Desert Scorpion Setup

AndroctonusPrime

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Messages
5
Hello,

I am new to the forum, and wanted to see what other peoples opinions are of these setups and peoples suggestions. I did search before I made this post, but saw a few people asking temp questions.

I have 3 tank set ups, One 10 Gallon and Two 5.5 Gallons. All 3 tanks will house various Androctonus species.

10 Gallon Tank: Zoo Med Duel Creatures lamp with 1 40W Heat Emitter and the other part has a Black Light. I also have the Zoo Med Creatures Heat Pad and a Heat Thermostat which will be attached to the side of the tank. I have a digital Temp/Humidity reader as well as a Zoo Med Temp/Humidity reader on the tanks (Might be over kill but they are all reading slightly different).

For the 5.5 Gallons I am running a single Zoo Med Creatures Lamp with 40W heat emitter and a Zoo Med Heat Pad and Thermostat with the same 2 temp/Humidity readers.

I keep my house between 67-72F and plan on keeping the tanks between 80-90F.

I used to keep Androctonus Australis's when I lived in the middle east so I was able to keep them in their natural temps so this will be the first time I keep them stateside and in an air conditioned building and not want to keep them too cold. My only concern is the 40W Heat Emitters not being enough to heat up the space for them, if I go to a bigger wattage, it will require me to get new lamps since these are only rated to 40W. Just curious what other peoples setups are for their desert scorpions. F3A2430C-196F-469E-9C4B-13EF681269D8.jpg IMG_7372.jpg F3A2430C-196F-469E-9C4B-13EF681269D8.jpg IMG_7372.jpg
 

Dry Desert

Arachnoprince
Active Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2016
Messages
1,552
Hello,

I am new to the forum, and wanted to see what other peoples opinions are of these setups and peoples suggestions. I did search before I made this post, but saw a few people asking temp questions.

I have 3 tank set ups, One 10 Gallon and Two 5.5 Gallons. All 3 tanks will house various Androctonus species.

10 Gallon Tank: Zoo Med Duel Creatures lamp with 1 40W Heat Emitter and the other part has a Black Light. I also have the Zoo Med Creatures Heat Pad and a Heat Thermostat which will be attached to the side of the tank. I have a digital Temp/Humidity reader as well as a Zoo Med Temp/Humidity reader on the tanks (Might be over kill but they are all reading slightly different).

For the 5.5 Gallons I am running a single Zoo Med Creatures Lamp with 40W heat emitter and a Zoo Med Heat Pad and Thermostat with the same 2 temp/Humidity readers.

I keep my house between 67-72F and plan on keeping the tanks between 80-90F.

I used to keep Androctonus Australis's when I lived in the middle east so I was able to keep them in their natural temps so this will be the first time I keep them stateside and in an air conditioned building and not want to keep them too cold. My only concern is the 40W Heat Emitters not being enough to heat up the space for them, if I go to a bigger wattage, it will require me to get new lamps since these are only rated to 40W. Just curious what other peoples setups are for their desert scorpions. View attachment 382075 View attachment 382076 View attachment 382075 View attachment 382076
Mid 80,s to 90 F will be fine temperature wise. I see from your photos that the lamps are above the tanks on the mesh. If you're concerned about the 40 watt lamp place two side by side, then you only have to purchase a higher wattage single for the other tank. I'm in UK and have found several 75/100 watt lamps required for 20/25 gallon tank ( 3 foot ) in order to keep 85/90 F. It really depends on your room temperature. As long as you use GOOD quality thermostats a higher wattage controlled is better than lower wattage flat out all the time. Your enclosures look great, as long as that black light is only moon light and not a UV style black light.
 

AndroctonusPrime

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Messages
5
I've been running the heat emitters for the past 5 hours and the temps in the tanks read about 77F so that is a concern. I haven't set the heat pads up yet but I will today and see if the readers show 85F. I do like your suggestion though, I will try that. I also am not sure about the blacklight being UV, Im sure it is but wasn't planning on having it on much. I do however have a 25w Heat emitter Ill probably use on the duel lamp with the 40w to hopefully get the temps up. Right now the tanks are empty so I have a week to get the temps straightened out before my new ones arrive.
 

Dry Desert

Arachnoprince
Active Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2016
Messages
1,552
I've been running the heat emitters for the past 5 hours and the temps in the tanks read about 77F so that is a concern. I haven't set the heat pads up yet but I will today and see if the readers show 85F. I do like your suggestion though, I will try that. I also am not sure about the blacklight being UV, Im sure it is but wasn't planning on having it on much. I do however have a 25w Heat emitter Ill probably use on the duel lamp with the 40w to hopefully get the temps up. Right now the tanks are empty so I have a week to get the temps straightened out before my new ones arrive.
Also you could insulate the back and two sides of the tank with polystyrene or similar. What I've done on some of mine, is not use any heat mats but insulate the tanks but before taping the insulation to the tankI purchased some tank background - the type used on fish tanks , there's a good selection, all different - forest, desert, or the plant only ones. Then tape the background to the tank, then tape the insulation to that. Looks nice - but that's just me. With regards to the UV light, if it is that type, it should only be on for 30 seconds to a minute at any one time. It is not good for scorpions. Most people only use the small UV lamps to find escapees.I personally would use two lamps side by side and invest in a higher wattage lamp and insulate the tanks. You need the high temperatures for the desert species not just to ensure correct digestion and well being, but to prevent the dreaded Mycosis.
 
Last edited:

Lubed Tweezer

Arachnolord
Joined
Dec 3, 2019
Messages
634
Nice looking tanks !
I also closed off my heated enclosures.
Less ventilation, heating inside the enclosure and some insulation here and there.
This way I was able to cut down on power consumption.
I use 25 or 40 Watt ceramic heat emitters in my desert setups.
I agree with @Dry Desert , only use UV lamp to temporarily locate a scorpion.
 

ChiefinOnSomeSkunk

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 17, 2021
Messages
32
Dope setups. I currently have 4 Androctonus Liouvillei, 4 androctonus australis, 1 androctonus bicolor, 1 androctonus amoreuxi, I hope I can create some great enclosures like yours when they are adults. For now they're in their bins on a heated rack. I keep mine at 85 usually but fluctuate to 90 when it reaches winter time. Mine are active and eat without a problem. They are in the same substrate as yours and have cork bark hides/ water cap dishes.
 

AndroctonusPrime

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Messages
5
Thanks for the input everyone. Tested out the side heat mat with a temp prob and it’s reading 97 degrees on the prob that’s on the mat but the heat just doesn’t feel like it’s transferring much into the tank itself. With heat lamps on it’s averaging 85 degrees which is good. I’m going to block off half of the tops to help minimize heat loss. I did put foam backing with background pictures to also help slow the heat loss. Seems to be working nicely.
 

Peloquin

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 27, 2004
Messages
173
Your setups look great.
It's it simply sand and soil mix?
I'm looking at moving sand and soil with bentonite or similar so I can actually shape it and start a few caves (communal tank). This was how I used to do it years ago but was wondering if there's a better way to do it now.
 

AndroctonusPrime

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Messages
5
Your setups look great.
It's it simply sand and soil mix?
I'm looking at moving sand and soil with bentonite or similar so I can actually shape it and start a few caves (communal tank). This was how I used to do it years ago but was wondering if there's a better way to do it now.
Thanks! I use Exo Terra Sandstone Desert, it comes in a bag of various weights. You can get red “Australian outback” color, a more desert color called Sonora or you can get more of a gray one. 2 of my tanks are the desert one, it’s a mixture of sand, dirt/rocks. Add water and it’s easily shaped and hardens to keep tunnels from collapsing. I mixed the red with the desert to give a more “Moroccan” desert like feel to one of my tanks. Unfortunately they are hard to find online these days, I found them on a few websites but I love the stuff. Very natural scrublands look.
 

AndroctonusPrime

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Messages
5
Picked up 5 Androctonus at the North American Reptile Breeders Conference yesterday. 2 AA's, 1 AC, 1 AB, and 1 AG. 3 are babies and 2 are Juveniles. C072ACA3-CCF6-4EBC-86A3-BA11781235AA.jpg IMG_7428.jpg C072ACA3-CCF6-4EBC-86A3-BA11781235AA.jpg IMG_7428.jpg
 

Grayman1984

Arachnosquire
Joined
Nov 14, 2018
Messages
79
Thanks! I use Exo Terra Sandstone Desert, it comes in a bag of various weights. You can get red “Australian outback” color, a more desert color called Sonora or you can get more of a gray one. 2 of my tanks are the desert one, it’s a mixture of sand, dirt/rocks. Add water and it’s easily shaped and hardens to keep tunnels from collapsing. I mixed the red with the desert to give a more “Moroccan” desert like feel to one of my tanks. Unfortunately they are hard to find online these days, I found them on a few websites but I love the stuff. Very natural scrublands look.
I really wanted to get some of that stuff but I couldn’t find it anyplace that didn’t charge $40+ for shipping, so I got on Etsy and bought a 20lb bag of soil straight from the Sonoran desert.
 
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