First Enclosure Project

Hey guys!

As many of you know Sasori 1 has passed over a year ago. Since then I havent touched his/her enclosure(I never had him/her sexed). I unno i guess I'm weird and sentimental like that. However, with Skorpinoc's moult I realized him and Sasori 2 wont be small forever. I want to make a nice enclosure for them. I dont want it to be like Sasori 1's though. Just substrate, and two hides, and a water dish. I want to be something they'll enjoy, and I'll be proud of. I picked up a few things:

Pack: 3x8qt[8.8L since I'm Canadian] EXOTERRA Plantation Soil
Pack: 2x8qt[7L] EXOTERRA Forest MOss
1x7qt[7L] Coco Husk

I dont have any pet stores here with Coco Fibre so I got the Plantation Soil. It keeps it's shape, and stays moist I find. I think it's what I used for the original enclosure as well. I also saw some people doing the soil, then Forest Bark and then Moss so I got the Coco Husk. I didnt have a lot of cash, and the husk was cheaper than the forest bark, and had more in it. I think its like the plantation soil. It needs to go in water and expand. They had Coco husk in a bag, but it was 3.6qt. It was aleady big not squished. 5.99. The Forest Bark was 4qt and 9.99. The Coco Husk I got was 3.99 for 7qt. I figured I could use it the same as the forest bark on top of the Plantation Soil right? Then Forest Moss on top?

The only thing I have that I can use to hydrate them is a 9L mop bucket sadly. It is also filled with Plantation Soil I believe. I had to make a brick to add more into the container they're in now so they could burrow. I only had like half na inch to an inch in there cuz I used it for crickets before. Then I just saved the rest in the pail haha.

So I probably have like 15-17L of the plantation soil in total.

Now then! The enclosure it's self is a 30 gallon standard aquarium made by All Glass I believe. One sec I'll go measure it.

11.5" Deep x 29.75" Wide x 18.75" High

I'm pretty sure that's the dimentions. Picture below.

You can also see in the picture what they're in. There is a Zilla Terrarium Heater Pad on the side. 120 VAC 60Hz 8W.

Once I get some more cash I want to get a clamp lamp for the top with a red heal bulb. Any suggestions on the wattage for the bulb? I also have a Zilla Humity&Temperature gauge. IT's a 2 in 1. Cost 24.79 when I bought it ._.'!

Says Precision-MAde guage. Monitor Humidity from 0-100%. Monitors Tempurature from 60-120*F. Any advice on exactly where to place it, and if i should use the double-sided tape, or suction cups would be great. This is my first REAL enclosure project, and I'm still new to the hobby in general haha.

I couldn't find any fine gravel for a false bottom sadly. Going to have to do daily/bi-daily misting. Not a big deal. I was going ot get some plastic plants, or some drift wood but a small drift wood i like 25$ and the plants are like 20$ and they didnt even have ones I would have wanted. I'd have to go to a different store to find nicer ones.

Any tips, tricks, advice, or ways I can save some cash and get some nice decos or plants, or ANYTHING would be greatly appreciated.

My First step is going to be getting the old substrate out, and starting fresh! <3
Also scorps wont be in there until Sunday by the earliest. I may wait longer to get more decos or something. Sine Skorpinoc moulted not long ago I want to give him his 10 day period of exoskeleton hardening. Then move both at the same time.

Any help would be great! <3
Love you guys

Spoiler:

Ramenuzumaki wrote:

I dont have any pet stores here with Coco Fibre so I got the Plantation Soil. It keeps it's shape, and stays moist I find. I think it's what I used for the original enclosure as well. I also saw some people doing the soil, then Forest Bark and then Moss so I got the Coco Husk. I didnt have a lot of cash, and the husk was cheaper than the forest bark, and had more in it. I think its like the plantation soil. It needs to go in water and expand. They had Coco husk in a bag, but it was 3.6qt. It was aleady big not squished. 5.99. The Forest Bark was 4qt and 9.99. The Coco Husk I got was 3.99 for 7qt. I figured I could use it the same as the forest bark on top of the Plantation Soil right? Then Forest Moss on top?

Sounds good. You can use the forest moss to make the enclosure look more natural, but you don't want to put it everywhere. You can hot glue it to pieces of bark to make it look more natural.
Plantation Soil is coco fiber btw.

Quote :

You can also see in the picture what they're in. There is a Zilla Terrarium Heater Pad on the side. 120 VAC 60Hz 8W.

Once I get some more cash I want to get a clamp lamp for the top with a red heal bulb. Any suggestions on the wattage for the bulb? I also have a Zilla Humity&Temperature gauge. IT's a 2 in 1. Cost 24.79 when I bought it ._.'!

A 50 Watt bulb should be fine. I also suggest getting a heat lamp with a built in dimmer, so you can better regulate the temperature.

Quote :

Says Precision-MAde guage. Monitor Humidity from 0-100%. Monitors Tempurature from 60-120*F. Any advice on exactly where to place it, and if i should use the double-sided tape, or suction cups would be great. This is my first REAL enclosure project, and I'm still new to the hobby in general haha.

Just so you know, those humidity dials don't work worth a damn. You could buy an electronic temp/humidity gauge, which are very accurate, but are also expensive. You really don't need a humidity gauge. As long a the substrate is moist, the humidity will be fine.

Quote :

I couldn't find any fine gravel for a false bottom sadly. Going to have to do daily/bi-daily misting. Not a big deal. I was going ot get some plastic plants, or some drift wood but a small drift wood i like 25$ and the plants are like 20$ and they didnt even have ones I would have wanted. I'd have to go to a different store to find nicer ones.

Any tips, tricks, advice, or ways I can save some cash and get some nice decos or plants, or ANYTHING would be greatly appreciated.

Try looking for gravel at places that sell fish, they usually have aquarium gravel for sale. However gravel will make the tank quite heavy. (I use gravel in my false bottom set-up and the tank is almost immovable.) There are lighter alternatives to gravel though. (Such as Zoo Med "hydroballs".)

This is just my 2 cents, but I don't really like plastic plants, I prefer live plants. I use Potho plants in most of my enclosures. They look much better than plastic plants.
Also, I recommend you use cork-bark, not only is it very light, but it's also generally resistant to mold.

Another thing to consider is adding Isopods to your tank. They do a great job of cleaning up after scorpions. (Eating uneaten cricket parts, keeping mites and molds to a minimum, etc.)


Hope this helps. Be sure to get some pics of the enclosure when you're finished with it.

cork bark for what?

could the coco husk be as good as the cork bark? it looks like chunks of bark
as far as moving its a 30g aquarium haha i cant move it with the plantation soil in it XD
for real plants it may be hard. its not near my window, and getting two lamps, and a UV light can be a bit pricey for me. plus UV lights arent good for scopies.

what exactly is an Isopod?

as far as the hydrometre/thermometre i read on here that the dial ones are useless like this week lmao

i bought the unit a year ago XD

if i only need a thermometre i can get one on ebay for 1$+shipping
i have two of them in my turtle tank. one for basking area, 1 for the water temp.

it looks like this but the blue part is grey

Spoiler:

thanks for replying! every little bit helps :3


OH! I see people with flat slate type rocks in their enclosures. either for mating or they make hides with them etc. if i found a flat rock outside could i use that? they are like 20$ at the dollar store >.<

i assume id hafta boil it first. by boil i mean boil water and pour it over the rock. you should never boil rocks. since they are porous the air bubbles get inside the pores and your rocks and explode! no good.

aquarium gravel? like just the stuff you put at the bottom of your aquarium? i have a 20 gallon aquarium in my closet that i have no room for but its got gravel in it. could i use that for a false bottom?

Ramenuzumaki wrote:

cork bark for what?

could the coco husk be as good as the cork bark? it looks like chunks of bark
as far as moving its a 30g aquarium haha i cant move it with the plantation soil in it XD
for real plants it may be hard. its not near my window, and getting two lamps, and a UV light can be a bit pricey for me. plus UV lights arent good for scopies.

Cork bark for the scorp to hide under. It will probably make a burrow underneath it. Potho plants require very little light.
Here are some pics:
Cork Bark:

The emp:

Potho plant:


Btw, the plastic straws in the pics are for pouring water down into the "false bottom".

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what exactly is an Isopod?

They are also called pill bugs, sow bugs, wood lice, etc. Just google them and you should get an answer.

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as far as the hydrometre/thermometre i read on here that the dial ones are useless like this week lmao

i bought the unit a year ago XD

if i only need a thermometre i can get one on ebay for 1$+shipping
i have two of them in my turtle tank. one for basking area, 1 for the water temp.

it looks like this but the blue part is grey

Sounds good.

Quote :

OH! I see people with flat slate type rocks in their enclosures. either for mating or they make hides with them etc. if i found a flat rock outside could i use that? they are like 20$ at the dollar store >.<

i assume id hafta boil it first. by boil i mean boil water and pour it over the rock. you should never boil rocks. since they are porous the air bubbles get inside the pores and your rocks and explode! no good.

aquarium gravel? like just the stuff you put at the bottom of your aquarium? i have a 20 gallon aquarium in my closet that i have no room for but its got gravel in it. could i use that for a false bottom?

Yeah, aquarium gravel works fine. Yes, you can add rocks to the enclosure, just make sure you wash them. Make sure you wash the aquarium gravel as well.

Here is a pic of my emp enclosure:

Quote :

thanks for replying! every little bit helps :3

No problem.

Scorpion19981000 wrote:

Btw, the plastic straws in the pics are for pouring water down into the "false bottom".

you cant just pour it into a corner? i cant see how you would get teh water into the straw haha

now i just hope i have enough gravel in my other tank to make a half decent false bottom lawlawl

and now i understand what you mean by the cork bark. i thought you meant like the forest bark chunks haha silly me

does the amount of coco fiber matter? everyone says 4-6" but what if i put MORE than 4-6"?
its a 30 gal aquarium so i could really put a lot more. probably about 10" without them getting out.
just curious. :3

Heres a few more pics!

Spoiler:

so i dug out my 20 gallon for the gravel
there is a lto less than a thought i dont know if i have enough for a false bottom
you need like 1" of gravel right?
i dont even have 1" in a 20 gallon let alone to put 1" in my 30 D:

Spoiler:

Sounds like you're well on your way to setting up a real nice enclosure. You might want to place a nylon or wire window screen on top of the gravel. It's not necessary, but it will prevent your scorp from digging up the gravel. Be sure the screen is the exact length and width of your tank or even a little larger. You don't want your scorp to be able to dig under an edge and get trapped below the screen.

Dollar stores and craft stores are a good place to find inexpensive fake plants.

I've used the half log hides in your photo and found that they mold on the inside very quickly. Cork bark doesn't mold but is quite expensive. A cheap alternative that doesn't look too bad are pieces of a broken 4" terra cotta flower pot. You can buy them for less than $1 at almost any nursery or home improvement store. You might need to break more than one to get pieces of the appropriate size. Of course, any piece of curved or flat ceramic will work just as well: a broken plate, coffee cup, soup bowl, etc.

Most people use some sort of fill tube in their false bottom enclosures. You could also place or glue a 1" wide strip of plastic in one corner and make a triangular fill hole down to the gravel. If neither of these is an option, you can always just poke a small hole through the substrate down to the gravel. If you do employ a fill tube, be sure to cover the top to prevent crickets or small scorpions from falling down it.

Ramenuzumaki wrote:

Scorpion19981000 wrote:

Btw, the plastic straws in the pics are for pouring water down into the "false bottom".

you cant just pour it into a corner? i cant see how you would get teh water into the straw haha

Sorry I didn't explain that better, I had limited time this morning. The straws are just temporary. I recently changed the substrate in the enclosure. I normally have gravel extending up from the false bottom layer to the surface. You just pour water on the gravel in the corners of the tank, and it seeps into the "false bottom". You can pour water directly in a corner, but it tends to wash away some of the substrate. The straws are just a place holder until I get more gravel.

Quote :

does the amount of coco fiber matter? everyone says 4-6" but what if i put MORE than 4-6"?
its a 30 gal aquarium so i could really put a lot more. probably about 10" without them getting out.
just curious. :3

Well, you will have a very happy "pet hole".


+1 to shebeen. Great advice.

@ Shebeen: Does it need to have the window frame or can it just be screen? my dad works in a tape factory and i think he can get me just the screen. if i did use a fill pipe i could just put more screen over it to keep stuff from falling it. as far as the half log they havent moulded yet. ill check home depot or something to see if i can find some terra cotta pots for cheap.

as a small note the pics with the gravel in the bottom are my 20gal not my 30gal. i should probably buy more gravel huh? i doubt itll cover the whole bottom of the 30gal and if it does not by a whole lot.

both you and Scorp said to glue. glue the plastic, and glue the moss to stuff for deco. do i need to use a SPECIFIC glue? will a hot glue gun work? the glue wont react with substrate or with the moisture in the tank and hurt muh scorpies?

@Scorp1998: I take that as a put as much substrate as I want? XD

I just called my dad about the screen. going to see if i can get screen for the false bottom, and some screen to make a top for it. my cats got into my tank before and accidentally killed my old scorp. He picked him up and dropped him on the floor.

im going to wash the gravel now and then transfer it to the 30 gal. Ill then take pics to see if i need to buy more. :3

thanks for the help both of you! i really appreciate it
i dont think i could do this alone lmao

EDIT:
OK rinsed off the gravel with water so hot i burnt myself. Here are pics with the gravel in
do i need more gravel?
if not i wanna get just a small bag to put by the water dish to keep them from digging around it like in one of Scorp's pics
could i use like a piece of PVC pipe or something in the corner to get the water to the false bottom, and would screen with an elastic band be enough to keep stuff our or should i glue the screen down?

Spoiler:

From your most recent photos, it looks like you have just the right amount of gravel. You want 1-1.5 inches, anything more is unnecessary. (Tip: in the future, number your photos so we can refer to each one specificy.)

The screen over the gravel does not need a frame. For the top, you will need a frame and wire screen, not nylon. Wire will allow you to place a heat lamp directly on the screen. Here's how I build my tops. They're simply a "window screen" sized to fit on plastic ledge that runs around the top of most aquariums. I can't tell from your photos if your tank has such a ledge.

I use 1/2" PVC pipe for my fill tubes and cover them with a piece of screen. You can use either super glue or hot glue to fasten the screen to the tube. For gluing decorations, you can use either hot glue or aquarium grade silicon. I'm not sure how well hot glue adheres to glass, however. Silicon adheres to glass but needs about 24 hours to dry.

ok 1/2" PVC
1/2" is how wide the hole is right?

my tank does have a ridge for a lid

and ill see if my dad has a hot glue gun i can borrow

where would i get a window like that?
my dad can probably get me the screen thats shown in that tutorial. i can use that for above the substrate too right?

PS: I went ahead and added a number above each of my pics except the digital thermometre pic

EDIT:
i looked up Isopods
so like what we call Potato Bugs
woudlnt they climb the glass and get out ?

Ramenuzumaki wrote:

my dad can probably get me the screen thats shown in that tutorial. i can use that for above the substrate too right?

EDIT:
i looked up Isopods
so like what we call Potato Bugs
woudlnt they climb the glass and get out ?

Isopods can't climb glass. Yes, the screen will be fine for the substrate.

they wont hurt/bug/be eaten by my scorpions?

also my dad si going to be gone all weekend, buthe said he probably has screen at his place, and if not pipe probably some hose or something. will that work?

Ramenuzumaki wrote:

they wont hurt/bug/be eaten by my scorpions?

Nope. Occasionally, an emp will eat one, but for the most part, the scorps just ignore them.

Scorpion19981000 wrote:

Ramenuzumaki wrote:

they wont hurt/bug/be eaten by my scorpions?

Nope. Occasionally, an emp will eat one, but for the most part, the scorps just ignore them.

last question about Isopods
do i hafta buy them from a store/online
or are the ones outside/underlogs/in my basement fine? XD

Ramenuzumaki wrote:

ok 1/2" PVC
1/2" is how wide the hole is right?

Yes, but the diameter of the fill tube doesn't matter much. You just want some way to get water down to the gravel. I use 1/2" diameter pipe because that's what I had available. You can also use PVC tubing or a length of garden hose.

Quote :

where would i get a window like that?

Window? If you mean the frame for the screen top, you can get the materials from most hardware stores. I know in the US, Home Depot, Lowes and OSH all carry everything you need to build one. You can also buy pre-made screen tops for standard size aquariums at the big box pet stores like Petco.

Quote :

i looked up Isopods
so like what we call Potato Bugs
woudlnt they climb the glass and get out ?

As mentioned previously, isopods don't climb glass and are pretty much ignored as a prey item. If you collect them from outdoors, it's recommended that you culture them in a separate container for one or two generations then add the offspring to your scorpion enclosure. I'm not sure if this is really necessary since your scorp won't be eating them, but it seems to be a common practice. If you want to setup a colony, a google search for "raising isopods" will give you several caresheets.

OK so I have all the stuff but the fill tube, and i started setting it up after remembering the fill tube XD

can I use garden hose? my dad has a garden hose in his shed he said he could cut for me

will be posting more pics shortly.

also someone mentioned i should number my pics when i post them. do i number them by page?

so if i get to 1 2 3 4 on page one can i 1 2 3 4 on page two, or shoul di start at 5?

Took a total of five hours once everything was said and done. Got a bunch of pics to sort through, but once I do I'll be editing this post. Still missing a fill tube.

Question though: As far as the forest moss goes will it grow? or will it thrive and get a decent colour or is it just... what it is right now?

EDIT:
I forgot how much I liked/missed the smell of the coco fiber when its freshly made/hydrated.

EDIT2:
hoping to put in some plants. maybe live, maybe fake. my friend wanted me to ask if fern would be a viable plant choice? i guess they dont need a lot of light?

EDIT3:
PICS!

Screen Cut

Spoiler:

Screen Installed, and glued

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First Coco Fiber Brick

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Second and Third Bricks

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Fourth Brick

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Second hide on the other side

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Both hides

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Setting Coco Husk

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Forest Moss [dang i didnt need a lot LMAO! So much left over. coco husk too]

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Last glimps of old home

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TRANSFER TIME!

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In their new home!

Spoiler:

There are a few questions in the spoilers! haha. Also do you think the larger enclosure will promote growth? Sasori just WONT moult! I'm worried. Also, any tips, or comments would be GREAT! This is my first time trying to make a nice enclosure--as you can see from the pics of my old one--and am still pretty new to the hobby, so anything is appreciated! Hoping to add plants, and more things once my dad finishes my lid.  I took a video which I'll post on youtube shortly, and I'll edit this post with the link. How's the photo documentation? Hope I didnt take too many pictures! Sorry if some are bad quality. My camera isnt amazing, and I really have no idea how to use it! haha.

EDIT4:

Youtube Video:
Sorry about the quality

Spoiler:

Had some humidity issues. probably due to the lack of a lid. I covered 90% of the top with saran wrap and gave it a mist. @70% right now. lets see how long it stays that way. I misted the bottom of the saran wrap, and all the walls and then just the air in general. nothing specific on the sub.

all day it was at abotu 40% with the sub still moist moist. my apt is SUPER hot so the temp was at like 90* according to my current thermo which ill be replacing when i get teh chance. hoping the humidity increase will fix teh temp a little bit.

been probably about 5m and humidity is at 70% now.

What are you using to check moisture levels? And where are you checking them
When the substrate is moist, humidity at scorpion-level generally is at around 80%.

centre of the tank, and about 1" from the sub
im using a crappy dial one atm

Those are really not reliable. It's enough to make a simple comparison at a pet store and you will see that it will be hard to find 2 that show the same reading.

Use a digital one if you really must check the humidity.

Most of the people, including me, don't use anything at all. It's really not necessary as long as you make sure the substrate is moist. And in you case (false bottom) is even easier. As long as you make sure you have enough water at the bottom, humidity will not be an issue.

kks :3
its a double one for temp and humidity XD
gunna garbage it once i get new thermo
with the digital ones should i have one on each side for the two temps for the gradient or just one in the middle?
i can get em super cheap haha

Just one in the middle or in the warmer side should be enough, just to make sure you're heating enough, but without overheating.