Creating an Enclosure for Arboreal Tarantulas Using a Vertically-Oriented 10-gallon Aquarium
Page 3 of 4 | text and photos by Michael Jacobi
⇐ Previous Page | Next Page ⇒ | Issue 4 Contents | E-Zine Directory
7. The final step in creating the interior of the cage is to add the length of silk plant. Place the length in the cage so that it wraps around the bamboo, crosses the top of the cork bark and descends toward the ground. Your imagination is the only limitation in creating an attractive enclosure. The beauty of the enclosure may be enhanced by the use of a live plant instead of an artificial silk vine. A number of inexpensive plants that thrive in low light, such as Pothos [Epipremnum sp.], may be used. Their respiration provides an additional benefit of increasing natural humidity. Various decorative mosses, either live or dried, may also be added to increase visual appeal.
8. After the inside of the enclosure is complete the final step is to attach the tape-lined screen cover to the front. The screen cover is not made to fit very tightly in its normal use as a top, so when being used as a front to an aquarium stood on end it will be flush with the aquarium frame at the top, but will have a gap at the bottom. Secure the screen cover to the front of the aquarium with black electrical tape. The tape is approximately the same width as the frame of the screen cover and aquarium molding and will be almost unnoticeable on the finished product. Start by wrapping the tape around the top of the enclosure. Electrical tape has some stretch and you want to pull the tape taut as you wrap and use a finger to run along the tape pressing it firmly against the aquarium. Start at the very top of one of the sides about halfway back from the front, and then wrap the tape tightly across the top of the screen cover frame and continue around the top of the enclosure. Overlap the beginning of the length of tape and cross the screen cover a second time, and cut the tape directly opposite where you began. For example, if you start on the right side of the tank with the screen cover facing you, you would wrap clockwise around the top perimeter of the enclosure, pass your beginning point and cross the front a second time, and then cut the tape so that it ends about halfway back on the left side.
Once the top of the screen cover is tightly secured, the procedure will be repeated around the bottom of the screen cover and tank. Because the bottom of the screen cover will hang slightly below that of the tank, you should worry about the tape's bottom edge being flush with the bottom edge of the aquarium and not whether it covers the frame of the screen cover perfectly. Once again, pull the tape taut as you wrap around the perimeter of the tank and use a finger to press the tape against the side of the tank as you proceed so the screen cover front is held on to the aquarium very tightly.
You may also choose to create a dam at the bottom of the front of the enclosure that will prevent water from spilling out of the cage. This can easily be accomplished by cutting a piece of acrylic or glass that is a 3-5 inches high and its width fits inside the recess in the molding of the front of the tank (its actual top frame) and is affixed with aquarium-safe nontoxic silicone sealant (see photo next page for clarification). This dam will need to be set in place and allowed to dry for a couple of days before taping the screen cover front to the cage.
⇐ Previous Page | Next Page ⇒ | Issue 4 Contents | E-Zine Directory