more moist (not tropical moist though), but they're burrowers and normally rarely to be seen (afaik). Not really a showcase spider for a class room.

You're right, any Brachypelma or Grammostola species wouldn't work either, but they're nice and easy to care for beginner showcase spiders.

Maybe you should go with a completely different animal... maybe frogs?

 

[boina]

Don't go with an arboreal - the calmer species (Avicularia) will not survive that setup and you don't want a high strung and exceedingly fast tarantula (Psalmopoeus) around kids. Psalmos don't like that much moisture, either.

Pamphobeteus may be a possibility. They are faster and definitely more defensive than your usual beginner species but they do well in moist surroundings (as long as you don't create a swamp) and in general they are bolder and less skittish than A. seemanni.

 

[Nonnack]

Asian T would like this, but i guess you don't want something that can send kids to hospital;P
Maybe some of Brazilian terrestrials, like Acanthoscurria, Pamphobeteus, this two like moist substrate. And are also big and visible most of the time.

 

[cold blood]

Get frogs, or perhaps a salamander instead with this kind of set up...JMO

 

[Chris LXXIX]

That's the best way for complicate things. It's incredible the fact that, keeping T's, care talking, is hands down one of the most easy thing to do once the basics 'how to' are 'mastered' but, nonetheless, people loves to complicate that.

.-) <-- one eyed Smilies that losed an eye after checking the humidity numbers.

 

[Thekla]

What about something like this?

It's the perfect example of what you want to show. And your springtails and isopods will come in handy.

 

[viper69]

You should be going with amphibians.

 

[Joogvanhedel]

Lasiodora parahybana, one site of the encloser wet, one site bit dryer.. By mine lives springtales, isopods, and real plants...

 

[Greasylake]

I dont know too much about crustaceans, but maybe you should go with Halloween crabs.