Where doe the water go?

gmrpnk21

Arachnobaron
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Nov 1, 2010
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So I have my 2" B. Vagan in it's container with damp substrate, a nice little tunnel hide, and a Sobe cap for a water dish. It is sitting on the same shelf as my 3" A. Geniculata with a similar setup, with the exception of having dry substrate and a lot more ventilation. Here's the weird thing. I barely have to add water to the geniculata's water dish, but I refill the water dish for the vagan EVERY DAY. sometimes there is a bit of ecoearth at the bottom of the dish, other times nothing. Where the h*** is it going? There is way less airflow in the container I keep the vagan in, so It isn't just evaporating. Unless the Vagan decided to be cute and mop the water up and bring it it's hide, I dunno where it could be going.
 

AmbushArachnids

Arachnoculturist
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Jan 30, 2010
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I would guess your dish is leaking into the top of the substrate causing it to evaporate faster. Ive experienced this. Some bottle caps leak slowly.

You also said there is more ventalation in your genics cage. Maybe try switching the water dishes to see if its the ventalation or a leaky dish.
 

gmrpnk21

Arachnobaron
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Nov 1, 2010
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I guess I have to check for that. the bottom of the cap doesn't show any evidence of a leak, but I think I might swap it out anyway .Thanks for the idea :)
 

captmarga

Arachnobaron
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Mar 31, 2010
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339
If there is a thread of silk in the cap, it will wick away some of the water. So will any webbed substrate over into the cap, or even the tiniest bit of spagnum moss in the cap.

Marga
 

Kathy

Arachnoangel
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Apr 4, 2009
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Well I know whenever my blue fang's water bowl is always full of dirt and needing water, he's been busy working on his tunnel......he's quite an engineer.
 

gmrpnk21

Arachnobaron
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Nov 1, 2010
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I wonder if my redrump has a series of tunnels under its hide? I really love this new hobby of tarantula keeping. Now if my goldenknee would just hurry up and molt...
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
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Even a very small amount of webbing in the dish will wick the water out completely in a few hours. Maybe that's what you have oing on. Try cleaning the water dish out every time you fill, even if it looks like nothing's in there.
 
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Kathy

Arachnoangel
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Apr 4, 2009
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I cleaned my blue fang enclosure yesterday and ended up caving in part of his tunnel. I can see into it now through the side of the glass and it is just so amazing - this morning he had a mound of dirt that he had balled up and was slowing pushing towards the top of his mound to dump it out. And yes, now the water bowl on the other side of the enclosure is full of dirt again. Boy I wish I had a hidden video!
 

gmrpnk21

Arachnobaron
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Apparently my little vagans has been making a pretty nice tunnel at night. It goes from it's hide all the way around one side of the container to the water dish where I noticed a small opening. I am happy that it made it's new home against the plastic so I can at least peek at it when I want. Man these different species are cool!
 

Arachnos

Arachnopeon
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Dec 29, 2010
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It is a lot simpler of an answer then you are looking for I bet. While your B. vagan is making his rounds at night he is probably stepping on the side of the very small sobe cap and tipping it up spilling it out. That is why there is a little substrate in there. The rest is probably just evaporating.
 
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Galapoheros

ArachnoGod
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Jul 4, 2005
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8,982
My exp with this is just as Moltar said, water will all wick away, out of the cap and into the substrate with webbing or strand of coco fiber thinner than a hair if it is touching the sub and water. I clean the caps and sit them high on the sub. Also I have often seen Ts pushing and over turning caps of water while they are working around.
 
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