Species suitable for a vivarium?

[Vince37]

Hello, I'm interested in building a vivarium that I could put a tarantula in. I'm pretty new to the hobby, and currently only have a single spider (a brachypelma hamorii, if I remember correctly), so spiders more suitable for beginners would be nice. I would be happy with either a terrestrial or arboreal spider, but I think it might be more fun to build an arboreal enclosure. I'm really just interested in knowing what spiders might be happy in a live-planted enclosure without being overly aggressive or difficult to take care of. Thank you!

 

[viper69]

Plants in captivity for Ts are a PITA, and generally not worth it IME.

But @Dorifto does great at it

 

[NMTs]

Hello, I'm interested in building a vivarium that I could put a tarantula in. I'm pretty new to the hobby, and currently only have a single spider (a brachypelma hamorii, if I remember correctly), so spiders more suitable for beginners would be nice. I would be happy with either a terrestrial or arboreal spider, but I think it might be more fun to build an arboreal enclosure. I'm really just interested in knowing what spiders might be happy in a live-planted enclosure without being overly aggressive or difficult to take care of. Thank you!

For beginning T keepers, planted enclosures tend to be problematic because the plants usually need different conditions to thrive than the T does. I don't bother with planted enclosures - they look nice, but my focus is on the spiders and I can make a nice looking enclosure without live plants which is better suited for the T.

All that said, the course of action that I see recommended most often, which makes sense to me, is to build the vivarium and get it established and thriving BEFORE adding a T. This might take up to a year, but however long it takes doesn't really matter - get the care of the vivarium dialed in with a good routine, then figure out which T species would be best suited for that type of setup. You'll have plenty of time to research before making a decision. Trying to get care of the T and care of the vivarium figured out at the same time can have you going in opposite directions...