The Aphonopelma Tank

AphonopelmaTX

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I finally got around to taking some quick pictures of how I house small to medium size tarantulas that are fossorial in nature, but may not exhibit a fossorial nature in captivity. I mainly use this type of housing for Aphonopelma species, but I found it works for Grammostola, Brachypelma, and Tliltocatl species as well. Although when any of the species in the aforementioned genera get to their large adult size, I usually house them in the same manner just scaled up to an appropriately sized container. The idea is to recreate the conditions tarantulas would use in the wild in selecting a burrowing site. In my own observations of wild Aphonopelma species in the suburban areas of Texas, I noticed the majority will build a burrow along side something large and sturdy in the ground such as a sidewalk, a large bolder, base of trees, etc. The foam bricks in the pictured containers provide a simulation of sorts for these large structures.

This method of housing small to medium fossorial tarantulas started with a single wild caught Aphonopelma hentzi I collected many years ago from a park in a suburb of Dallas, Texas. This is why I use the term "Aphonopelma tank" when referring to this type of setup. It was amazing to see that the wild caught A. hentzi took to it and lived just as it did in the wild. After the years went by and more people started posting videos of wild tarantulas on YouTube, I noticed ground dwelling tarantulas from all over the world build burrows associated with large buried objects in the ground. Thus I tried this out with exotic species of ground dwelling tarantulas and they all took to burying themselves underneath the foam bricks in the same manner as Aphonopelma hentzi.

From the pictures, the method of construction should be obvious so I won't go into how they were put together, but here is a list of materials I use. The tanks themselves maybe really ugly to look at, but I'm more for function and cost-effectiveness. These "Aphonopelma tanks" show that you don't need a large expensive setup to see natural behavior in tarantulas.

Materials
  • FloraCraft brand floral foam bricks. Can be found at any craft store such as Michael's in the US
  • Sterlite ShowOffs plastic containers
  • Solo brand 1-2 ounce plastic condiment cups for water
  • Soil is a blend of top soil and coco fiber
I chose three representatives from my collection to photograph: Aphonopelma seemanni, Tliltocatl vagans, and a large spiderling of Aphonopelma sp. "Diamondback"

Aphonopelma seemanni

AphonopelmaTankAseemanni_Side_01.jpg

AphonopelmaTankAseemanni_Top_01.jpg

AphonopelmaTankAseemanni_Top_02.jpg

Tliltocatl vagans

AphonopelmaTankTvagans_Side_01.jpg

AphonopelmaTankTvagans_Side_02.jpg
AphonopelmaTankTvagans_Top_01.jpg

Aphonopelma sp. "Diamondback"


AphonopelmaTankAdiamondBack_Side_01.jpg

AphonopelmaTankAdiamondBack_Top_01.jpg

Close up of Aphonopelma sp. "Diamondback" burrow entrance
AphonopelmaTankAdiamondBack_Close_01.jpg
 

viper69

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Nice, this wasn’t what I visualized at all.

how did you arrive at your choice of components for sub, and what proportions do you use?

I noticed ground dwelling tarantulas from all over the world build burrows associated with large buried objects in the ground

This may sorta explain why many report Ts making a burrow under their water dishes.
 
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Smotzer

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Thank you for sharing this!! This is whhat I was thinking!
 

AphonopelmaTX

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how did you arrive at your choice of components for sub, and what proportions do you use?
The soil mixture is about a 50/50 mix of topsoil and cocofiber. Sometimes more cocofiber, sometimes more top soil. The soil in the Aphonopelma sp. "Diamonback" enclosure is 100% topsoil for example. Topsoil is always used in these setups because of its clay content. When the topsoil is damp, the clay content allows it to be molded and sculpted; when dry, it retains its shape. This is important because the soil is the only thing holding up the floral foam blocks. The damp soil is first packed tightly around the floral foam bricks so when I remove the brick, the soil retains its shape. This makes a rectangular cavity I can then dig a burrow chamber in. Because the topsoil retains its shape so well, I can then put the foam brick back, repack the soil, and have a perfect burrow for the tarantula to find and expand on its own.

I would never try this with 100% cocofiber or peat moss because when that stuff dries, it becomes light, loose, and dusty and I don't want to risk it losing its structural integrity and have the foam brick fall on to the tarantula. That is actually why I stick to using floral foam bricks instead of making something more natural looking. The floral foam is so light in weight that if it did start to collapse, it wouldn't squish my tarantula!

This may sorta explain why many report Ts making a burrow under their water dishes.
It doesn't "sorta explain" why some witness their tarantulas dig under their water dishes, it explains why exactly. It is unfortunate that many don't realize how tarantulas utilize their environment in the wild in order to make predictions on why they do the things they do in captivity. The water dish is a good example. To us, it is a receptacle to hold drinking water; to them it is an object in their vicinity to either use as something to hide under or something annoying that has to be disposed of. Water isn't their first priority, shelter is.
 

KaroKoenig

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The tanks themselves maybe really ugly to look at...
Love the general idea of this. Two questions/remarks:

- Have you ever had problems with tarantulas chewing on the foam? I have seen many instances of Ts munching on the backgrounds of e.g. Exo Terra tanks.

- I am one of those guys who like it pretty. Why not use hard wood/roots instead of foam for a bit of a naturalistic look and feel? I mean, hot glue does the trick for stability, and it's bonding is very easily overcome by a single drop of alcohol in case the wood gets in the way (rehouse or so).
 

Dry Desert

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Love the general idea of this. Two questions/remarks:

- Have you ever had problems with tarantulas chewing on the foam? I have seen many instances of Ts munching on the backgrounds of e.g. Exo Terra tanks.

- I am one of those guys who like it pretty. Why not use hard wood/roots instead of foam for a bit of a naturalistic look and feel? I mean, hot glue does the trick for stability, and it's bonding is very easily overcome by a single drop of alcohol in case the wood gets in the way (rehouse or so).
I agree - looks more like part of a building site than anything else.
 

KaroKoenig

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I agree - looks more like part of a building site than anything else.
The tarantula wouldn't care if it were a real brick - at least when it comes to optics. Maybe they would actually appreciate the more "rocky" feel of a real brick. I wouldn't trust any amount of hot glue to hold it safely in place, though...

Come to think of it, I could imagine a fun enclosure project involving some bricks, or pieces thereof. It would make an awesome, broken-down wall looking "diorama" kind of enclosure for, say, a Chaetopelma olivacea. They are known to colonize stone walls, and many other species are recorded having set up shop in building rubble etc. Sort of a metaphor for the futility of Man's efforts and of Nature reclaiming what is hers. Now, isn't that deep...?
 

Dry Desert

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The tarantula wouldn't care if it were a real brick - at least when it comes to optics. Maybe they would actually appreciate the more "rocky" feel of a real brick. I wouldn't trust any amount of hot glue to hold it safely in place, though...

Come to think of it, I could imagine a fun enclosure project involving some bricks, or pieces thereof. It would make an awesome, broken-down wall looking "diorama" kind of enclosure for, say, a Chaetopelma olivacea. They are known to colonize stone walls, and many other species are recorded having set up shop in building rubble etc. Sort of a metaphor for the futility of Man's efforts and of Nature reclaiming what is hers. Now, isn't that deep...?
I thought you were the one saying " hard wood/ roots " would look better - make your mind up.
 

KaroKoenig

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I'd trust hot glue to hold wood pretty well. Rock/brick is a tad heavier.
 

LucN

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Those are really nice setups ! Perhaps I ought to try something like this next time I redo an enclosure. Would be nice if I could witness my Ts burrowing.
 

AphonopelmaTX

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Love the general idea of this. Two questions/remarks:

- Have you ever had problems with tarantulas chewing on the foam? I have seen many instances of Ts munching on the backgrounds of e.g. Exo Terra tanks.

- I am one of those guys who like it pretty. Why not use hard wood/roots instead of foam for a bit of a naturalistic look and feel? I mean, hot glue does the trick for stability, and it's bonding is very easily overcome by a single drop of alcohol in case the wood gets in the way (rehouse or so).
I've only had one case of a tarantula chewing through floral foam. It was a large subadult king baboon female and I used the type of floral foam brick that is meant to be soaked in water which is much softer than the dry floral foam bricks. The king baboon tarantula chewed right through the floral foam brick and made a big mess. I haven't had a case of a tarantula chewing through dry floral foam though. I won't say it would never or couldn't happen since I don't keep a large number of tarantulas.

I have thought about using hot glue or even screws to permanently fix an object to the side of a plastic box, but I need my enclosures to be reusable and to have the bricks be able to be removed in order to recapture the tarantula easily for rehousing. In these setups, if I need to take the tarantula out, I just pull out the foam brick and capture the tarantula. I don't need to dig out the tarantula or go through any trouble to disassemble the enclosure. Besides, I'm not a DIY type so if you or anyone else can figure out a way to use heavier materials safely, then by all means. This thread is to illustrate a concept, not to show that there is only one way to house a tarantula. Maybe this thread will inspire some of the creative types and we can see more naturalistic implementations. :)

Come to think of it, I could imagine a fun enclosure project involving some bricks, or pieces thereof. It would make an awesome, broken-down wall looking "diorama" kind of enclosure for, say, a Chaetopelma olivacea. They are known to colonize stone walls, and many other species are recorded having set up shop in building rubble etc. Sort of a metaphor for the futility of Man's efforts and of Nature reclaiming what is hers. Now, isn't that deep...?
I've had the idea of building a representation of how suburban A. hentzi live in "nature". Not only do they live in parks, but they also live in people's lawns. I always thought it would be fun to plant some grass in a large plastic box, insert a piece of foam brick painted to look like a sidewalk, or a real concrete brick, and have an enclosure that looked like a lawn. If you want a metaphor for nature reclaiming what is her's, then tarantulas recolonizing a suburban neighborhood after being destroyed by the process of urbanization would be a great example of it.
 

l4nsky

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This thread is to illustrate a concept, not to show that there is only one way to house a tarantula. Maybe this thread will inspire some of the creative types and we can see more naturalistic implementations. :)
I visited the STL Zoo's insectarium recently and immediately thought of your posts on this subject in that other thread.
20210514_154925.jpg
 

viper69

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It doesn't "sorta explain" why some witness their tarantulas dig under their water dishes, it explains why exactly.
Yet, the same specimen doesn't always seek out a hard surface, in this case, a dish, when it is busy making its burrow, hence why I wrote "sorta". When a T is provided an "open" plain with a dish in this case, wouldn't you expect the T would always seek out the hard surface for burrowing purposes? Yet, IME they don't always do this. They change it up from time to time.

What is your experience on this, have you observed this changing of burrow as I mention above?
 

AphonopelmaTX

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I visited the STL Zoo's insectarium recently and immediately thought of your posts on this subject in that other thread.
I completely missed this reply. The STL Zoo's Brachypelma hamorii enclosure is a perfect example of a more naturalistic representation of the concept discussed here. Thanks for sharing that picture!

Yet, the same specimen doesn't always seek out a hard surface, in this case, a dish, when it is busy making its burrow, hence why I wrote "sorta". When a T is provided an "open" plain with a dish in this case, wouldn't you expect the T would always seek out the hard surface for burrowing purposes? Yet, IME they don't always do this. They change it up from time to time.

What is your experience on this, have you observed this changing of burrow as I mention above?
Yes, I have seen many of my own tarantulas changing their minds on where they want to start a burrow. But the ones pictured here never do. They take to the pre-made burrow and sometimes just extend it and create a new entrance/ exit. Digging under a water dish seems to always occur in spiderlings or small juveniles when the water dish is the same size, or larger than, the spider. Sometimes its the water dish, sometimes its a corner if the enclosure isn't round, sometimes its a piece of cork bark, etc. Adults always seem to prefer corners though. The point is that it is a sign that there is something wrong with the setup when a tarantula is constantly changing its mind on where to start digging.
 

viper69

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I completely missed this reply. The STL Zoo's Brachypelma hamorii enclosure is a perfect example of a more naturalistic representation of the concept discussed here. Thanks for sharing that picture!



Yes, I have seen many of my own tarantulas changing their minds on where they want to start a burrow. But the ones pictured here never do. They take to the pre-made burrow and sometimes just extend it and create a new entrance/ exit. Digging under a water dish seems to always occur in spiderlings or small juveniles when the water dish is the same size, or larger than, the spider. Sometimes its the water dish, sometimes its a corner if the enclosure isn't round, sometimes its a piece of cork bark, etc. Adults always seem to prefer corners though. The point is that it is a sign that there is something wrong with the setup when a tarantula is constantly changing its mind on where to start digging.
Thanks, just checking to see if my captive observations were similar to yours.

Agreed something is wrong if the T is regularly changing its mind as you mentioned above to start a single burrow.

I thought perhaps you were suggesting that something is wrong when Ts change their mind and pick a new place to make a burrow after already making one, living in it for a while weeks months, then making a new one.

Or maybe you believe that is an issue too?
 

Vermis

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I like this a lot. It's a real forehead-slapping 'of course!' moment, considering how many tarantulas and other pet arachnids burrow alongside the container side. Not to mention how many bugs you find when you flip a rock...

Floralcraft dry foam: judging from their website it seems to be extruded polystyrene (XPS)? The same thing as those thick boards of home insulation. That might make it easier to source, especially over here, although IIRC ours tends to be bright pink or bright blue. That'd really mess with the heads of the naturalistic setup fans!
I also remember from my old days of tabletop wargaming that it's fairly easy to carve into reasonable approximations of rocks and boulders, and sturdy enough when you're bashing dice and toy soldiers against it. Although...

Maybe this thread will inspire some of the creative types and we can see more naturalistic implementations. :)
... I can understand that already sounds like too much extra work to some! I also don't mind the practical vs. aesthetic look - I find my eye drawn a little more towards the hole beside the brick. Still, it's got me thinking.

I know that railroad modellers have a bunch of commercial rock moulds at their disposal. I wonder how they would combine with e.g. those spray cans of expanding foam insulation?

insert a piece of foam brick painted to look like a sidewalk
Which type of paint? Acrylic? And it would be safe for the spiders? Even better.

In my own observations of wild Aphonopelma species in the suburban areas of Texas,
Not only do they live in parks, but they also live in people's lawns.
I feel deprived. In that way that 95% of the local population wouldn't agree with.
 

Frogdaddy

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Would something like Dryloc work for painting the fake rocks?
You could also combine Titebond III wood glue and sand. Titebond III is impervious to moisture and food safe. I've used Titebond II in frog builds before with no issues. Titebond III is a newer formula.
 

Dorifto

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Would something like Dryloc work for painting the fake rocks?
You could also combine Titebond III wood glue and sand. Titebond III is impervious to moisture and food safe. I've used Titebond II in frog builds before with no issues. Titebond III is a newer formula.
Use ultra fine grade joint mortar, leaves the foam rock solid, has a natural look and is ultra light 😂😂😂

IMG_MJL_Ⓜ️ Megapix🚀_20200111_191828.jpg IMG_MJL_Ⓜ️ Megapix🚀_20200113_000806.jpg
 

MotherofDragons

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I was all excited to share my technique as I read through this post, but looks like @Dorifto got it covered!!

You can make some really amazing fake rocks using styrofoam, mortar (I use Large Format Tile one), and finish it off with Drylock original to waterproof it. The drylock is tintable to custom color it as well.

Here is a piece I started, and somewhat abandoned as summer was busy, for my Mexican Black Kingsnake enclosure. It’s my first one and so far is just multiple layers of mortar without any drylock. The bottom was hand carved from white styrofoam that came in my tile saw box when I bought it. It’s a blast to do, you can get really creative and I don’t find it too heavy at this point with the mortar. Definitely less so than a real rock.

Thanks @AphonopelmaTX for linking this old thread for me. I’m inspired to finish this piece and dream up some cool ones for future T enclosures!! I have several Aphonopelma slings that will benefit from this thread in the future.
18FDF7CB-3CAC-4475-85A9-4D0BD9A42C1C.jpeg 411D84D9-62F4-4632-8DE9-D88ED408797A.jpeg E9D2546D-CDB3-43BE-8E47-6537FBE731AD.jpeg
 

Dorifto

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I'd like to see it finished!!!

Yeah, for how hard it is, it weighs nothing!
 
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