Deacon
Well-known member
Gekkonidae, how did you attach the final lid?
I put this together out of a 10 gallon fish tank
- Thread starter Gekkonidae
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Gekkonidae
Well-known member
Just a standard fish tank lid lays on top of everything. It does a good job of pressing the edges down on the individual mesh lids for each individual enclosure, and hides the mesh lids to make everything more visually appealing.
Deacon
Well-known member
Gekkonidae,
Thanks for the pictures but I gave up trying to make lids using zip ties. I found some tiny doll house hinges at Hobby Lobby, zip tied one side to each lid (back edge) and hot glued the other side of the hinge to the top of the rim and they work great (thanks for the idea, LAME).
Also, I had some trouble with my lids wanting to cave in because the top edge of the dividing wall was so narrow to balance on. So, I hot glued a strip of the mesh about 1 1/2 inch wide and centered on the top of each dividing wall to give my lids a platform to settle on.
I have seven adults and two subs that I will move into my three 10 gal aquariums so I only made three areas in each tank. Gekkonidae, I'm so glad you shared your idea! Your tank is so beautifully set up---not even going to attempt that! My mantids just use their sticks and lids and avoid any decorations in their present containers so they're getting substrate, appropriate sticks and maybe decoration on the back wall. Very boring compared to yours but for sure they will have more space and a clear view to their world!
Many thanks!
Thanks for the pictures but I gave up trying to make lids using zip ties. I found some tiny doll house hinges at Hobby Lobby, zip tied one side to each lid (back edge) and hot glued the other side of the hinge to the top of the rim and they work great (thanks for the idea, LAME).
Also, I had some trouble with my lids wanting to cave in because the top edge of the dividing wall was so narrow to balance on. So, I hot glued a strip of the mesh about 1 1/2 inch wide and centered on the top of each dividing wall to give my lids a platform to settle on.
I have seven adults and two subs that I will move into my three 10 gal aquariums so I only made three areas in each tank. Gekkonidae, I'm so glad you shared your idea! Your tank is so beautifully set up---not even going to attempt that! My mantids just use their sticks and lids and avoid any decorations in their present containers so they're getting substrate, appropriate sticks and maybe decoration on the back wall. Very boring compared to yours but for sure they will have more space and a clear view to their world!
Many thanks!
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Gekkonidae
Well-known member
Awwe, Deacon. You're very welcome 
I really like your innovative approach to your tanks with each of the sections! Mine are a little warped if i hold them open too long, so i have to kind of bend them back. It's not a big deal though, as they're all secure. I'll admit that the zip ties were a bit of a sonofabitch to get working, but after all that effort, i'm not turning back on them now. The hinges idea is awesome!
You can always just work on the whole landscaping thing just a little at a time. I personally thought that making the little "worlds" for each one was the most fun part of the whole project! I've since mixed in sphagnum moss into the potting soil substrate and made each section go at alternating slightly "uphill" and "downhill", just for visual fun. I also added a heating pad I nabbed from a pet store.
I felt like my griffin was big enough, so i went ahead and moved him into one of the sections for now
I really like your innovative approach to your tanks with each of the sections! Mine are a little warped if i hold them open too long, so i have to kind of bend them back. It's not a big deal though, as they're all secure. I'll admit that the zip ties were a bit of a sonofabitch to get working, but after all that effort, i'm not turning back on them now. The hinges idea is awesome!You can always just work on the whole landscaping thing just a little at a time. I personally thought that making the little "worlds" for each one was the most fun part of the whole project! I've since mixed in sphagnum moss into the potting soil substrate and made each section go at alternating slightly "uphill" and "downhill", just for visual fun. I also added a heating pad I nabbed from a pet store.
I felt like my griffin was big enough, so i went ahead and moved him into one of the sections for now
Deacon
Well-known member
OMG, I just spent an hour trying to upload a couple of photos of the hinges and I got logged off before I got it posted! (I had given up and got my son to do it and there's no way I'm gonna ask him to do it again). Maybe tomorrow I'll try if I can remember what he did.
Gekkonidae, I hope your little Griffin likes his pansies! The hinges were LAME's suggestion though. And no matter how hard I try, I just don't have your eye for decorating lol !
Thanks again!
Gekkonidae, I hope your little Griffin likes his pansies! The hinges were LAME's suggestion though. And no matter how hard I try, I just don't have your eye for decorating lol !
Thanks again!
Chungy
Active member
Thanks for the inspiration, I made an enclosure couple of days ago after spending most of the day trying to find those sliding bars, couldn't find them in walmart, but finally found them in Office Depot.
Mine is not as pretty as yours though lol, I don't think I have the creative eye for that neither. Just coco fiber substrate and sticks/twigs from the yard for my adult/sub-adult mantids to have more room to move around and lay ooths on.
For the top, I got lazy and just cut out covers for each section from the same grids used for the dividers and put a zip-tie on top into a circle so I can lift it up, they are only resting on top of the inner rim, then I have the regular mesh tank cover over it when I'm done feeding. Only feeding flies for now since I'm afraid roaches can easily climb up the dividers and get out. :S
Mine is not as pretty as yours though lol, I don't think I have the creative eye for that neither. Just coco fiber substrate and sticks/twigs from the yard for my adult/sub-adult mantids to have more room to move around and lay ooths on.
For the top, I got lazy and just cut out covers for each section from the same grids used for the dividers and put a zip-tie on top into a circle so I can lift it up, they are only resting on top of the inner rim, then I have the regular mesh tank cover over it when I'm done feeding. Only feeding flies for now since I'm afraid roaches can easily climb up the dividers and get out. :S
Gekkonidae
Well-known member
Right on Chungy! Glad it inspired you! Yeah, until I make mine more secure there is no way im putting anything like roaches in there without supervising them haha.
LAME
Tenodera sinensis (the one and only)
There's many species of roaches that can't climb glass/smooth plastic nor fly. Not all are that bad.
That's just the ugly picture we've been taught to believe.
Chungy
Active member
I have rusty reds, not the glass but I'm pretty sure they will be able to climb the dividers all the way to the top. :/There's many species of roaches that can't climb glass/smooth plastic nor fly. Not all are that bad.
That's just the ugly picture we've been taught to believe.
This looks really nice, thanks for sharing.
LAME
Tenodera sinensis (the one and only)
MantisGalore
Well-known member
Thats a very amazing setup !
Lucky little mantids lol
!Lucky little mantids lol
RocknessMonster
Well-known member
This is such an awesome idea!! Great work! I might have to try this!
Deacon
Well-known member
Gekkonidae, I finally got my photos uploaded of the finished product---nothing fancy like yours but they work . I am enjoying your aquarium idea sooo much! Thank you!
Lame, the hinges work, too. Thanks!
Completed top with hinged lids.
Hinge close up. Hot glued to rim and zip-tied to mesh (one row of mesh had to be cut off under hinge so it would close properly.)
Open lids showing how I widened the divider top with mesh so the lids wouldn't cave---note mesh piece goes under the aquarium rim for stability. Also you can sort of see how the edge of the lid was trimmed off under the hinge.
These are all my mantids now: Three tanks for my nine mantids and the end tank contains my four Popa spurca.
Popa spurca tank---grandkids make a game of trying to find them among the twigs each day (m & f adults and m & f sub adults---16 days and no fatalities!
f Ghost, f & m Hierodula all adults
m Sphodromantis (sub), f & m Dbl Shield adults
f &, m Budwing adults, f Sphodromantis (sub)
I have added a small sponge-filled opening near the lids' front edge for bottle-feeding BB flies (and the sponge works as a knob to open the lids.) Some uneaten BB flies do escape when I need to open the lids, but they all go into the skylight over the table where I collect them so no biggy. Crickets and dubia get their legs cut off and are handed to mantids so I haven't had any bugs escape. At night I do put hard mesh aquarium lids over the mesh lids as a safety precaution.
And...that's a wrap!
. I am enjoying your aquarium idea sooo much! Thank you! Lame, the hinges work, too. Thanks!
Completed top with hinged lids.
Hinge close up. Hot glued to rim and zip-tied to mesh (one row of mesh had to be cut off under hinge so it would close properly.)
Open lids showing how I widened the divider top with mesh so the lids wouldn't cave---note mesh piece goes under the aquarium rim for stability. Also you can sort of see how the edge of the lid was trimmed off under the hinge.
These are all my mantids now: Three tanks for my nine mantids and the end tank contains my four Popa spurca.
Popa spurca tank---grandkids make a game of trying to find them among the twigs each day (m & f adults and m & f sub adults---16 days and no fatalities!
f Ghost, f & m Hierodula all adults
m Sphodromantis (sub), f & m Dbl Shield adults
f &, m Budwing adults, f Sphodromantis (sub)
I have added a small sponge-filled opening near the lids' front edge for bottle-feeding BB flies (and the sponge works as a knob to open the lids.) Some uneaten BB flies do escape when I need to open the lids, but they all go into the skylight over the table where I collect them so no biggy. Crickets and dubia get their legs cut off and are handed to mantids so I haven't had any bugs escape. At night I do put hard mesh aquarium lids over the mesh lids as a safety precaution.
And...that's a wrap!
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Gekkonidae
Well-known member
Okay, first of all I want to say that despite you saying that I did better by the gun here, I think that you, yourself, outdid me. The size of your own inspired project has outdone me, and I'm completely humbled having known I have some impact on your own hard work. These enclosures are absolutely beautiful. The backdrops are gorgeous and will give your mantids a good life. The only differentiating thing between mine and yours are the bottom 3rd dimension. I gave depth on the bottom of the enclosure with rocks, moss and other sub-mats to give a realistic, individual environmental look. This gives an L shape of depth diversity, I studied the ground and what is realistic-ish to those habitats. I'm pretty brand new to this hobby, but i'll give you advice where I think I should. Give that terrain just a little diversity, and I think you've got this down perfectly, my friend. What you have is gorgeous, and a great story with it
Edit: Good work with the underlays on the divider seams. Extra security
Edit: Good work with the underlays on the divider seams. Extra security
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Gekkonidae
Well-known member
and by a little, I mean just a little. don't overdo it. Your backdrops are revelled something awesome You did really great work with them, and I'm happy your grandchildren love them. <3
You did really great work with them, and I'm happy your grandchildren love them. <3
LAME
Tenodera sinensis (the one and only)
Ha! Lookie at those beautiful lids. Dang.. seriously those ARE nice.
Really great idea's guys.. beautiful tanks...and thanks for everyone else sharing their ideas... it is so nice to talk your problems out and have others to help you solve the issues you are having.. Great team work... Thanks for sharing!
Starving Always
Well-known member
AMAZING
Gekkonidae
Well-known member
And you can do it, too!
This isn't a big thread on this forum, but I like the responses, and the inspiration. Any one of you can take this creativity and make it all your own. Deacon blew me out of the water with her innovations on this. She ecologically has my idea by the balls, literally, and I consider it a mile beyond my own thoughts on enclosures. Think outside of the box on your design. After studying them, where is a place you want your mantids to live?
