Habitat advice.

[Dorifto]

Final version;

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I'd try to remove as much of barks, as they can pose a real risk if the T falls on them. Using topsoil as a top layer should be enough, for decorating I'd use small leaves like oak etc.

The only thing that still puzzles me is the mesh. But that's because I'm hesitant of any kind of woven meshes.

 

[MarkJ]

I did remove some of the cork after I took those pictures, the moss is softer and looks nicer I think.


I also did not use the mesh we were discussing earlier, I used a decorative aluminum grid.



Ventilation overall works well, those micro fans for laptops are awesome. Tiny footprint but still move 2CFM so I am basically able to change the air in each T section more than 120 times per hour if I ran them full rpm.

Overall it came together well, just one boneheaded mistake. I didn't paint the backside of the top trim before I siliconed it to the exterior tank perimeter. Hard to see but if you look hard enough you can see it's unpainted.

Can't thank everyone enough for all the input, would have made a lot of costly mistakes without the advice here.

 

[Dorifto]

The overall look it looks really good! Now run it for some time to see if you need to change or add something.

 

[Jonathan6303]

Final version;

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All I can say is that is a beautiful enclosure

 

[Wolfram1]

nice for sure, i will never get why the cork-husks scare you @Dorifto but they don't do anything for the spiders ether. If you used them exclusively they would make for a bad substrate but as it is it doesn't do any harm. The spiders wont like them very much and move them around probably. And get prepared for chewed up plants xd.

That is a Lasiodoras favourite pastime.

 

[MarkJ]

I had no idea they chewed up plants, ungrateful little beasts!

I have a lot to learn but I can't wait to get started...

 

[Dorifto]

Mine never do that, maybe it's a form of getting some water?


@Wolfram1 no, I don't like them, even if sometimes they look nice. Too much burst abdomens post related to barks and sharp splinters in the substrate.

 

[Wolfram1]

Mine never do that, maybe it's a form of getting some water?


@Wolfram1 no, I don't like them, even if sometimes they look nice. Too much burst abdomens post related to barks and sharp splinters in the substrate.

Haha no my Lasiodora simply explores anithing with its fangs thats new.

I think all that happend after 1 or 2 days of planting it and its the only reason i knew it had been in that corner at night as it usually resides on the other side of the tank. It has for the most part ignored the other plants but i expect thats because their leaves are more flimsy so they dont really give it purchase.

I have also read a lot of posts about spiders clipping off any live leafes from their plants, killing them in the process.

 

[MarkJ]

So I was just asked how the tank was doing so I thought I would update this thread.


Everything is growing well, had to make some adjustments as we let the entire environment 'bake' for a while and tested it with different temperatures and levels of humidity.

The cork bark was replaced with wild harvested moss. The moss I harvested had some surprise plants in it that are growing, not sure what they are yet but I'll probably have to remove them as they will likely grow too tall for the enclosure.

I had to change the lights, I started with the Mars Hydro TS 600W and the plants absolutely loved it but it was just too much light for spiders. I downsized it to two of the Bio Dude's 16" Glow and Grow lights with fantastic results. Just enough light to keep the plants happy and the spiders come out more often when they are on.

Fans were updated as well from the GDS Time 25mm 5v fans to (6) Noctua 40x10mm 5v fan (2 for each section one blowing in and one blowing out), they are very quiet and have vibration isolation mounts that move a lot more air. Ventilation seems to keep the heat and humidity about perfect now.

One thing I noticed which was a nice surprise, the hides were all placed with their backs against the rock walls. At night the house is bit cold so I use a heating Fast Gro propagation mat to keep the temps at 75F. Well the mat is on the side of the tank and the rock walls spread that heat out evenly. Even with the tank as long as it is the temp is consistent within .2 of a degree.

These are the spiders I added;

• Phormictopus sp. - Left Side
• Theraphosa Blondi - Center
• Acanthoscurria geniculata - Right side

They have all have molted at least once, the Blondi just molted 2 days ago. They were all small juveniles but adapted perfectly to being in their permanent enclosures, even though the enclosures are sized for full grown species. It is a bit more work to make sure they are all eating but nothing seemed to bother any of the spiders. I have a Dubia colony and they are all voracious eaters!

I'll add some pictures later.

Thanks again to everyone that helped me out during this build!

 

[Egon]

Nice build! Where do you even find a 75 gallon that long @MarkJ ? I love long low tanks like that for fish. My favorite is the 33 long. I didn't realize there was a 75 gallon version. They make great stream tanks.

 

[me and my Ts]

Nice build! Where do you even find a 75 gallon that long @MarkJ ? I love long low tanks like that for fish. My favorite is the 33 long. I didn't realize there was a 75 gallon version. They make great stream tanks.

I think he said it was a custom tank

 

[MarkJ]

Nice build! Where do you even find a 75 gallon that long @MarkJ ? I love long low tanks like that for fish. My favorite is the 33 long. I didn't realize there was a 75 gallon version. They make great stream tanks.

@me and my Ts was right it is a custom build but its not a 75 gallon it's 75". The 75 gallon is in the other room where I had moved the inhabitants of this tank. I'd guess this one is about 45 gallons or so. It was in a great location and looked like the perfect place for a vivarium but thats like building a reef tank without a few fish or invertebrates. I had spiders a long time ago so it seemed like the perfect way to get back into it again.

I had a lot of fun putting it together so I am starting on a new project for my office, custom tank with three terrestrials and an arboreal on each side. Still in the planning phase, need to figure out which species and then build accordingly...

 

[Dorifto]

Nice to hear you back about the project! Waiting for the pics!!!

I'd recommend you a lateralis roach colony rather than dubia ones, being the enclosure's so big it's way more preferred to have feeders that roam freely across the enclosure. This will increase chances of having well feeded Ts. Dubias tend to burrow, so it's not recommendable for big enclosures like us, unless you verify the takedown.

 

[MarkJ]

Great advice on the roaches @Dorifto I'll look into them. Verifying kills was the hardest part because as you say the Dubias like to burrow.

Here's a couple picks

 

[MarkJ]

 

[MarkJ]

 

[MarkJ]

This is where the Blondi will go after she's hardened up from her molt;

 

[MarkJ]

This is where the Phormictopus SP lives;

 

[Jonathan6303]

@MarkJ How’s the project going

 

[MarkJ]

@MarkJ How’s the project going

Its been great!

Here is my A. Geniculata;


The Phormictopus sp;



Not a great pic of the T. Blondi;



My new tank for a P. Metallica which should be arriving this week;