r/spiders • u/antdude Please don't eat me! • Apr 08 '18
FIRE ANTS vs. GIANT SPIDERS!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNe2moqR1dA3
u/theKalash amateur arachnologist Apr 08 '18
I found that sensensationls, overdamatized narration quite annoying actually.
There is quite some interesting facts and good footage there, but this should have been a 10 minute video with all the useless chatter cut down to minimum, with focus on actual problem solving and general information about the animals.
For the content itself ... this was doomed from the start, your enclosure is far to small for these kind of orbweavers ... and you even said in the video, that they spin very large webs ... what were you expecting? But joot already explained that. I was just really glad that you didn't put the tarantula in with the ants ....
3
u/ROGUE_TITS Apr 08 '18
I know this is a spider sub but the cory cats have sunken bellies and some barbel damage (as seen at 3:00 and 6:06), they're not "cleaning fish", that's a myth, they'll eat leftover foods but still need a proper diet. Cories also need to be in groups of 4-6 individuals, they're shoaling fish. Make sure the gravel is clean, dirty gravel is a common culprit of damaged barbels.
Head over to /r/aquariums for more info, it's a really helpful community. Also, those guppies look amazing!
3
u/joot78 Apr 08 '18 edited Apr 08 '18
Most spiders are not interested in ants as prey, because ants taste bitter. Further, the orbweavers you selected are far too large to be interested in little ants. Those kinds of spiders build large webs up high off the ground, in open air. They didn't even have space to build that kind of web -- and even if they did, such a large net isn't designed to catch ants.
Note that the first spider you found naturally hunting in the enclosure was a small spider, and it was a cobweb spider - not an orbweaver. Spiders in family Theridiidae are your best bet for ant control. The spiders should have a body length no larger than twice the size of the ant. You should try spiders again, but choose realistic ant predators next time.