Tarantula home.

[Winsie]

Hi all,
Good afternoon, I'm new to this site, so please forgive me if I've jumped right in & started asking for a bit of help.

I have a fish tank it the Boyu Byg-86 . I had fish & live plants inside, but we live in a hard water area & the plants lasted about 6 months & the fish started dieing off 1 X 1 about 1month before this.
I spoke to professional fish keepers & they told me to try / do this / that but nothing worked.
The tank as been empty now for about 6 months, so I thought I'd get a tarantula.

I had a Mexican red knee yrs ago.

But can I ask..
My tank is plenty big (I was looking at the pink toe tarantula).
But to make sure... Is my tank ok.?

As the glass is thick, there shouldn't be a reflection.?

The whole lid opens up / lifts up, the back of it is on a hinge, & there's also a little flap door on the main big lid.

If you could take a look at my tank please, the name Boyu Byg-86.
If you could advise or throw ideas at me or anything, be appreciated.
Thank you for reading.

 

[Frogdaddy]

I would use another enclosure.
More than likely your aquarium is,
A. Too big
B. Not escape proof
C. Doesn't offer adequate ventilation

 

[Neonblizzard]

Yeah i just took a look at it and i don't think it would be suitable. It's all the things frogdaddy mentioned.

Better off just buying a more suitable enclosure

 

[Dorifto]

Being from Ireland I'd take a look into euro style glass enclosures, they are pretty cheap and look awesome.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Not suitable for a tarantula

 

[Winsie]

Hi all,
thanks for your replies & info.

I located a pink toe, in dublin, so i had a look on a few sites on care & other info on this species.
The info i got back, was they like to climb,

So i was thinking, with my tank, a nice deep substrate, & a bowl with water sunk into the substrate, plenty of tree bark / branches with leaves to act like real life trees. may be a little basic tree shack / house in the mid way for a hide out.

I also seen, the heat mat, a lot of people say dont put it under the tank. so i thought id put 1 on the back outside wall, but id like a forest back wall wallpaper (plastic sheet), but then the heater will melt it.

I was thinking about security.. so, the main lid, lift this up & under this lid i was thinking of putting a clear perspex false lid with little holes for air & a big enough piece cut out & hinged on to act as a door to get in for feeding / cleaning
I would attach this to the main tank walls by using fish tank safe clear silicon

il re-think

thanks all.

 

[Dorifto]

Hi all,
thanks for your replies & info.

I located a pink toe, in dublin, so i had a look on a few sites on care & other info on this species.
The info i got back, was they like to climb,

So i was thinking, with my tank, a nice deep substrate, & a bowl with water sunk into the substrate, plenty of tree bark / branches with leaves to act like real life trees. may be a little basic tree shack / house in the mid way for a hide out.

I also seen, the heat mat, a lot of people say dont put it under the tank. so i thought id put 1 on the back outside wall, but id like a forest back wall wallpaper (plastic sheet), but then the heater will melt it.

I was thinking about security.. so, the main lid, lift this up & under this lid i was thinking of putting a clear perspex false lid with little holes for air & a big enough piece cut out & hinged on to act as a door to get in for feeding / cleaning
I would attach this to the main tank walls by using fish tank safe clear silicon

il re-think

thanks all.

Do not use a heat mat unless you live in north pole...

Why you think you should use a heat mat? Is your house so cold?

I have used a heat mat, but because in my old house we could reach 7°C inside... And to use one, you have to take some extra precautions, like thermostat, good sensors etc, it's not as easy as one could think.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

That tank is not suitable for any tarantula, especially not an Avic.

 

[Winsie]

Good morning all.
Thanks for the reply.

I thought the tank would need a heat source, so I did look at thermostat control.
Also thanks for the heads up on the tank being to large.
I would of thought bigger the better, & for all the things said on this forum site & others, all the advice says no go.
Shame but I don't want to course harm to an animal,I was upset when me fish never mind me plants dieing off.
Thanks all,
If any 1 can think of a way without putting false floors or messing to much, I'm all ears.
Thanks a lot.

Hi again..
Just thought....
With my tank.. I could put a tank within a tank, & use the open space in my tank as a more plastic planted scene.

You think I'd be able to get a big enough thank to fit into my tank.?
(As you can see I don't want to get rid of my tank.)
The home of the spider won't get to warm or the amount of glass won't make the spider feel closaphobic.?

Thanks again all.
Have a good day.

 

[KaroKoenig]

You think I'd be able to get a big enough thank to fit into my tank.?

Way too much hassle, even less ventilation. As Dorifto said: Euro style arboreal enclosures are easy to get in your neck of the woods.

 

[Dorifto]

Or make your own one

 

[Neonblizzard]

Hi again..
Just thought....
With my tank.. I could put a tank within a tank, & use the open space in my tank as a more plastic planted scene.

You think I'd be able to get a big enough thank to fit into my tank.?
(As you can see I don't want to get rid of my tank.)
The home of the spider won't get to warm or the amount of glass won't make the spider feel closaphobic.?

Thanks again all.
Have a good day.

i
t's best not to overcomplicate it, simply get another enclosure and use that one.

There's no risk of a claustrophobic spider - simply get an appropriately sized enclosure and set it up correctly and the spider will do the rest

 

[VaporRyder]

Why not sell the fish tank (I see they are of significant value) and use the proceeds to fund your new spider hobby?

 

[Winsie]

Thanks a lot for the help, all.

Appreciated, . I thought like all spiders, big or small & I've had 1 or 2 big ones run across the living room floor, I thought they'd like a nice bit of room to stretch there legs.

Like you say, all I can do is put my tank up for swaps or sale, or use it as a green house for pretty flowers lol...
Thanks again for the info & help.

 

[VaporRyder]

Haha! I too have seen Tegenaria species in my home cover ridiculous distances, at pace!

But no, tarantulas like it cosy and compact!

 

[Frogdaddy]

I encourage you to set up your fish tank again.
I've looked at your system and it doesn't seem horrible. Many pre made kits are disasters. Perhaps the lighting isn't sufficient for live plants and you should try fish only or some really hardy plants such as Anubias sp. or java Fern.

In either case aquariums require patience just like tarantula keeping does. It might be good practice for tarantula keeping. In any case it will give you something to look at while your tarantulas do absolutely nothing for days at a time.

 

[viper69]

Or make your own one