Pics of Your Enclosure

[ky_mantis]

My babies are getting big and I'm ready to move them out of their deli cups into some nicer enclosures. I'm looking to get some inspiration for the new enclosures, and since most of the other threads are suffering from missing photos (thanks to the A-holes at Photobucket), I was hoping some of you might post some pictures of your enclosures.

Current have a group of 3 L4 Phyllocrania paradoxa that will be going into an Exo Terra enclosure together and  Pseudocreobotra wahlbergi and Hierodula majuscula that will be going into individual enclosures. But I'm interested in seeing any and all habitats.

 

[Bathory]

This is slightly old but in the exo terra I kept my Rhombodera, now my Hierodula majuscula (middle) lives there. The glass one one the right housed a jumping spider but she died so now there's a dead leaf in there  Below is my home made gongy enclosure, it's a lantern with the glass removed and mesh all the way around.

 

[Bathory]

Here are the current ones, in the bottom large exo terra there are three gongys, in the exo terra to the left is Elizabeth Bathory, the H. majuscula, middle is a desiccata, to the right is an adult female gongy!

 

[rantology]

Here's some updated photos of mine:

The nano (Bonus points if you spot my adult male ghost):

The mini (no mantids in this yet, just millipedes. waiting for my batch of gosts to get to L4~ then this will be a communal):

No flowers from the violets yet  a month or two more maybe.

 

[ky_mantis]

View attachment 10168

I LOVE that enclosure.

 

[ky_mantis]

Here's my first attempt with the Exo Terra Nano Tall. Still have some things to add and will probably change a bit. Still not sure if I like it. Haven't moved my Ghosts yet. Wanna feed them good before moving them in together. Using a temporary light for now.

 

[CosbyArt]

Some great looking setups to be sure.

@ky_mantis I love the bamboo, it looks great! It also solves the problems with excess moisture/humidity from a vivarium setup with fake plants, and mismolts from angled sticks due to the nearly vertical bamboo.

I'll have to try that myself as it looks like the ideal setup.

I have the typical plastic nymph cups and deli containers like many keepers, and larger plastic containers for bigger species and ooth incubation. Although a older photo, it still is my basic setup with the exception I moved things around, created a direct multiple tube humidifier system, got more shelving units lately, and such. My now common one quart containers can be seen in my build guide.



My fanciest setup would be an old 10-gallon fish tank I converted to a vertical habitat (taking off a side panel glass pane and covering the side with mesh, and using the glass as a hinged front). In the photos you can see I put in some local ivy, sweet clover, and moss inside playing around with options. I plan to eventually do a build guide explaining how to convert such tanks easily for others to do too. While the process is a bit time consuming to do, it is rather straight forward and easy enough to do, including the foam background.

 

[ky_mantis]

What would be the best way to add a little heat to the enclosure? A desk lamp or something like this? A couple of them hang out near the top and I don't want to bake them or anything. I had looked at the Exo Terro top for the enclosure, but it costs almost as much as the Nano Tall itself.

 

[rantology]

Just a heads up about those halogen lights, they get VERY hot so you will need to position them at least ~6-10 inches away from the enclosure. If you dont need too much heat I think you can get away with just a CFL bulb or something

 

[CosbyArt]

@ky_mantis For years the recommended daytime heat recommended method would be a standard incandescent bulb in a clip gooseneck lamp or swing arm lamp. As the 100w bulbs put out plenty of heat (up to 335F) and the lamp could be adjusted further away from the habitat for the proper temperature.

I know in my area the incandescent bulbs are really hard to find anymore, and the CFL bulbs that replaced them get only about 131F (see here for bulb temps) and may not heat near enough (I know my CFL bulbs are only warm to the touch). Looking between halogen, heat lamps, ceramic lamps, etc the 50w halogen night bulb, said to be equivalent to 100 to 150 watt incandescent bulb if true would be the closest replacement, and great for day or night heating use too.

The 50w halogen puts out about 97F at 6" away (the other temps are the bulbs themselves), they have a chart in the bulb description. So those should provide enough heat, and can be adjusted to the proper distance too for your desired temps. The other alternative is the ceramic lamps but they seem to burn out too quickly, especially for their higher cost.

For my cricket tanks I went with 250w red heat lamps to ensure enough heat, and turns on/off automatically with a relay thermostat. That however is too much for any mantid tank, but a option if needed - especially a relay thermostat, as they have been the best accessories I've ever bought for my "bugs".

Let us know what you get and how it turns out - it would be good to know what is a good option now.