Changing a setup..

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
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Feb 12, 2008
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Thinking of updating my G. Rosea's tank set up.. I remember reading somewhere its good to do sometimes.. Any suggestions or pointers?
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
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Feb 12, 2008
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It's a 10 gallon setup. I have an Ivy vine, hideaway and water dish.. I wanted to make it more like a south american jungle set up. Introduce snails, isopods, etc.. to sort of create a natural ecosystem.
 

xhexdx

ArachnoGod
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Jul 20, 2007
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It won't be moist enough in the tank for either of those...
 

VickyChaiTea

Arachnosquire
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Sep 3, 2010
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Snails in with a rosehair... hmm! That's an interesting concept. has it been done before? And you could always put more fake plants in. I don't personally know if live plants are safe for them (though I would assume they are) so I can't reccomend anything. Though they do come from a more arid area.
 

VickyChaiTea

Arachnosquire
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Sep 3, 2010
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Yeah. Oh! you could do succulents! They need very little water and thrive in shallow, wide planters. They don't do well in normal potting soil, either. They like a more coarse substrate. Maybe you could mix in some grit?
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
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Feb 12, 2008
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interesting.. right now I use peat moss which i find great as a dry or moist substrate. If you mix some in a bucket with water, wring it out then pack it in the bottom of the tank, with some daily misting it works quite well.
 

Londoner

Arachnoangel
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Mar 21, 2008
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It won't be moist enough in the tank for either of those...
Agreed. Might have some success with the isopods if the waterdish is overflowed allowing them to set up home beneath it, but there's not much point in having them as a clean up crew if the majority of the enclosure is dry (which should be the case with G. rosea).
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
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Agreed. Might have some success with the isopods if the waterdish is overflowed allowing them to set up home beneath it, but there's not much point in having them as a clean up crew if the majority of the enclosure is dry (which should be the case with G. rosea).
Any suggestion as to keeping the enclosure somewhat humid? As of now I just mist the cage once a day. Other than that the enclosure stays nice and dry
 

Londoner

Arachnoangel
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Mar 21, 2008
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Any suggestion as to keeping the enclosure somewhat humid? As of now I just mist the cage once a day. Other than that the enclosure stays nice and dry
I never mist my roseas. They just have waterdishes and that's it. They seem to hate damp substrate on the whole, but I'm unsure how well they tolerate relative humidity. Maybe try a small pothos in a pot and restrict the ventilation some? That way, when you water the plant at least the sub stays dry.

If you really want to go down this route though, I'd suggest getting a species that's much more tolerant of "damp" conditions than G.rosea.
 

curiousme

Arachnoprince
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We use succulents in our G. rosea enclosure. She likes to bite them, climb on them and rip their leaves off, but they survive!
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
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I guess what it comes down to is the setup i currently have is kind of boring.. and never put too much thought into it.. After a while I've been seriously considering upgrading it and have always loved setting up an artificial environment. I just want it to look more interesting rather than plain and boring.
 

Poxicator

Arachnobaron
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Nov 16, 2007
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If you keep the enclosure moist the plants and snails will be survive (unless the snails eat the plants LOL) but the G. rosea will be climbing the walls.
I'd suggest you either find a more humid tolerant species or think about a different set-up eg. coconut husk
You could check out stone plants, they might be more appropriate.
 
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