Hi, I am Stefan, a tarantula keeper from Austria. Thanks for stopping by Nocturnal Fangs! This site started as a passion project in 2025, combining my love for web development and web-developing creatures (sorry, I could not resist).
Tarantulas have been part of my life since I was a kid. My parents bought their first tarantula back in the late 90s, and I was instantly fascinated. A few years ago, the timing and life situation finally lined up, and I decided to start my own little collection. My first spider was a Chromatopelma cyanopubescens named Shelob. And, as every keeper knows, it never stops with one.
Today, my collection has grown to around twenty tarantulas, and I have reached a comfortable and stable balance (at least for now).
What motivated me to create this homepage was a simple observation: there is plenty of flashy content out there about specific species, “Top 10” lists, and vlog-style videos, but surprisingly little concise, practical information. I wanted to focus on the hands-on side of keeping tarantulas: the DIY, the small tricks, and the foundational knowledge that makes keeping these animals easier, safer, and more rewarding.
I spend quite some time browsing the r/tarantulas (Reddit) community, and I often notice that even experienced keepers sometimes miss a few of the basics. That is where Nocturnal Fangs comes in. My goal is to make tarantula keeping more approachable, better understood, and maybe a little more fun for everyone involved.
What You Will Find on Nocturnal Fangs
The content on this site comes in two forms, each with a different purpose, but both aimed at helping you become a more confident tarantula keeper.
Informative Pages
These are the stable, evergreen parts of the site. Informative Pages focus on clear explanations, DIY guides, practical steps, and the kind of basic knowledge that many keepers miss at the beginning. They work as reference material. If you want to learn how to mix substrate, build a custom background, identify your species, or avoid common emergencies, this is where you will find that information. I keep these pages clean, concise, and updated whenever new research or better methods become available.
Blog Style Posts
Blog Style Posts are more personal. Here I talk about experiences, interesting observations, small anecdotes, and occasional thoughts from inside the hobby. Sometimes I discuss a new tarantula that joined my collection, an experiment I tried, or a lesson learned the hard way. These posts are relaxed, story driven, and often include a bit more humour. A few people even believe that this is where I hide the secret messages that will one day reveal the tarantula takeover plan, but that rumour is, of course, completely unsupported. 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️
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Ultimate Guide to Tarantula SubstratesShort Summary: Tarantula Substrates The right substrate is essential for tarantula health, humidity control, and burrow stability. The most reliable mix combines compost, peat moss, and coco fiber in equal parts, offering moisture retention, mold resistance, and strong burrow support. Adding sphagnum moss boosts local humidity for tropical species. While arid tarantulas do fine with just coco fiber or compost, avoid unsafe options like sand, aspen, or gravel. Branded pre-mixed substrates are often overpriced and unnecessary compared to a DIY blend. Natural forest soil can work if parasite-free. Ultimately, a safe, balanced substrate recreates your tarantula’s natural habitat and supports healthy behavior. Introduction: Why Substrate Choice Matters When it comes to keeping tarantulas, substrate is more than just dirt at the bottom of an enclosure. The right soil mix directly affects humidity levels, burrow stability, and ultimately the overall health and behavior of your spider. A poorly chosen substrate can …