[HOW TO]Self-sustaining Tropical Enclosure (Heterometrus sp. or Pandinus sp.)

Assuming you are already using a false bottom set up here are some things to help you with your tropical enclosure. This will keep food alive longer, reduce cleaning to almost nothing and get rid of mites.

-Buy some Decorative moss at a petshop. (the kind that you keep poison dart frogs in). This will feed any crickets you dump in there as well as help with your humidity. And put it your enclosure however you like
http://www.petmountain.com/product/plants/512059/nature-zone-feather-moss-terrarium-flora.html
-Collect some isopods such as small millipedes or pill bugs.CLICK.They are you little janitors of the bug world. Insert them in your tank. Scorps don't usually eat these but make sure they are pesticide free. Don't worry if they breed. They are actually useful in assisting with mite clean up as well as general maintance. I suggest you collect them a few moths prior to putting them in with your scorps so that you can breed a non-pesticide colony.
- Use plastic wrap to cover 3/4 of the enclosure. Plexiglass works just as well an even looks nicer but it's a bit pricy.You'll never have to worry about spraying again. As long as you feed the false-bottom tube water as neccessary.


------------------------FUN!!!!!!-------------------------------


Before you dump in your scorpion dig a few tunnels your selves. Try at least three all different dephts (humdity will vary the deeper you go) and have the base of the tunnels touching the glass of your enclosure (if your using a tank or KK). That way when the scorpions hide you'll still be able to observe them.This comes in handy when keeping P.imperators who tend to hide out for long periods of time.
© 2008 Edward Hernandez All Rights Reserved

ok self sustaining... as in never needing to spray and feed? You're assuming the crickets will reproduce within themselves... and feeding water into the false bottom tubes... aside from that... you won't have to do anything else? I was thinking instead of a false bottom, can't I just use a fogger? I think it sucks in the water and sprays a fine mist. I'm getting the EXO TERRA ULTRASONIC FOG GENERATOR. Seems to be a better idea than the false bottom.

jd254 wrote:

You're assuming the crickets will reproduce within themselves...

No, this just provides them with some food to munch on until they get eaten, so if they're not eaten immediately they're less likely to die and raise a stink.

aah thanks for the info on the clean up crew. Had a nice set up for my colony years ago, natural planting the works.

But although i may seem ignorant I have never seen a false bottom tank (to my knowledge) Any good pics of links???

i used to keep woodlice when i had a giant african millipede they are excellent cleaners, a false bottom tank just has loads of gravel at the bottom with water and then the dirt on top or something like that anyway, iv never used one either my humidity is high enough without.

oooooh right i see now!!!

I though it was some sort of tank with a detachable bottom lol! Blond moment i do apologise hehehe!

lol dont apologise after all the detachable bottom makes sense, try think of it like a false bottom draw, the dirt is the false bottom, then under that is the real bottom rock and water

JD, a fogger is good but when the scorpion burrows deep it wont have as much humidity as on the surface.

1.
so basically, for a false bottom setup. start with your empty terrarium, put down some gravel. (fish gravel?) fill with water, then cover it with your substrate? im having humidity troubles and im looking for a way to raise the humidity in my p.imp enclosure... will this help?
2.
millipedes n pill bugs? what just go looking under rocks n collect them??? if so.. its winter here where i live. is there any place i can buy isopods instead? this sounds like something i would like to try... just want some more info on it... oh and what do u mean by a pesticide free colony?? n how would i do this exactly? ... thanks... btw i am a beginner. this is my first scorp.. ive had her almost a month now and i love it! i want more!! feel free to send me a PM... -Chris

1) Yes. Just rinse any dust off the gravel first.

2) Wait until spring, or see if there's any hiding in the nearest rotting log. "Pesticide-free" means catching them away from where any human chemicals are likely to be present, or if this is not possible, breed them for a generation or two in an environment with no pesticides (such as a tank in your home).

Trichorhina tomentosa i use does for my tropical tanks.. they are brillaint in keeping the tank clean and feeding 2-3instar scorplings like B.jacksoni and orthers.. and really easy to produce

can you buy them or just pick em out of your basement cause they live in my basement. Do you think it's safe to put them in my tanks or no?

If you're collecting isopods from your basement, they'll be fine as long as you don't have anything toxic laying around.

Ive been doing this since i got my first emps, works a treat, but instead of clingfilm over the top or anyting like that i just use an old aquarium, it has a plastic lid and light fixture for the top and a wee hatch at the front for putin ur hand in t fill water dished or throw in/remove feeders, never had to spray the tank or top up the moisture in hte substrate cause it never dries up

isopods are called damp bugs in laymens terms right? They are grey and oval shaped with many pairs of legs?

diabollicallycursed wrote:

isopods are called damp bugs in laymens terms right? They are grey and oval shaped with many pairs of legs?

Never heard of damp bugs. Usually go by Sowbugs or Wood Lice.

^^What he said, but yeah, they're grey and oval with lotsa legs (around 14).

Yeah they look like they trilobytes (think thats what theyre called) from way back when millions of years ago jyst look under slabs, stones n old logs etc.

isopods are the "scientific" name. a lot of gardening stores carry them.

gonna check this video out, but so far it sounds quality. just dont chuck something bloody and messy like a pinky in there and not expect to do some clean up.

im actually in the process of finding other helpful symbiotic critters (maybe some sort of snail?) for scorpions. so far isopods are the best. keep some rotten (mold free) wood in the enclosure and they should breed at a decent rate.

Is it possible to do this with a desert vivarium?

Then it would be a "self-sustaining desert enclosure."

Honestly though, desert enclosures are fairly low-maintenance. Cleaners are useful in humid tanks because the humidity promotes decay (plant matter, dead feeders, etc.); in desert enclosures waste simply dries up.

Yea sure, but it still needs to be cleaned of food waste doesnt it? Particularly if keeping dangerous species, might it not be useful to have some tiny inhabitants to clean up biological waste?

Sorry if i am being stupid. This is an interesting thread and line of thought and i cant find an easy on-line source for the bottom end of the desert food chain. I just wonder what insects would happily do the job without becoming lunch?

I guess some more thurough research will answer the question but always worth putting it out there to see if anyone has any experience.

nah it all dries up pretty quickly and anything you add to clean up will most likely become dinner or dehydrate.

ok cheers