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Hi, i m currently setting up my Emp tank set up and was curious to know if a piece of plastic drain pipe would be ok as a hide for my Emp ?

Many thanks

If its cut In half it should be fine. Painting it would make it look better too.
A half small cork bark round would be better. I placed mine against the glass, and cover it with card board during the day:

and when He's out:

He has not dug in a lot more, but He is still visible. (flowered walls aren't mine...I just moved in this room)

Ah so u have dug it into the ground so it goes down into the substrate ? ? ? I like that idea , But does not that mean your Emp is facing the wrong way once in the hide or does he/she walk backwards into it ? I m def not an expert but do Emps not like to to be able to see out ? Looks great .

Many thanks

Emps are perfectly capable of turning completely around in the small space. He goes in face first, and at the end of it he turns around. When he comes out to stilt and he gets startled, he can run backwards all the way to the end.

I have tried plastic hides before thinking they might work well because they are clean and won't get moldy but I gave up on them when I noticed the scorps could not climb the slick plastic. Other than that, it would probably work ok.

robert44 wrote:

I have tried plastic hides before thinking they might work well because they are clean and won't get moldy but I gave up on them when I noticed the scorps could not climb the slick plastic. Other than that, it would probably work ok.

I was gonna say that they cannot climb plastics like that. Cork bark rounds are like $7 and they are more realistic. Microwave them to kill some mold spores and buy some isopods to help control. I have WC isopods, but I want to remove them all by changing the substrate since I hear they eat molting scorps.

Thanks for the advice , i ve covered the two hides with the substrate so it looks more hidden and realistic . I assume having more than one hide is only a good thing, so he can pick and choose which hide is best ?

Nothing wrong with choice! If you ever have more than one emp in a tank always make sure you have at least one more hide than emp. The covered hides should do just fine.

Thanks .
I ve noticed alot of people use lamps above the tank for heating and for viewing at night etc . I dont have any form of lamp above my tank, do i need one ? If so what should i use , i like the idea of clipping on a lamp to the tank for viewing at night but tbh find it a bit confusing as to what to go for ?

Yeah, multiple hides is best.
And as for heating, it depends on room temperature. I use a dimmable heat lamp with a heat bulb because it gets 30f outside, and 50-60f inside, and Emps require 80-90f. My red light doesn't work anymore, so I'm using a lightless cermatic heater. I was going to use the red light as backup, but I liked it more since I could see my scorp better.

The lamp you are looking for is a IR lamp. Some folk and discussing has been had about those blue casting lights. As we know scorpions can see UV and I choose to not use any light other then IR red lamps. The basic and dumbed down idea is if the light makes your scorpion glow they can see it and long term use is harmful.

Those red brothel lights are ideal as they keep your enclosure warm and provide light for viewing which you're scorpions don't see. Which therefore doesn't stress or harm them. And that's why most people use Red IR lamps around our tanks. You don't need one as long as you can maintain temperatures and don't turn on regular bright lights during the night.

If you wish to use plastic hides, you can use silicon to adhere coco-fiber to both sides of the hide, making it look a little more natural and creating a surface your scorp can grip. It's more work than just using a piece of cork bark or slate or terra cotta, but some dart frog keepers create tree limbs, vines and entire backgrounds using this technique.

Ok so a red IR lamp is what i m after , i assume local pet shops will sell the lamp, bulb and fixings for tank ?

My long term plan is to keep one emp is this smaller 10g tank i have for 6 months see how i get on, if all is going smoothly i have an empty 4ft tank i used to keep a Tiger Oscar in , move the emp across to thhe 4ft tank once i ve set it up and add two more emps . 3 Emps in a 4ft tank should be ok should nt it aslong as i provide numerous hides which i will and keep them well fed ??

Yes, local pet shops should have all the IR heat setup stuff you need.

For multiple emps I think most feel about 3 to 5 gallons of tank per emp is good. Always make sure you have at least one more hide than emp for communal setups.

I like this lamp from Flukers in the 5.5 inch size. I have 3 and I just ordered 2 more. Most pet shops carry it or you can purchase it online. A 50W or 75W IR bulb is plenty for a 10 gallon tank; you'll be dimming both if your lamp sits directly on the enclosure top, assuming you have a metal screen top. Don't set the lamp directly on glass, Plexiglas or acrylic. The glass will crack and the other two will melt. The lamp also comes with a clamp so you can mount it on a nearby shelf or some other surface.

Is it a problem introducing for example two new emps into a bigger tank if one has already been there for a while ? Or is it best to try introduce them all at the same time ?

The recommended way to add new Emps to an enclosure is to remove the existing scorpions; rearrange the hides and decorations; then, add all the scorpions into the tank at the same time. This way there's no (or at least much less) disputes over established territories.

shebeen wrote:

The recommended way to add new Emps to an enclosure is to remove the existing scorpions; rearrange the hides and decorations; then, add all the scorpions into the tank at the same time. This way there's no (or at least much less) disputes over established territories.

+1

I usually change up to 1" top layer of the substrate too (depending on how clean it is. If it's ok, then even half an inch will be enough).

Has anyone added a small Emp into a tank with a larger Emp ? Would the large one not just try and own the smaller one cos it can ??

Another (prob sily ) question , but i read somewhere the Emps hide should be quite thin in depth, as in when they are in it , their body is quit flush against the roof of the hide ? Does it need to be this way ? Both my hides for my Emp are quite tall and a once he goes in there is a few inches gap .

Many thanks

I think most scorps seem to prefer a somewhat tight fitting hide. I think they feel more secure this way. However, any hide is better than none.

When setting up a new enclosure, I like to imbed or bury my hides in the substrate and make a shallow depression under them with my finger. The depression should be large enough for your scorp to fit half it's body into. After exploring, your scorp will typically pick one of the hides and excavate it to their liking. Of course, they could also ignore the hides completely and start digging under your water bowl.

The tall cavernous hides you find in pet stores are intended for reptiles or rodents. For use with scorpions, I would cut off the bottom two thirds and just used the top, or, cut them in half vertically and use each side.

Good idea about cutting them in half! (why didn't I think of that?!)

Brilliant , i ve made minor adjustments to both hides, basically i dug them further into the substrate . Although the bigger hide is one of those hides for like a hamster and its small blocks of wood which u can shape , fi have only raised it a small it in the middle , looks very natural once i ve put substrate over it and the Emp if it wants can walk along the roof of the hide .