Decided to share my progress with the new A. Genic terrarium I'm building right now.
I'm using Exo Terra Medium Low Terrarium (24L X 18W X 12H) since it's a good choice for a terrestrial tarantula due to low height and ample ground space.
The construction will feature false bottom. Since A. Genic is a humidity loving species in the past I used large water dish but then figured out why not turn the whole bottom of the terrarium into one gigantic water dish instead? This allows to have a much smaller water dish on the "surface" for drinking purposes only while at the same time greatly enhancing evaporation area to provide humid environment.
I've used expanded foam to mold the burrow using AC exhaust hose as a model. Here it is setting up, it will later be covered with silicone and coco fiber:
Trying the pieces together with the false bottom:
The false bottom features two levels: the lower level for the burrow and the upper level for the main land area.
Here is how the things look like with the window screen on:
In the top right corner is a ventilation tower featuring 80mm fan and a pipe which runs down to the false bottom. The fan is suspended on the rubber bands to minimize the vibrations and allow removal/replacement if needed (this one is used for testing only, it will eventually be replaced with a high quality Noctua fan):
To further aid with the vibrations the ventilation tower does not make direct contact with the glass -- it uses rubber grommets and is held in place with expanding foam:
The air circulation will be from under the false bottom to the top of the terrarium (the top will be covered in the final configuration so it will be in-tank circulation only to maintain humidity) helping to get rid of the stale air as well as help humidity transfer from under the false bottom.
I'll post more pictures as the build progresses.
I'm using Exo Terra Medium Low Terrarium (24L X 18W X 12H) since it's a good choice for a terrestrial tarantula due to low height and ample ground space.
The construction will feature false bottom. Since A. Genic is a humidity loving species in the past I used large water dish but then figured out why not turn the whole bottom of the terrarium into one gigantic water dish instead? This allows to have a much smaller water dish on the "surface" for drinking purposes only while at the same time greatly enhancing evaporation area to provide humid environment.
I've used expanded foam to mold the burrow using AC exhaust hose as a model. Here it is setting up, it will later be covered with silicone and coco fiber:
Trying the pieces together with the false bottom:
The false bottom features two levels: the lower level for the burrow and the upper level for the main land area.
Here is how the things look like with the window screen on:
In the top right corner is a ventilation tower featuring 80mm fan and a pipe which runs down to the false bottom. The fan is suspended on the rubber bands to minimize the vibrations and allow removal/replacement if needed (this one is used for testing only, it will eventually be replaced with a high quality Noctua fan):
To further aid with the vibrations the ventilation tower does not make direct contact with the glass -- it uses rubber grommets and is held in place with expanding foam:
The air circulation will be from under the false bottom to the top of the terrarium (the top will be covered in the final configuration so it will be in-tank circulation only to maintain humidity) helping to get rid of the stale air as well as help humidity transfer from under the false bottom.
I'll post more pictures as the build progresses.