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The Arboreal
Glass Towers
Jumping Spider Enclosures, Shopping Notes & Options
The "Arboreal Glass Towers" are perfect for housing jumping spiders or other arboreal species that thrive in elevated environments, such as tree cavities, leaves, branches, or foliage. These enclosures mimic the natural airflow above the ground and provide ample ventilation for your spider. In addition, with multiple openings, including the top, sides, and bottom, your spider will have ample opportunities to build hammocks or webs, giving them the room they need to feel comfortable and secure.
This elegant design provides a beautiful and clear view of your spider, with great airflow and humidity control, features, and accessories to make feeding, observing, and maintenance a breeze. So whether you're a seasoned spider enthusiast or just starting out, the arboreal glass towers are the ideal pet jumping spider enclosure and work great with many other species, like arboreal slings and juvenile or dwarf tarantulas that need little substrate.
If you're unsure about what kind and size of enclosure setup you need, head to our "Spider Enclosure Size & Type Guide" for helpful tips and advice. For more information on the Arboreal Glass Towers, please visit the product page using the link above and continue reading the shopping notes below. Finally, if you have questions or need assistance, visit our "contact page" or click on the chat below.
What is the difference between the two arboreal towers, AeroVent & LightVent?
The AeroVent and LightVent arboreal towers have distinct bottom sections and ventilation placements to accommodate different species' ventilation and humidity management needs. Both models are compatible with several accessories, allowing for numerous configuration possibilities.
Ventilation and Structure:
The AeroVent “Glass-Core” includes additional ventilation lines across the side-bottom glass panels, enhancing cross-ventilation, which is essential when using a substrate tray directly. In contrast, the LightVent features a slim, fully ventilated bottom plate, allowing full-length glass panels on three sides, maximizing visibility and airflow.
Both enclosures have a very efficient ventilation mechanism, allowing for a nice view through the glass panels. The humid air rises from the bottom, promoting cross-ventilation through the stacking effect driven by the buoyancy of moist air (learn more in detail with our "Enclosure Ventilation, Humidity & Temperature Guide").
Substrate Tray and Ventilation Plate Integration:
The AeroVent enclosure includes a substrate tray by default, and the LightVent enclosure includes a ventilated bottom plate. Ventilated plates and substrate trays can be purchased separately or as add-ons.
The substrate tray is a detachable bottom that holds inert or inorganic materials such as coconut fibre, moss, coarse dust-free sand, wet cotton, or paper towels. These materials serve as a humidity buffer but are not suitable for burrowing. The tray facilitates easy material replacement to maintain cleanliness and manage waste.
The ventilation plate enhances airflow and provides a clean, open look. It can be installed at the bottom or on top of the enclosure to provide even further airflow.
When the substrate tray is used with the ventilation plate, it acts as a barrier that prevents organic waste from contaminating the wet material beneath it. This setup simplifies maintenance by removing the magnetic tray without fully opening the enclosure and creating a moist air buffer under the ventilation plate. This configuration ensures strong airflow and utilizes the evaporating tray's moisture, which is drawn into the enclosure through aligned magnets on each stack.
Species Suitability and Environmental Adaptation:
The AeroVent is particularly well-suited for species with high ventilation and humidity needs, making it ideal for environments with dry air. The buoyancy-driven stacking effect helps circulate moist air throughout the enclosure as it evaporates from the substrate tray. It is often resulting in a more naturalist look.
Conversely, the LightVent is optimized for species that require significant airflow in properly acclimated rooms. Species that do not require substrate often benefit from the added ventilation while keeping a relatively clean, spacious, empty bottom. However, remember, both the tray and plate can be combined for the best of both worlds.
Differences with the Duo & Tri Glass Habitats:
Simple; the “duo and tri glass spider enclosures” are meant to use long-term or more significant substrates and do not have a removable bottom. It is meant for species that need substrate to burrow or catch prey. For example, many arboreal tarantulas require a substrate, even if they have arboreal behaviours.
The duo & tri enclosures can be customized long, wide or tall, with different proportions and many more size options vs the towers. This is because there are many more terrestrial species with different needs than only arboreals. The duo & tri enclosures can also house a pet jumping spider.
The arboreal glass towers deploy ventilation from a bottom to top flow, and the duo & tri enclosures depend more on the air entering through one or two sides and exiting through the top lid. The top lid has a ventilated rim and a removable glass portion.
The arboreal glass towers have a removable bottom, giving more service access and the option to clean the bottom surface often.
Ventilation, why lines instead of holes:
Traditionally, cross ventilation in acrylic enclosures is achieved through holes on opposite sides, as drilling holes or installing mesh discs is more uncomplicated than creating precise thin lines. However, 3D printing technology makes crafting thin and long ventilation lines within intricate plastic parts feasible. Such lines have excellent airflow and prevent escapes by spiderlings or fruit flies.
The big question is; do lines provide more ventilation? Yes, they do.
Let’s do some simple math with a 10x6 cm enclosure wall. The rear panel has ten ventilation lines from top to bottom measuring 9cm long and 0.5mm wide; let’s calculate the open area by multiplying 90mm times 0.5mm = 45 cubic mm of ventilation area per line, and for all ten lines, that is 450 cubic mm of area. A typical small hole in an acrylic enclosure measures 1mm in diameter, so Pi times the radius squared = 0.79 cubic mm of open area per 1mm hole. If we divide 450 by 0.79 = we get 576. Therefore, you would need 576 holes for the same ventilation area the lines provide. The AeroVent edition also features three lines on the bottom of each side, allowing air to enter from the bottom and move all air through the back. They may seem like not much, but let us do the math; the open area of such three lines is 3 x (90mm x 0.5mm) = 270 cubic mm per side, equivalent to 341 holes on that little wall. The light edition ventilated bottom has the equivalent of 598 holes, which can also be used to ventilate the top if you order both the glass and vented top.
Cross ventilation happens when air enters one side of the enclosure and exits through an opposite furthest side, facilitating airflow throughout the enclosure and preventing stagnant air. While ventilation through holes on two opposite sides can promote some air circulation, strategic placement of vents, especially at the top and bottom, is crucial. Our enclosures maximize airflow efficiency with strategically placed thin ventilation lines, enhancing the overall environment for the inhabitants.
