16 replies to this topic

[Thedarknght]

Did a quick search in this forum on this found nothing so pardon if already asked. I want to start keeping ants and found the startup kits from antscanada besides the higher than thougt price anyone have any knowledge about them goid bad indiffrent? Better options? I love the simple setup with formicarium and outbox attached with the tubes

[Major]

Don't use antscanada. I have had bad experience with the starter kit. Also, generally acrylic isn't prefered for ants

[Kalidas]

I don't know about Antscanada stuff, but everyone here praises Tar Heel Ants. Maybe check them out?

[TheRealAntMan]

Don't use antscanada. I have had bad experience with the starter kit. Also, generally acrylic isn't prefered for ants

To each to their own.

[FSTP]

I wouldn't recoomend antscanada products either, I mean if you watch his youtube stuff he barely even uses his own products. So that should be a big hint as to how effective they are.. If you're not able to make your own I would look into Tarheel Ants. They have lots of options for starting out depending on your aesthetic preferance. Or if you want to try making your own there are several members (including myself) that have some nice build journals out lining how to make your own.

Edited by FSTP, October 9 2018 - 6:20 PM.

[brianhershey]

he barely even uses his own products

 

 

Did you see the latest video... Mikey put DIRT in his all-plastic nests! lol He's coming around

 

generally acrylic isn't prefered for ants

 

Please be more accurate before you denounce one specific type of plastic! hehe The problem is when entire nests are made of non-absorbent material, be it plastic, glass, etc. Imagine those creatures trying to lay down pheromones on plastic for weeks, months or years. It just ain't natural! For long term colony viability, dirt, sand, grout, hydrostone, ytong, cork, wood, etc. would be better options. Nobody is saying you CAN'T raise a colony in a plastic nest, so acrylic defenders MOVE ALONG! lol Just ask an ant what THEY prefer.. uh huh, you got your answer... they will move into a warm, moist pile of dirt over ALL of them

Edited by brianhershey, October 10 2018 - 7:14 PM.

[CoolColJ]

That is true, but most of us keep ants to observe, and enjoy the colony life, not just for the sake of raising ants. otherwise you can stick them outside and be done.

So it is a compromise between what the ants like and what we want

Edited by CoolColJ, October 12 2018 - 4:02 PM.

[TennesseeAnts]

Tarheel Ants. I will always recommend them. The. Best. Nests. Ever.

[CamponotusLover]

I wouldn't recommend AC's products personally.

Here are some shops I DO recommend however:

https://tarheelants.com/(highly recommended)
https://antsuk.com/(be wary of shipping)
https://www.antzforall.co.uk/(be wary of shipping)
http://en.antsrussia.ru/(be wary of shipping)

And I also recommend that you keep an eye on the posts on this forum, members tend to post really neat things you can buy for your ants and also some of their own formicariums/nests that they are selling. As well as extremely creative nests designs and how-to's.

[ooper]

I have had good experience with AntsCanada products. I have a 4 year old Tetramorium colony that has done great in AntsCanada products. They are several thousand strong now. Something else that has been nice about their hybrid nest is that I can leave for a week vacation, or longer, and not worry about the nest going dry, like other types of formicaria I have heard about, and tested out myself.

[LearningAntz]

I was pretty ignorant at the time I made a purchase and I wouldn’t recommend AntsCanada products either.

I would however, recommend Tarheel Ants like previously mentioned by others. If you aren’t in possession of a large colony I’d also recommend dspdrew’s starter formicarium. Here is a link to his thread: http://www.formicult...s/?fromsearch=1

[antsandus]

https://rover.ebay.c...tm/263979729070

[ConcordAntman]

I might be a dissenting voice. I have an AntsCanada starter pack and had no problems. Though I'm a relative newbie, I founded 3 colonies with the starter pack.

 

Combining two test tubes with a test tube portal allowed me an easy way to change out moldy test tubes without disrupting the colony 

 

and to have an easy to clean feeding area. I've been happy with this setup.

 

From what I've read, the issues have been with the fit and finish of the AntsCanada formicaria leading to leaks and escapees! I do agree that Tar Heel Ants is an excellent resource and have 3 of their Phalanx formicaria.

 

 

[Thedarknght]

Well against all hate I've seen i just now bought the omninest large A. tube portal mostly for transfers from one tube to another if needed
Extra hole plugs. And testubes $128.15

[FSTP]

Well against all hate I've seen i just now bought the omninest large A. tube portal mostly for transfers from one tube to another if needed
Extra hole plugs. And testubes $128.15

 

 

Its not hate, its just they're not very practical for some. 

[kounelus]

In my opinion its because you can get a starter kit for much cheaper then what AC sells it. All you need are some test tubes, some cotton balls, and a tub of some sort. Maybe some kind of bottle/capture container. And really until the colony founds and gets more then the nanitics, all you need is the test tube and cotton balls (unless it's a semi-claustral species). The most expensive thing would be either the test tubes or the fluon if you were using that. You could check out https://www.reddit.c...eginner_antfarm for a relatively cheap way to start. Again, prices might change based on location, but it should still be quite affordable. And really, the tub & tubes setup can be used for a large chunk of the colonies lifespan. Eventually it might become annoying swapping the tubes out. But easily for the first year or so it should be a good choice for most species.

Edited by kounelus, October 20 2018 - 9:52 PM.

[Serafine]

Well against all hate I've seen i just now bought the omninest large A. tube portal mostly for transfers from one tube to another if needed
Extra hole plugs. And testubes $128.15

The AC products aren't bad, they are just pretty expensive. Essentially all you need to start antkeeping is a set of test tubes, a plastic box and a bottle of Fluon which would cost you around 20-25 bucks, with the Fluon being the most expensive item.

 

If you want to improve your Omninest in a cheap way you can paint a layer of sand-clay mixture to the bottom of the chambers (just take off the lids of the chambers and apply the wet mixture with a brush then wait 2-3 days for it to dry). This is particularly easy with the Omninest as you can take off the lids of every individual chamber (this is a feature I really like and more acrylic nests should have).

The bottom substrate helps to retain moisture (something acrylic nests are naturaly bad at), makes it easier for the ants to walk around and gives larvae of formicine ant species (Lasius, Formica, Camponotus, etc.) a surface where they can start spinning their cocoons.

 

The acrylic Omninest is a kind of nest that works best with ants that are fairly dry-resisent and don't like it too moist, so if you choose an ant species make sure it's one that prefers these conditions. Camponotus ants would be a good choice (although they have the disadvantage that they would probably live inside a test for at least half a year before the colony is big enough for a nest but well, sometimes you just need to be patient).

Edited by Serafine, October 20 2018 - 10:31 PM.