Suitability of this enclosure

[Rick]

Would the window screen stuff be a good choice to cover the metal screen top? I went out and found twigs of various sizes and texture. I plan on adding a good layer of moss to the bottom as well as these twigs. Wondering if I should attach twigs to the screen lid and the glass though.

 

[ShieldMantid1997]

Would the window screen stuff be a good choice to cover the metal screen top? I went out and found twigs of various sizes and texture. I plan on adding a good layer of moss to the bottom as well as these twigs. Wondering if I should attach twigs to the screen lid and the glass though.

When i kept them i lined the glass with sticks, only on one side though so i could look in. After i did this i saw them using that side to climb a lot. Although if there are enough stick to grab in the enclosure they probably wouldn't need this.

 

[Rick]

Well Idolos will be here Monday. Tank got set up today. I added a lot of sticks to the lid as well as a few on the back. Also got a live plant in there. Humidity looks good but temps are going to need some work. I put an undertank heater on there but I think it's too small. Might need to put a heat lamp on instead. Right now I have a reptisun 5.0 bulb in a fixture up top.

 

[aNisip]

Love the setup! Now all it needs is a nice river and you'll have a perfect Idolo rainforest

 

[alan2296]

cool setup, i bet the idolos will be great in there

 

[MandellaMandy123]

Wow - be sure to post pictures of them in the tank when you get it.

$6? That is so not fair. My petsmart needs a sale like that! :shifty:

 

[petoly]

with the mantis's tendency to want to hang upside down from the top, and because you have sphagnum moss in there, the undertank heater isn't going to do much, however if you keep that moss moist, the under tank heater should provide nice relative humidity. Why not just put a reptile dome lamp on top to one side with like a 40W light bulb, connect that to a dimmer, check your temps and adjust accordingly. I should post a DYI on how to make a rheostat out of a light dimmer and an extension chord. super easy.

 

[Rick]

with the mantis's tendency to want to hang upside down from the top, and because you have sphagnum moss in there, the undertank heater isn't going to do much, however if you keep that moss moist, the under tank heater should provide nice relative humidity. Why not just put a reptile dome lamp on top to one side with like a 40W light bulb, connect that to a dimmer, check your temps and adjust accordingly. I should post a DYI on how to make a rheostat out of a light dimmer and an extension chord. super easy.

Yeah that's what I was thinking.

 

[Rick]

So I added a 50w bulb in a small fixture. Temps up near the top are 88 f and down low they're about ten degrees cooler. Humidity drops with the increase in temps of course, but this morning when I got up it was about 80%.

 

[petoly]

sounds like you are set =) if the basking lamp is put on one side of the enclosure, they don't need to go to the bottom to thermoregulate. They will just walk under the light, then when they get hot they will walk away from the light to the other side without having to lower the height they are perched at.

 

[Rick]

Well today is a bit cooler and I notice the temps are only at 80 in the tank. Think I will add another small fixture. I have a larger 150w powersun, but I think that will be too much being so close to where mantids will likely hang out.

 

[petoly]

dude that's gonna bake them lol. get a 60 watt with a rheostat you can make a rheostat for like 7 bucks that will handle up to 600watts I believe. you will most likely have to adjust it daily so I would keep a permanent digital probe in there. do your ambient temps in the room fluctuate a lot day to day?

 

[Rick]

dude that's gonna bake them lol. get a 60 watt with a rheostat you can make a rheostat for like 7 bucks that will handle up to 600watts I believe. you will most likely have to adjust it daily so I would keep a permanent digital probe in there. do your ambient temps in the room fluctuate a lot day to day?

I know it would be too much. I brought it up but didnt say I was going to use it.

I added another 60 watt which brought temps to 84. I have the temps monitored.

 

[ScienceGirl]

So... did you ever take some pictures to post?

It look(ed) really good!

 

[Rick]

So... did you ever take some pictures to post?

It look(ed) really good!

All of the mantids died within a few hours of arrival. They didn't look right when I unpacked them.

 

[ScienceGirl]

How strange... Do you know what might have caused it? Temp. fluctuations during shipping or the length of travel, or diet perhaps?

 

[blackwidow89]

nice find!

 

[Rick]

How strange... Do you know what might have caused it? Temp. fluctuations during shipping or the length of travel, or diet perhaps?

Hard to say. I had the same thing happen this month with another shipment from the same person. Packaging looked top notch so I have no idea.

 

[ScienceGirl]

Hard to say. I had the same thing happen this month with another shipment from the same person. Packaging looked top notch so I have no idea.

That's really strange. :mellow: Did you get in contact with them? Maybe they'd know.

EDIT: Although it wouldn't look very good for them to admit that there was something wrong before they sent it...

 

[Rick]

That's really strange. :mellow: Did you get in contact with them? Maybe they'd know.

EDIT: Although it wouldn't look very good for them to admit that there was something wrong before they sent it...

They know.