4ft aquarium conversion

[Lisa Baines]

We have quite a few scorpions and tarantula's between us, so i decided to have a shuffle around and best allocate what housing we have.

So the fish have been evicted from the 4ft tank and are now upstairs in a smaller tank
I am sectioning off the 4ft tank into 5 enclosures and creating a 'false bottom style' forest species tank... more specifically for my hets
Each enclosure has a floor space of 10" x 12"

A layer of 2" of pea gravel is in the bottom, followed by a cut down undergravel filter... which works well because it holds the water tube in place!
Followed by a good 5-6" of substrate, forest bed in this case and i plan to put some sort of leaf mulch on the top, more for decoration than anything else.

Put the first panel in yesterday and left the silicone to cure overnight... which was aided by the radiator behind the tank

My poor Heterometrus Beccalonae has had the coolest positioned enclosure so far, so she was the first to go in purely so i could keep her warmer. Not that this seems to have bothered her she is looking rather well fed!
Getting some more substrate tomorrow to bring the level up but she's warmer than she was.

So all going well the male and female heterometrus madraspatensis will be going in tomorrow. and in about a month or so the heterometrus spinifers will go in, since they eat and grow pretty quick!

Followed last but not least by the heterometrus swammerdammi, however that one will need a bigger tank eventually.. they get ma-hoo-sive!

1) nice dirty aquarium... this is the bit of fish keeping i hate... pooowee!


2) all cleaned out and the first panel is in place


3) gravel, and substrate now in... more substrate to be added soon. small heat mat temporary until the big heat mat goes on the back tomorrow


4) rest of the panels are now in, hopefully next scorpions in tomorrow


to be continued lol.......

[Peter Lacey]

nice project, looking forward to seeing how this develops, don't know a thing about scorpions, hadn't realised they like it so wet.

[Lisa Baines]

It's mainly forest species that like it moist

well doing this method doesn't 'soak' the substrate but makes is more sustainable. you only need to mist about once a week because there is so much humidity in the substrate, they can regulate what humidity they want as they would in the wild.

It also means it's fantastic for growing plants in which in turn hold the substrate together and prevents burrow collapse. And looks very natural and pleasing. Spider plants will grow in just about anything and provide excellent coverage for them.
Using a light tube such as a repti-glo 2.0 gives off the light plants need to photosynthesise and doesn't harm the scorpion

Then add cleaner woodlice in and you hardly have to do any maintenance, which, when you have 3 kids and a lot of pets is a good thing lol!

[Mrs Linda Street]

Good job that Lisa, we've got a couple of large fish tanks we were going to partition for T's, did you get the glass cut to size or did you cut it yourself? I suppose with it sectioned off, you could use a couple of the spaces for T's if you wanted, sort of a mix and match lol. It's going to look really nice when it's finished.

[Lisa Baines]

i had the glass cut to size. it cost just under a tenner for 4 sheets of 4mm

I'm going to build our matthew something similar for his haplopelma's and various other earth tigers to sit on top of the water dragon tank which is also 4ft. so we could probably fit about 10 enclosures on there all together... keep his earth tigers happy

[Ray Hale]

Good work Lisa, just a word of warning to anyone converting tanks like this though. You must make sure the partition goes right up to the top with NO gap. You would be surprised how Tarantulas can find a way into next door for a light snack. It happened to me with a Thai Black and a Chile Rose. Guess what? The Chile Rose ate the Thai Black. Yours looks fine though Lisa

Ray

[Lisa Baines]

thats a good point to add Ray - thank you. This set up is ok for scorpions because unless they have something to climb on they cant get out! Tarantula's require added security in this type of conversion

Was actually discussing this with my mate graham last night because he wants to do something similar with his pokies.
Knowing how strong some tarantula's are it would probably be a good idea to make thicker glass lids for each enclosure to prevent escapee's lol

And I've heard g.rosea's, although they look nice, calm and placid can give other tarantula's a run for their money. Never heard of it happening to someone but man! a thai black??? that was one rock hard rosea!

[lynn mawdesley]

Great setup Lisa! cant wait to see the finished result..... i might just have to try this myself

Lynn

[Lisa Baines]

the only problem I had with this, was when i put in panel number 3 (from L to R). I didn't take into account the central tank brace and had to silicone one side of the glass inch by inch by blobbing silicone on my finger and squishing it on! chuffing massive silicone guns!

But we got there in the end Just looks a little messy but it did the trick

[Ray Hale]

I once had a seven inch Salmon pink chew its way through a wire vent and escape through a hole that was no more than 2 inches in diameter unharmed.

Amazing escaplogists tarantulas!

I think the Chile Rose was more luck than judgement with the Thai Black.Probaly crept up on it surprised it. You are right we often see Chile Roses as docile but in the spider world who knows !

Ray

[Lisa Baines]

enclosure 1 is just about finished finished. Substrate level topped up close to 6". heterometrus madraspatensis female in #2 and the het.madras' male is in #4

as you can see enclosure #5 has the filter in place ready for substrate and #3.. i ran out of undergravel filter by about an inch!!!! HOW ANNOYING!

A partial lid is on until I get a full size lid next week. The temperature is pretty snug in there, as a guess it's about 80 degrees... even at the other end of the tank where there is no heat mat.

Sooo planting. I know spiderplants and sweetheart vines grow pretty well in anything, does anyone have any other suggestions for planting?
What have you had in your terranium that grows well?
I think I have seen umberella plants in newly set up terraniums but i dont know how well they do in the long term

[Robert Martin]

Hi Lisa,
Nice job you done there.Looks well smart.One thing I thought i might mention was the sylicone.I've no doubt you've researched and used the right stuff but for anyone else out there who might try this, normal sylicone that you buy from a DIY store is extremely toxic and crickets will nibble on it which could pass on to the occupants with fatal consiquences. Use proper sylicone manufactured for building aquariums which is non-toxic.
I seperated a 3ft tank once with normal sylicone and the crickets were chowing down on it.They loved it.Luckily i found out it was toxic and removed the P regalis and G rosea.I discarded the tank after.
I would hate to see anyone lose a 'T'.
It is a brilliant idea tho and cost saving.

Your neat with your sylicone Lisa. Mine looked like a flock of pigeons had deposited mine...

[Lisa Baines]

yeah knew that one about the silicone.

enclosures 2 and 4 get topped up tomorrow.

[Mrs Linda Street]

Hi Lisa, is there anywhere you can actually buy lids from, we were looking for one for a 24" x 12", we usually use the ones that come with the fish tanks and then weight them down, but this one got damaged, otherwise it's making your own out of ply or something. Your tank looks really good

[Lisa Baines]

you after a new lightweight plastic job? just go into any aquatics shop and they can order them in they are only a couple of quid.

It's a shame it wasn't a 36" one i have a spare one of those.

however if you still have problems getting one pm me