BenK ExoTerrariums – Bringing home the desert
Green bottle blue tarantula (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens)
The Green bottle blue (GBB) is one of the most beautiful amongst all tarantula species. They are found in the desert and shrublands habitat of northern Venezuela. According to arachnologist Rick C. West, during his expedition to Venezuela’s Paraguana Peninsula in 2002, he found evidence that may confirm this as a terrestrial species. Large webs were found constructed near vegetation and sandy soil. It is believed that such wide spread webbing may be used to secure a grip on their unstable and open habitat of shrubs and dunes.
Based on this discovery, I house my GBB in a desert terrarium, setup to resemble its natural habitat. The ideal housing requirement for a semi-adult to an adult GBB is very dry substrate, low humidity and plenty of ventilation. This is important to keep them alive and healthy. Although some keepers leave a water dish or spray their tank once a week to maintain some humidity, I prefer to use another method for this – I use the false bottom concept to maintain a certain amount of humidity (low) at all times.
False bottom
A false bottom is an area for excess water to pool and prevent drowning the plant roots when watering. This is a method used especially in tropical setups with life plants. It is also an essential method for adding water features in vivariums and paludariums – such as the one I made for my Crocodile Skink
There are two main types of false bottoms:
1. Filled false bottom – usually 1-2 inch layer of gravel or LECA with a screen on top to prevent dirt from entering.
2. Open false bottom – consists of a piece of plastic egg crate supported by PVC, with a screen on top. I can’t find any plastic egg crates locally, so I use rubber mats sold for bathroom floor or gardening. They are similar to plastic egg crates and work just fine.
Since I’m building a desert terrarium without plants and no watering involve, why do I need a false bottom? Well the idea is to control humidity from evaporation coming up slowly from below the tank. Instead of watering from above, I fill water from a plastic tube leading to the base of the tank.
So here we go…
Tank size: 12 x 8 x 8 inch
Step 1. For this mini project, I use filled false bottom. Gravels are added to at least 1.5 to 2 cm high (thicker = holds more water). As you can see on the far right corner, I inserted a plastic tube leading to the bottom. This is where I add water to the bottom.
Step 2. Then cover gravel with a layer of mesh/screen. You can get this from local hardware stores. This is to separate the false bottom/drainage from the substrate.
Step 3. I then add a layer of dried moss. You can either get this from local nursery or get the ExoTerra forest moss. This help absorb moisture very well – evaporation from water poured down through plastic tube (figure 1) will first be trapped by moss. This prevents substrate from getting too humid or moist.
Step 4. I proceeded to add a thin layer of coco peat on top of moss for the same purpose as above.
Step 5. Now I add a layer of soil/sand mixture to further filter any moisture coming up to the surface. At this stage, I also add my hardscape which in this case is a piece of dried wood and a rock with dried plants attached on it.
Done! GBB exploring her new home
Finally, it’s done. My lovely Green bottle blue webbing away….for the substrate I use sand to create a desert environment. I have also created a lower section (front left) and an upper section (behind right). The lower section will have higher humidity level as oppose to the upper section. This provide my GBB with two options to choose from. Lastly I placed a driftwood and some dried plants as deco and for my GBB to anchor its web.
Night activity observed using red light
Lastly, I hope this may be of help to those who wish to create their own desert theme terrarium. I will post a tropical setup soon when I have the time for another project. It’s basically the same concept, and a little more interesting.
BenK Exotics 