GBB setup!

[bareass]

i'm gonna start planning out my GBB setup in a 20g tank that i bought ( i know it might be big but it was 5 bucks so thats what i'm using) and i was wondering if anyone would like to show some of theres or suggest materials, plants, substraits, ect. that you've used.
any help would be great i want to do this a little times as possible and want to start while early. thanks

 

[hairmetalspider]

Search for setups, enclosures, and decorations.


http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=48951&highlight=enclosure+setups

 

[the nature boy]

Pothos are probably the easiest plant to have in an enclosure. They can survive in limited light and are tough as can be. You can find them at Home Depot or any number of other places.

--the nature boy

 

[betuana]

Cool! Setting up new enclosures can be really fun.

I just got a 12x12x12 zoo med cage similar to the exo-terra cages that I'm going to set up to eventually keep a GBB in. I plan to get a sling though, so it won't be used for a while - but it was on clearance sale so I had to grab it!

Some interesting things I've seen recently at a couple stores (but am having a hard time finding many of online to look at) are called Magnaturals - they are molded shelves that look like rock, wood, etc and have magnets on the back that you can use to secure them to glass (with the other magnets of the other side) to make ledges to climb on. Since GBBs seem to like to climb somewhat it might be cool to use with them, and they should be fairly secure for a T to use since the are designed to support lizards, etc. They also have at least one type that has a dish built in for water - seems like it might be good for use with arboreals too..

This thread has some pictures of enclosures people have made for their GBBs:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=101657

There is a cool enclosure in there from TalonAWD that used expanding foam to make a background, shelves, caves, etc.

Robc also has some great tutorials on making really neat backgrounds and tanks that he has made. Here's a link to one of them:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=116654

Enjoy setting up your new enclosure and post some pics when its done!

 

[bareass]

thanks for the help guys. i went to both links and it helped a bunch. i would like with a different approach with this set up. but i would like to see a picture of their natural environment.

 

[TalonAWD]

thanks for the help guys. i went to both links and it helped a bunch. i would like with a different approach with this set up. but i would like to see a picture of their natural environment.

Well I did post pics of their natural habitat in the GBB display ideas thread but will display them here as well for many to see. As for the GBB, you need bone dry environment so no plant would survive this. It would be best to decorate with artificial rather than live. I put moss in my enclosure and it just dried up. Humidity is said to kill this species. I provide a water dish for my girl and even this is too much sometimes. I actually let it dry out before refilling.

<edit>

 

[TalonAWD]

Cool! Setting up new enclosures can be really fun.

I just got a 12x12x12 zoo med cage similar to the exo-terra cages that I'm going to set up to eventually keep a GBB in. I plan to get a sling though, so it won't be used for a while - but it was on clearance sale so I had to grab it!


This thread has some pictures of enclosures people have made for their GBBs:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=101657

There is a cool enclosure in there from TalonAWD that used expanding foam to make a background, shelves, caves, etc.

Thanks for the compliment. All my enclosures focus on my tarantulas personality and their natural habitat. I actually watch them as they grow from slings to see their individual personality, likes and habits. I also made one for a A. Geniculata and my newest one was for a B. boehmei. That newest one was my finest work of art.
It can be fun to make and costly as well. I generally place them in their 12x12x12 enclosures when they reach a 3 inch legspan. I let them explore for a couple of days than introduce its first meal. The meals I make sure are placed right in front of the T so that they don't need to hunt. Than after they molt once they become really confortable and no longer worry about them finding food. Reason for this is because the size of the tank is still quite large for a 3" spider. Thats just my style.

 

[bareass]

ya i might move mine in its big tank soon and just section off one side. i also put the food in close to the T and if the thing runs away i'll poke it with some clamps to make it turn back but i can tell when my T wants to eat. it'll si tat the edge of the hide ready to pounce when its hungry and stany inside when its not.

 

[bareass]

i'm planning a desert type setup with sand on top of peat moss to give it a desert look with a planted oasis type section off in a corner or off centered to one side of the tank. i'm going to build it up and see what happens before i move my T in it of course

 

[Berta]

I have a feeling that in a small enclosed space (I know you're using a 25 gal, but that's still small compared to the wide world) the moisture needed to maintain your "oasis" area is going to result in the whole place being too humid for a GBB.

It might be fine if you use desert plants like cactus and succulents that will require only extremely minimal watering, but live plants and GBBs don't usually mix well.

 

[bareass]

they will be plants that need very little watering. also i'm going to make the substrait in the planted area seperate from the rest of the tank. i'll be building a plexi glass case for it all so the little watering i'll be doing will be local to just the planted area. that way the amount of water needed will be redused.
i'm going to be building it soon with lots of pictures and will be collecting all the information needed prior to pputting the animal in the tank

 

[TalonAWD]

GBB's in the wild make floor mats to walk on because the ground gets moved around by winds. So owning a GBB, you will notice that it webs up where ever it lays and walks. Kinda like it makes a new floor. Since it webs everything it walks on, plants will be covered. If you look at my custom tank, all decorations were covered with webs. Heck it even covers part of the water dish with webs. When she was younger, she only concentrated on one side of the tank. Now that she is bigger, she has gone crazy webbing the rest of the tank. even the walls and glass doors.

 

[bareass]

thats one small concern of mine. that it will web up the plants i grow and kill them.. but i think i'll just have to wait and see. if thats the case i'll have to do a little change.. but at least it will only be a small part of the tank.. and i can take the plants out in one piece. and i'll either go with a very high end looking fake plants of won't put any plants and just have a barren landscape with "dead trees" rocks, ect.

 

[TalonAWD]

Heres an example of the webbing it can do from my girl.
Heres when she first moved in. Notice how green the moss was... Beautiful landscape.

This is now. (Tried to get a pic with the same angle.) Look at how dry the moss is... She had a different idea on decorating her home.

And she's not done yet! Everyday she adds a little more. She likes to take her sweet ol' time. Even inside the cave theres webs.

 

[bareass]

thats awesome!! i can't wait to see that.