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Should I buy these Chinese formicariums?

Started By William. T , Mar 7 2015 11:50 AM

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48 replies to this topic

#1 Offline William. T - Posted March 7 2015 - 11:50 AM

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Since I am on the lookout for ant real estate, RapaNui has introduced me to this seller of formicariums, which he has brought from and liked. There are plenty of pictures:

 

http://antsclub.taobao.com/?v=1

 

They look really nice. With the fact that a US Dollar is worth 6 RMB, this is a real deal. You can get something the size of an Omni Nest X-Large at the cost of a THA Talus! Besides, I was told the quality is not bad at all. Since my grandparents are coming from China very soon, what do think of buying these formicariums? Thanks!

 


Species I keep:

 

1 Lasius cf. Neoniger 30 workers

1 Camponotus sp. 15 workers

20 Tetramorium SpE 30 workers

1 T. Sessile 200 workers

 

#2 Offline Jonathan21700 - Posted March 7 2015 - 1:58 PM

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Interesting! This one looks like the Omni nest http://item.taobao.c...=p08055707990d0


#3 Offline Miles - Posted March 7 2015 - 3:14 PM

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They are neat, but not my thing. Maybe buy something low cost before investing in anything large?


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#4 Offline William. T - Posted March 7 2015 - 7:14 PM

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Some of the formicariums have no visible hydration systems, like sponges. Why is that?


Species I keep:

 

1 Lasius cf. Neoniger 30 workers

1 Camponotus sp. 15 workers

20 Tetramorium SpE 30 workers

1 T. Sessile 200 workers

 

#5 Offline dspdrew - Posted March 7 2015 - 7:29 PM

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Some people just like to squirt water into their nests. I learned that the ant keepers in Germany don't even like to hydrate their nests at all, and instead just give their ants a liquid feeder or something like that.


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#6 Offline William. T - Posted March 8 2015 - 10:29 AM

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Wait a second. So you are saying I can just pour water on a sponge less formicarium? Would you recommend these for a beginner? B.T.W, is there any good formicariums you would recommend for me? Thanks.


Species I keep:

 

1 Lasius cf. Neoniger 30 workers

1 Camponotus sp. 15 workers

20 Tetramorium SpE 30 workers

1 T. Sessile 200 workers

 

#7 Offline Myrmicinae - Posted March 8 2015 - 12:42 PM

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Do they even ship to the United States?  If so, I would expect the shipping costs to be quite high.


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#8 Offline William. T - Posted March 8 2015 - 2:34 PM

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My grandparents are going to bring the formicariums over. And yes, you can get it shipped to the U.S.


Species I keep:

 

1 Lasius cf. Neoniger 30 workers

1 Camponotus sp. 15 workers

20 Tetramorium SpE 30 workers

1 T. Sessile 200 workers

 

#9 Offline dspdrew - Posted March 8 2015 - 3:19 PM

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Wait a second. So you are saying I can just pour water on a sponge less formicarium? Would you recommend these for a beginner? B.T.W, is there any good formicariums you would recommend for me? Thanks.

 

If there are places to do it, and if it is made of an absorbent material, which I would assume it is.


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#10 Offline William. T - Posted March 8 2015 - 4:18 PM

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Drew, what I mean are on the website there are pure acrylic formicariums. How would you hydrate those? In China, the ant hobby there has evolved with little or influence with that of Europe. It is rather well organized, despite the fact there are border restrictions. There are even modular like formicariums that stack up. Search it up on taobao.com/. There are all kinds of ants and many centralized ant foods. B.T.W, I have found something very interesting. How do you post in a link?


Species I keep:

 

1 Lasius cf. Neoniger 30 workers

1 Camponotus sp. 15 workers

20 Tetramorium SpE 30 workers

1 T. Sessile 200 workers

 

#11 Offline dspdrew - Posted March 8 2015 - 7:02 PM

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I have no idea how they would hydrate their acrylic formicariums.

 

To post a link, you just paste it into your post.


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#12 Offline William. T - Posted March 9 2015 - 7:16 PM

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Thanks Drew! But my computer does not let me paste on this forum. Why?


Species I keep:

 

1 Lasius cf. Neoniger 30 workers

1 Camponotus sp. 15 workers

20 Tetramorium SpE 30 workers

1 T. Sessile 200 workers

 

#13 Offline Miles - Posted March 9 2015 - 7:37 PM

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Wait a second. So you are saying I can just pour water on a sponge less formicarium? Would you recommend these for a beginner? B.T.W, is there any good formicariums you would recommend for me? Thanks.

That would be a pretty foolish thing to do if it was just acrylic.

 

I would personally recommend Tar Heel Ants for formicariums. Great quality, proven, and trusted.


PhD Student & NSF Graduate Research Fellow | University of Florida Dept. of Entomology & Nematology - Lucky Ant Lab 

 

Founder & Director of The Ant Network. Ant keeper since 2009. Insect ecologist and science communicator. He/Him.

#14 Offline Gregory2455 - Posted March 9 2015 - 7:40 PM

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I say you take a shot at making your own, and if you do not enjoy it, then yeah, try Tarheel Ants.


byFormica also has some cool formicariums for small colonies.


#15 Offline Crystals - Posted March 10 2015 - 9:48 AM

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You could always add add a sponge inside the nest and hydrate it.  Humidity is humidity.


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#16 Offline William. T - Posted March 10 2015 - 12:28 PM

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Before I buy something like a THA Dire Pinnacle, I want to start off cheaper, but don't want to cut corners. I have located the sites of several Camponotus colonies with queens. See any on this website that looks good for a beginner and offers a lot of room? Thanks


Species I keep:

 

1 Lasius cf. Neoniger 30 workers

1 Camponotus sp. 15 workers

20 Tetramorium SpE 30 workers

1 T. Sessile 200 workers

 

#17 Offline Miles - Posted March 10 2015 - 1:12 PM

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There are definiltey options. How large are these colonies?


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Founder & Director of The Ant Network. Ant keeper since 2009. Insect ecologist and science communicator. He/Him.

#18 Offline Crystals - Posted March 10 2015 - 1:14 PM

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Personally an easy to try it while not spending a lot is to make one yourself.

I made one, it only cost me $4.  Here is how I made it using a bead container - http://www.formicult...icture +journey

With Camponotus, you are going to want some sort of substrate on the floor in case they release any formic acid.  Whether you use coconut husk or grout like I did is up to you.


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#19 Offline William. T - Posted March 10 2015 - 2:17 PM

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There are dimensions on the website, and size comparisons. I want something to be on the budget and nice too. My parents, who weren't exactly on board with the idea in the first place, and only accepted the ants after I got a major achievement. I have a limit on the number of colonies.


Edited by William. T, March 10 2015 - 2:18 PM.

Species I keep:

 

1 Lasius cf. Neoniger 30 workers

1 Camponotus sp. 15 workers

20 Tetramorium SpE 30 workers

1 T. Sessile 200 workers

 

#20 Offline Foogoo - Posted March 10 2015 - 2:19 PM

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My grandparents are going to bring the formicariums over. And yes, you can get it shipped to the U.S.

 

How much is shipping? I'm not (rather, my friend who is translating the page for me) seeing that option.


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