C. cyaneopubescens display tank ideas

zimbu · Aug 22, 2007

I recently got a juvenile GBB and have decided that I'd like to make a really nice looking display tank for it. Currently I'm thinking of basing it around the 18x18x18 Exo Terra terrarium. Obviously that's quite large even for an adult T, but since I want to put more then just a hide and water dish in, a lot of the space may end up being used up for fake plants and such.

Now obviously, I have a buncha questions I was hoping you wiser and more experienced types could help me with

.

1) I know the general rule of thumb is the enclosure shouldn't be more then 1.5x the legspan of the spider, but I've also read that GBBs are semi-arboreal. So do I still need to follow that rule?

2) I've also read that the more cover you give a GBB, the less it tends to web, and currently she's in a kritter keeper with lots of cover and barely webbing at all. If I wanted a really web heavy enclosure should I just put a fake plant in as a hide, some bamboo at angles for it to anchor a web to, and leave the rest bare? And in that case would a 12x12x12 be much more suitable then the size I want now?

3) If she does web a lot, could the front opening doors be a huge problem? or would she just stop webbing those after i open the doors a few times and have to rip any webs attached to them? If so, I have a fish aquarium I can do it in instead.

4) Does anyone have any pictures of their natural habitat perchance?

5) Any other advice for me?

Thanks so much!

Fingolfin · Aug 22, 2007

Beautiful, isn't it?

They aren't arboreal, but they do create a lot of webbing up in whatever you'll make. So the more stuff you have, assume it''l get webbed eventually...

Their natural habitat is more along the line of burrows, in a super arid environment.

I'll look for some natural habitat pics. I just saw some of Rick West's pics of them in Venezuela, beautiful pics, but I don't know if they are online anywhere...

jen650s · Aug 23, 2007

I have my sub-adult female in a 12X12X12 exo terra type enclosure.

She has a hide she uses occasionally with a funnel web built out of it and up into the corner, a water dish, and a pothos in a 4" pot with some 8" runners.
She has webbed one entire corner of the enclosure and onto the top screen so that I can no longer open the screen without disturbing her web, but since the front door makes that unnecessary I just leave the top closed. The substrate is deepest around the plant to help hide the pot at about 4" and tapering down to about 2" which I wouldn't consider to be even half deep enough for any of my burrowers, but she has never burrowed even when she had almost 8" of substrate. She usually stays out on display, and is the worst hair thrower I've got (none of my other GBBs ever flick). But, damn is she beautiful! I don't have much in the way of good pictures, so you'll just have to use your imagination;P

Nitibus · Aug 23, 2007

From what I've heard, GBB's are arid scrubland T's. I decided to make an enclosure close to it's natural habitat.

I Offered lots of anchor spots for webbing. This was taken a week after I put my GBB is. Now the tank is a tunnel of weebing : VERY COOL

View attachment 64544

TalonAWD · Aug 23, 2007

I too want to make a very elaborate "Anchor" for its webbing. Mine is 3/4" right now so I'm basically just planning the setup. So far I went to the mountain areas and collected various "Flat" rocks and various small dead trees to make my setup. I want to make a rock cave type hide with tree branches coming from in front of the hide. The branches will go up (My branches has curves and twists, not the normal trees)and semi over the hide.I will probably make a small hill somewhere and maybe use some fake plants to add detail.
This thread will make for good ideas. Hopefully there will be some cool ideas. My main interest in this particular species setup is to encourage some nice webs. I plan to use a Round KK instead of the normal rectangle. I plan to remake the top in Lexan so I can have a clear view from the top as well as the sides.

Heres the only link I found on its natural habitat.... http://www.minaxtarantulas.net/artiklar/cyaneo/cyaneo_e.html

This is still work in progress but heres the start of my idea. Its not yet setup for the enclosure but I'm just playing with ideas. With each new piece I find (wood and rocks) I will probably modify with the final being dependant on my chosen enclosure dimensions. After its placed in the enclosure I will think about fake plants if necessary.

ANGLE SHOWING HIDE

P. Novak · Aug 23, 2007

Wow thats gonna look good once its all setup, I think you just need to add some sort of dry shrub or something and it'll be good to go! Oh and of course the T!

TalonAWD · Aug 23, 2007

Novak said:
Wow thats gonna look good once its all setup, I think you just need to add some sort of dry shrub or something and it'll be good to go! Oh and of course the T!

Hmmmmm. dry shrub. Thats an idea. I'll try to look for those "Tumble weed" type of shrubs I rarely see when its windy. Maybe If I find one I can take a part of it. Maybe it can use it to make a tunnel inside if I make a hole. Than it can have two hides (If they do this

) Thanks for the idea.

P. Novak · Aug 23, 2007

TalonAWD said:
Hmmmmm. dry shrub. Thats an idea. I'll try to look for those "Tumble weed" type of shrubs I rarely see when its windy. Maybe If I find one I can take a part of it. Maybe it can use it to make a tunnel inside if I make a hole. Than it can have two hides (If they do this ) Thanks for the idea.

Wow you read my mind exactly I just frogot what they were called, a "tumble weed". I think you could get it to work and it would look great! That GBB will have the most awesome time webbing its new home up!

zimbu · Aug 23, 2007

Thanks for the replies everybody! Nitibus, you wouldn't happen to have any picture of your tunnel of web would you?

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Also, I just measured out 18"x18", and it seems huge... but at the same time, I've heard that adult females can reach up to a 6 inch legspan, so at that point 12x12 seems a little small. jens650, your'e using a 12x12 right now, what's your experience with it? What size enclosures are you guys planning for your Ts when theyre adult? Nitibus, if yours already is, what size aquarium is that?

oh and Talon, I'm so jealous of your driftwood

. I live in the middle of a big city and work in an office for the summer, so I don't get many opportunities to find stuff like that...

Thanks again guys, I'm constantly amazed at how friendly and helpful people are on this forum!

edit: does anyone know of a good substrate that would look like the sand/light coloured earth in the pictures in talonAWD's link?

dianedfisher · Aug 23, 2007

I have my male(Romeo) in a 1 gallon tall acrylic jar with about 2" of eco-earth for substrate, with sphagnum moss overlaid and some liana and silk pothos anchored up the jar. He has webbed profusely through-out the entire jar and spends most of his time in the top 1/3 of the jar. My female (CiCi) is in a medium KK, with the same set-up as per above, except her liana is lying along the ground, on top of the moss. She, too, has used the moss to web around the liana and has crafted many web-tunnels through-out the KK, but stays near the top of the container rather than in the lower areas. I have found that most of my T's use only very small amounts of their habitats and I plan to keep T's that average 6" or under in containers this size. I have a 6" A. semanni female in a 5 gallon tank and it's a waste. I think she'd be just as happy in a habitat 1/3 this size (and then I could keep more T's on the desk in my office). Just my take on things! BTW, that driftwood looks amazing. I'm going to the beach in 3 weeks and I'm going to collect all I can for some of my T's as they grow. I hope I can find some pieces nicely shaped like yours.

Di

Brian S · Aug 23, 2007

zimbu said:
2) I've also read that the more cover you give a GBB, the less it tends to web, and currently she's in a kritter keeper with lots of cover and barely webbing at all. If I wanted a really web heavy enclosure should I just put a fake plant in as a hide, some bamboo at angles for it to anchor a web to, and leave the rest bare? And in that case would a 12x12x12 be much more suitable then the size I want now?

It will web up everything eventually, believe me. You cant make them not web. Then again that is just their nature so I wouldnt try to change that.

Nitibus · Aug 23, 2007

My GBB is in a 5 gal tank ( 20 litre ) Her legs span is almost 5 inches.

Here is an up to date pic

View attachment 64547

The flash glare hides much of the webbing, which is a shame. The tank is FULL !

dianedfisher · Aug 24, 2007

Nitibus:

that is a very nice set-up. From pictures I've seen of their natural environment, you have done a nice job of recreating it. Di

GrofKjans · Aug 24, 2007

@Nitibus
beautiful setup:clap:
What do you use as a substrate? It looks like cocofiber whit something too me...

Nitibus · Aug 24, 2007

GrofKjans said:
@Nitibus
beautiful setup:clap:
What do you use as a substrate? It looks like cocofiber whit something too me...

I used " invert mix " from Next Years Reptiles " as they say its " A self-cleaning, bioactive substrate that simulates a natural environment " It may be a little more expensive than a big bag of peat, but I've NEVER had a problem with it. In addition Isopods : pill-bugs ( rollie pollies ) seem to thrive in it.

Check it out : http://www.nextyearreptiles.com/access_food.htm

I should get a freebie for the plug

zimbu · Aug 24, 2007

Thanks Nitibus! Great pics, I know what you mean about the flash making the webbing almost invisible in pictures, so that must look stunning in person

.

Also, I gotta say that while searching for info on GBBs before buying one, at least 1/4 of the posts I found about how awesome they are were by you

. So glad I bought one of these, they're such amazing little animals.

Nitibus · Aug 24, 2007

zimbu said:
.
Also, I gotta say that while searching for info on GBBs before buying one, at least 1/4 of the posts I found about how awesome they are were by you . .

The only time I'd wouldn't recomend a GBB is if somone is looking for a hand pet. They can be skittish and kickers, though mine isn't at all. The GBB is stunning, VERY hardy, good eater, fair size. What more could anyone want in a T ?

I'm surprised I only have one of these beauties !

zimbu · Aug 24, 2007

Mine hasn't kicked hairs either in the time I've had her, it suprised me. I definately wouldn't handle her aside from cage transfers though, she's so quick that if she got startled I'm afriad she might fall and hurt herself before I even knew what was happening.

edit: Meant to ask this before, dianedfisher's post reminded me: isn't it a bit dry for isopods in with a GBB? Either way, at the size she's at right now she'd massacre the little guys if i put them in with her...

dianedfisher · Aug 24, 2007

Nitibus: Thanks for putting in the bit about isopods. I forgot all about trying to use them in the more natural habitats and I can collect a bunch of them now while the weather is warm. I've always used them in my pygmy chameleon tank but never thought about them in an invert set-uo.

Di

Nitibus · Aug 24, 2007

zimbu said:
edit: Meant to ask this before, dianedfisher's post reminded me: isn't it a bit dry for isopods in with a GBB? Either way, at the size she's at right now she'd massacre the little guys if i put them in with her...

The GBB tank is one of the few that the isopods aren't in. It's too dry for the little guys, plus I don't really need them in that tank.
Now my A. versicolour is another story...

C. cyaneopubescens display tank ideas

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