xhexdx's vivarium picture thread

[xhexdx]

I have a gigas communal, but it's not really a full-blown vivarium. They're in a 55-gallon.

In the 'group shot' below, the short, wide viv on the right has 10 H. incei in it.

 

[Wolfywolf7]

I'm going to Michael's on sunday and picking up a vase like that for my viv.
I wanted to put my P. rufilata in there after its done and I monitor it for a little bit.
Is there any information you've learned after keeping your for a while that might help me?
Is there anything you've noticed about keeping this style viv that's not obvious, and deemed helpful-
advice.

 

[JODECS]

very nice setup :clap:

 

[xhexdx]

very nice setup :clap:

Thanks.

I'm going to Michael's on sunday and picking up a vase like that for my viv.
I wanted to put my P. rufilata in there after its done and I monitor it for a little bit.
Is there any information you've learned after keeping your for a while that might help me?
Is there anything you've noticed about keeping this style viv that's not obvious, and deemed helpful-
advice.

Use plants that grow slowly. Use cork bark for them to hide in. Make sure you add detritivores, but if you use worms, make sure they are small in diameter.

 

[Wolfywolf7]

Use plants that grow slowly. Use cork bark for them to hide in. Make sure you add detritivores, but if you use worms, make sure they are small in diameter.

I'll probably use pothos as a vine and a small vermiliad. I'm worried that the pothos will be too big though, so I'm going to look into a smaller vine. I wanted to pin the vine and make it creep up the cork bark.
I've got some red wiggler worms i intend on using idk where to find other detritivores without having to order them or dig up some armadillidiidae... lol i had to look up that name to refrain from calling them rolley polly bugs

 

[Wolfywolf7]

ALRIGHT!! Your design inspired me. I finished mine just now, i couldn't find any bright plants that would fit easily, and i used a little to much sand. But over all I'm happy with it.
http://s1190.photobucket.com/albums/z445/wolfywolf7/?action=view&current=af0a8504.jpg
http://s1190.photobucket.com/albums/z445/wolfywolf7/?action=view&current=44f9d02f.jpg
http://s1190.photobucket.com/albums/z445/wolfywolf7/?action=view&current=bd5050a6.jpg
http://s1190.photobucket.com/albums/z445/wolfywolf7/?action=view&current=a5530be9.jpg
I only have one rufilata in it now, and it's still a little guy.
http://s1190.photobucket.com/albums/z445/wolfywolf7/?action=view&current=bb821dce.jpg

 

[flamesbane]

Joe, how are you providing light to the plants? IME even so called "low light" plants will do poorly in a vivarium situation without some supplemental light.

 

[xhexdx]

I'll fix these for you:

ALRIGHT!! Your design inspired me. I finished mine just now, i couldn't find any bright plants that would fit easily, and i used a little to much sand. But over all I'm happy with it.

I only have one rufilata in it now, and it's still a little guy.

Nice setup, I'm sure it will love the cork bark in there.

Joe, how are you providing light to the plants? IME even so called "low light" plants will do poorly in a vivarium situation without some supplemental light.

They're all on a table by the window in our living room:

I open the blinds in the morning, close them at night.

 

[flamesbane]

They're all on a table by the window in our living room

Do you find that increases the temperature in the viv's? I'm in the Tennessee area, but a glass tank by a window that is covered can easily reach an internal temp of 100° F. What is the longest one of them has been going?

Sorry for all the questions, I really like the designs and would like to do something similar. It just seems like they would be hard to maintain in the long-term.

 

[Popsmoke63B]

sweet setup! where did you get the jars from, gotta an A. Avic coming next week, looks ideal for her.

 

[xhexdx]

Yeah, it increases the temperature. I don't know how high it gets though. What I do know is I haven't baked any of my spiders or plants.

The tanks don't seal, so there is room for minimal air flow. Also, the window is South-facing, so there is no 'direct' sunlight shining in, per-se. I'm sure this greatly reduces the maximum temperature inside the vivaria. In the evenings after the sun sets and/or I close the blinds, the condensation on the walls and lids disappears, and comes back in the mornings after I open the blinds. It's neat to actually see this happen, because then I know that the ecosystem is functioning how it should be. I have also noticed that the plants inside the vivaria grow much faster than their counterparts (or the host plant) kept outside the vivaria.

The longest I have had one of these going so far is the tall thin apothecary jar in the center of the photo. There are three P. rufilata in there - they are 4th instar and doing well. I don't actually know how long it has been going - I have had to trim the purple queen once so far. It probably hasn't been going much longer than a month or so.

If they are set up correctly, the only real maintenance that needs to be done long-term is trimming the plants. I'm still very new at this myself so we'll see how things go as time progresses. The real go-to guy regarding vivaria creation and design is AbraxasComplex.

 

[MrJohn]

Awesome work ! I love the communal set up. Think I might give it a try, but I was going to do a 20 gal terrarium with a graveyard fantasy theme and a few OBTs.

 

[jebbewocky]

I like them--I wonder how carnivorous plants would do in these?

 

[xhexdx]

Very well, actually.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?213913

 

[AbraxasComplex]

Glad to see they're working out for you and looking great.

 

[xhexdx]

Thank you, sir. :worship:

They still don't compare to yours - I haven't been working with that large of a variety of plants (yet), and I really wish I could find a jar with 3- or 4-times the amount of space to work with.

 

[AbraxasComplex]

The bigger the better. Finding that massive vase to work with is so rare though. But when you do there are so many different landscapes and plants you can experiment with.

In the next few months I am going to start making more vivariums. I'm finally settled into my new place and city and need something to keep me busy on those rainy nights this upcoming winter. Maybe I'll even post more often... maybe.

 

[Hendersoniana]

Cool vivariums! I really like the compact look, makes it look natural! I too, just started my 'experimental' vivairum to hopefully cultivate some highland species of carnivorous plants such as Nepenthes Rajah and Heliamphora Minor, pretty excited! Got my plants coming in as we speak . Sorry off topic haha .

 

[Shrike]

Those are some cool set ups you've got there. Some quick questions: Do you set the vivaria up and allow the plant community to become established before adding any animals? Do you use any detritivores other than isopods and worms? I'd really like to put one of my versicolors in a setup like this. Have you kept any Avicularia in a similar set up?

Thanks

 

[xhexdx]

The bigger the better. Finding that massive vase to work with is so rare though. But when you do there are so many different landscapes and plants you can experiment with.

In the next few months I am going to start making more vivariums. I'm finally settled into my new place and city and need something to keep me busy on those rainy nights this upcoming winter. Maybe I'll even post more often... maybe.

I have found some pretty large ones, but no lids. Maybe one day I'll get lucky.

I look forward to seeing some new setups from you. You're the one who inspired me, after all.

Cool vivariums! I really like the compact look, makes it look natural! I too, just started my 'experimental' vivairum to hopefully cultivate some highland species of carnivorous plants such as Nepenthes Rajah and Heliamphora Minor, pretty excited! Got my plants coming in as we speak . Sorry off topic haha .

Thanks for the compliments. I look forward to seeing your carnivorous vivarium!

Those are some cool set ups you've got there. Some quick questions: Do you set the vivaria up and allow the plant community to become established before adding any animals? Do you use any detritivores other than isopods and worms? I'd really like to put one of my versicolors in a setup like this. Have you kept any Avicularia in a similar set up?

Thanks

I have done both - setting up and letting the plants acclimate first, and setting up and putting the spiders in right away.

Right now I'm mainly using detritivores and worms. A couple of them have springtails in there as well, and a my 'isopod breeder' viv has three or four snails. The snails are fun to watch, but they crap everywhere and make the viv walls look pretty ugly.

I haven't done anything with Avicularia yet. I'm concerned about the potential issue with ventilation and don't really want to risk it at this point. AbraxasComplex may have some thoughts on that as well.

Thanks everyone.