Diving Bell Spider (Argyroneta Aquatica)

[Flicker543]

Hey guys, has anyone ever kept a diving bell spider (Argyroneta Aquatica) before? I live in the UK, and have a few places I plan to go and find the diving bell spider. The problem is conatinment.

Can it climb glass? I can keep it in several different types of enclosure based on whether it can climb glass. Also, what about filtration? This spider lives underwater, but it creates a diving bell from air it captures from the surface. Does that mean the water doesn't need filtrated?

If anyone knows someone who has kept this spider, or knows something about it, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SonsofArachne]

Hey guys, has anyone ever kept a diving bell spider (Argyroneta Aquatica) before?

I wish. Sorry I can't help, but any ideas I have would be speculation.

 

[pannaking22]

Speculation on my end too, but I don't believe they can climb glass. Most araneids can't, though other spider families can. I don't think filtration would hurt, but since they're normally found in ponds I'm not sure if there's actually that much water movement.

 

[VolkswagenBug]

Speculation on my end too, but I don't believe they can climb glass. Most araneids can't, though other spider families can. I don't think filtration would hurt, but since they're normally found in ponds I'm not sure if there's actually that much water movement.

Water bugs that are found in lakes don't generally need filtration. I imagine that'd be the case for these spiders too.

 

[Tortuga]

This is all speculation as well, but I do have experience with aquariums.

Water quality, I would imagine, wouldn't be so critical for those guys seeing how they pull air from the atmosphere like you said. It would be more critical for the prey items if you planned on keeping them in the same enclosure for an extended amount of time. Only guessing, but I think just a water pump to break surface tension would be adequate. If they cant climb glass, you can get glass tubing to splice into plastic tubing for the pump. Even ponds that look static have water movement from wind that break the surface tension to allow for a gas exchange. Water that contains organics in a static environment can get nasty fairly quickly.

Personally I would try a live planted tank with shrimp and a small schooling fish, like a tetra, that they can munch on, but that could could get spendy, complicated and may require more maintenance than you like. Lighting, substrate and a CO2 system would be your major expenses if you already had the tank you wanted.

One of the coolest spiders IMO, I'm envious that you have access to them.

 

[Tortuga]

Check out Takashi Amano to get some ideas for planted tanks, he was brilliant!

I was just thinking, they probably need to be able to climb up to the surface and replenish their bubble and a planted tank with surface shoots would provide them with multiple avenues to do that. Or maybe surface water plants like duckweed or hyacinths.

 

[SonsofArachne]

I know in the wild they use water plants to attach their webs to when they make their diving bell. So plants are probably a must, and you could likely get away with fake ones if you didn't want to bother with the real thing.

 

[Tortuga]

I know in the wild they use water plants to attach their webs to when they make their diving bell. So plants are probably a must, and you could likely get away with fake ones if you didn't want to bother with the real thing.

fake plants would make things much easier and be more cost effective than what I was suggesting, Occams razor strikes again lol

 

[Gogyeng]

Previous thread:
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/argyroneta-aquatica-diving-bell-spider.55333/
And:
Dark Den had a somewhat recent tube on Laccotrephes sp. , a water scorpion', not same species but may be insightful. Good luck =,)

 

[schmiggle]

One thing to keep in mind--you will need dissolved oxygen in the water, because these guys are actually breathing oxygen that diffuses into the bell, not just the oxygen in the bell. Having said that, I don't actually know how much, just that you can't leave the thing gross and anoxic lol.

This would be a very cool species to have established in captivity.

 

[Flicker543]

One thing to keep in mind--you will need dissolved oxygen in the water, because these guys are actually breathing oxygen that diffuses into the bell, not just the oxygen in the bell. Having said that, I don't actually know how much, just that you can't leave the thing gross and anoxic lol.

This would be a very cool species to have established in captivity.

Thanks, yes it would be awesome, and by the seems of things they are plentiful and under-researched. I'm hoping I can get a pair or at least a few, this seems to be the best time of year to get them also. Thanks for the advice, seems sound.

 

[schmiggle]

Thanks, yes it would be awesome, and by the seems of things they are plentiful and under-researched. I'm hoping I can get a pair or at least a few, this seems to be the best time of year to get them also. Thanks for the advice, seems sound.

Well if you ever get this working, just remember that we North Americans look longingly across the Atlantic at these, so if you feel like exporting

 

[Flicker543]

Well if you ever get this working, just remember that we North Americans look longingly across the Atlantic at these, so if you feel like exporting

Sure thing

 

[schmiggle]

One more thing: I found this paper where researchers determined how stagnant the water was that a diving bell spider could survive in, and they found that there was no amount of stagnation that killed them over the course of at least a day. It also seems like if the oxygen is not to their liking, they will let you know by building an oversized bell. But apparently, these were basically maintained in Mason jars.

 

[Flicker543]

One more thing: I found this paper where researchers determined how stagnant the water was that a diving bell spider could survive in, and they found that there was no amount of stagnation that killed them over the course of at least a day. It also seems like if the oxygen is not to their liking, they will let you know by building an oversized bell. But apparently, these were basically maintained in Mason jars.

Thanks very much, this will be quite helpful

 

[Tortuga]

One more thing: I found this paper where researchers determined how stagnant the water was that a diving bell spider could survive in, and they found that there was no amount of stagnation that killed them over the course of at least a day. It also seems like if the oxygen is not to their liking, they will let you know by building an oversized bell. But apparently, these were basically maintained in Mason jars.

Nice find @schmiggle! Learned a lot from that article, even though I'll never be able to get one lol. Keep us Yanks posted @Flicker543, so we can live vicariously through you

 

[lewyfox1396]

Hey guys, has anyone ever kept a diving bell spider (Argyroneta Aquatica) before? I live in the UK, and have a few places I plan to go and find the diving bell spider. The problem is conatinment.

Can it climb glass? I can keep it in several different types of enclosure based on whether it can climb glass. Also, what about filtration? This spider lives underwater, but it creates a diving bell from air it captures from the surface. Does that mean the water doesn't need filtrated?

If anyone knows someone who has kept this spider, or knows something about it, that would be greatly appreciated.

Can you still get these bro?, can get them anywhere up my end. Id love to buy a couple

 

[lewyfox1396]

Can you still get these bro?, can get them anywhere up my end. Id love to buy a couple

You can't get them i meant to say haha