Planted Viv for Hets (pics coming soon)

I just put together a planted vivarium for some Hetermetrus laoticus that I'm getting from arachnidlover74 and I was wondering what you guys thought of my setup. I took small low light plants and cut off the rim and bottom of the plastic pot and then planted them in a tank full of organic topsoil with a small sprinkle of non-toxic wood chips. I used the pots this way because it gives them room to grow out at the bottom, but it still protects the major root mass from burrowing scorpions. I then dug out a valley and buried a PVC pipe that had four outlets and put it in the corner so two of the outlets are up against the glass for easy viewing. I then put a U shaped PVC above ground completely hidden by plants planted around it. The PVC is painted in environmentally friendly brown paint to help blend in. I'm hoping the pre-made burrow system will keep them from digging up the enclosure, especially since they are wild caught specimens. So, what do you guys think? Does my basic setup seem like an acceptable environment for this species? This is my very first scorpion so I'm still learning about these guys.

I will post pictures when they get here next Wednesday (July 9th).
I'm almost too excited about this... to excited indeed.

im not so sure that your pre made burrow will work out. if they feel like they dont like the burrow they will just do so wherever else they please. haha if it works out thats great, but dont be too dissappointed if they burrow elsewhere. i wouldnt use the wood chips on top. whood chips are not too good for scorps.

also how many scorps are you planning on housing together?
how big is the viv?

You should remove the wood chips. Also you should cover the "two outlets against the glass" to keep the light out of the scorpion's burrow, when you are not viewing the scorpions. Other than those two things the enclosure sounds fine.

live plants always make me happy

bigtyler1025 said:

i wouldnt use the wood chips on top. whood chips are not too good for scorps.

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you used wood chips for the longest time! haha n00b;P

bigtyler1025 said:

also how many scorps are you planning on housing together?
how big is the viv?

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It's going to be either 2 H. spinifer or 3 H. laoticus in a 10 gallon (I'm getting both but I'm only keeping one of the species).

Which combination do you guys think would work best in that size tank with lots of plants and hides?

Also, what's the difference between the activeness, personality, and habits of these two types of scorpions? It's really hard to find information other than the generic information that applies to all Hets.

THEY ARE BORING!! haha but thats only my opinion

talljosh003 said:

THEY ARE BORING!! haha but thats only my opinion

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They're better than emps from what I hear.

I think they are fairly interesting... they do dig elaborate burrows but they also aren't strictly pet holes either, they do come up for air so to speak. Just keep them well fed and offer a regular supply of fresh water - you'll often see them face down in the water dish drinking!

Heterometrus sp. are my favorite scorpions so far so I'm really excited about getting some. Before that, I was considering getting some CB emps but I realized their size would tear up my vivarium more than a Het. And before that, I wanted a B. jacksoni but they're just too scrawny for me. Gotta love those big tank looking Hets and emps. And for those of us who complain about their "inactivity," their just as active, if not more, than most tarantulas. Seriously, I've had an avic for almost two years. It hasn't left its tube web once. I have to hand feed its food directly to its fangs while she's in her tube web or else I swear she'd starve to death. Some of them are just lazy lazy creatures.

any pics yet?