920 replies to this topic

[NeoSorgin]

Hi everybody! this is my outworld



I hope you like it

Enviado desde mi KB2003 mediante Tapatalk

[ZiggyAnts]

This is my leafcutter formicarium. The fungus chamber is a box within another box to prevent condensation forming on the acrylic.

 

The ants arrive tomorrow .

Edited by ZiggyAnts, February 9 2022 - 7:41 AM.

[Antkeeper01]

This is my leafcutter formicarium. The fungus chamber is a box within another box to prevent condensation forming on the acrylic.

 

The ants arrive tomorrow .

Nice what sp?!

[ZiggyAnts]

 

 

This is my leafcutter formicarium. The fungus chamber is a box within another box to prevent condensation forming on the acrylic.

 

The ants arrive tomorrow .

Nice what sp?!

 

Acromyrmex Octospinosus. I just started a journal, which is in my signature .

[ANTdrew]

I spent the weekend making this Antpartment 2.0 for my Pheidole bicarinata. This container is a bit wider and shorter than the original with a much better lid. It is made using Hobby Lobby Perfect Cast and the wet sand molding technique. I'm fairly confident it is Pheidole escape proof.

 

 

[Barristan]

Nest made out of oak wood. Glass and bases are removable. 4 x 14 mm holes for attaching tubes. 171 mm x 125 mm x 18 mm.

 

[antsriondel]

wow, these formicariums are amazing.

Edited by antsriondel, March 10 2022 - 7:03 AM.

[DarkCerebral]

So I have attached most of the nest models I have designed and printed so far. Each one is for various colony/species sizes. They are all modular and share the same size friction fitting base I call "Boats" (other than the F4.Full setup). I have a few other models in design phase. So far they all are in use by various colonies and are working well.

 

The 14mm.TestTube (InnerD) setup is an experiment for semi-claustral myrmica. I have another myrmica in an F3 setup to see if one works better than the other.

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[futurebird]

Hopefully this one will be big enough!

 

[ANTdrew]

Which colony will go in there?

[futurebird]

My lasius neoniger. 

[LIExotics]

Hey everyone. So I built a homemade outworld for my Camponotus Chromaiodes ant colony which now has 4 workers. And more coming. It is 5"Wx5"Lx4"H. The ants immediately started exploring as soon as I attached the test tube to the outworld. I put a drop of honey and half of a mealworm and they are currently eating. 2 have come out, they will eat for a bit, then return to the tube, feed the other 2 workers, who in turn feed the larvae. It's truly amazing to watch. Here is the link to the pictures: https://imgur.com/gallery/9Hd9yRT. Let me know what you think everyone.

[kiedeerk]

Some of my best DIY nests and outworlds

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[smares]

Wow they all look good! Very clean work!

[That_one_ant_guy]

My first ever attempt at making an outworld. This one is for my lios, what do you guys think?

[kiedeerk]

Playing with glow in dark formicariums

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[Locness]

Digging the minerals look 

[rptraut]

BIG ROCK KEEPS THESE ANTS WARM
This is a formicarium that I made to house a four year old Tapinoma sessile colony. It's designed to be a "natural looking" setup, but the brood is easily viewed from the back. It's also designed with a few temperature regulating features such as the rock which is at the center of the setup. It is a very heavy (ironstone I think) rock that takes up a large part of the container and basically forms the inner wall for the nest at the back. The rock is embedded in grout on the bottom.

This formicarium sits in a partly sunny location, so the rock warms up in the sun and then releases the heat during the night. I have never seen this setup get too hot as the rock can absorb a lot of heat. The left hand side is the warm and dry side, the right the moist, cool side. Note the newspaper shade on the right side to keep it cool and the hydration port with the cotton swab stopper which goes to the water tower in the nest. Overflow from the water tower hydrates the lower part of the nest. Note also the feeding port on the left and sugar water at the front.



From the top, you can see that there’s lots to keep an ant busy. I use Vaseline and mineral oil for containment and the plants are mostly plastic. I sometimes sprinkle sugar on the leaves to give the ants something to search for. They don't have to find something very often to spend a lot of time searching for more. I try to provide a varied outworld for my ants to keep them occupied and too busy to think about escaping.



From the back, the blackout cloth covers most of the nest area. I use a newspaper shield when necessary to cover the left side to keep it cooler and moist. I put in small glass test tubes to provide nesting areas for the ants to keep their brood. I only used sphagnum moss around the tubes because the ants can't really dig in it and it absorbs water, keeping the nest moist. On the right side, the dry and warm side, I put dried leaves and twigs for the ants to keep their pupae. I also buried two other test tubes in moss in this setup for the queens to choose where they’ll have their chambers. One test tube on the warm dry side and one on the cool moist side. Queens often live apart from the main colony, so providing them with a separate chamber keeps them from being disturbed during colony inspections, feeding etc and they can continue egg laying uninterrupted.



With the blackout cover raised you can see the test tubes with brood in the center. The hydration tower is on the left, the cool moist side of the nest. In true Tapinoma style, they have all their pupae on the warm dry side on the right. I placed the test tubes in on an angle for drainage and each has a stopper with a small opening as this seems to be what these ants like. They will normally restrict the opening with moss, soil, etc anyways. They use the space between the tubes as travel corridors. I can also hydrate the nest area from the top without flooding the brood when they are in test tubes.






I think the brood in this colony speaks for itself. This formicarium provides a nest that has a warm, dry area and a cool, moist area. It has visible brood in a "natural setup" that is warmed by the sun and kept warm at night by the rock at the heart of their environment. It is easy to hydrate, feed and clean and it’s easy to move, despite being very heavy.
This "all in one" setup has proven to be ideal for both me and the ants!
RPT

Edited by rptraut, March 23 2024 - 10:17 PM.

[GrandAntKing]

A dirt-setup Terrarium

 

It should be noted this terrarium is outside on a sturdy table, subject to

natural weather and place in location where the terrarium will get equal amount of sunlight and shade throughout the day. I usually have to fill the water reservoir every month, which usually means just pouring bottle of water into the terrarium, mostly on the leaves to prevent sinkholes forming in the terrarium.

If the water reservoir doesn't need to be filled, I simply use a spray bottle to moisten the terrarium. To prevent the terrarium from being flooded from heavy rains, I use three tarps to cover it.

 

The steps on creating this setup.

 

1.A 29-gallon long fish tank.

2.I use rocks around the yard as drainage layer. Make sure to give them a quick washing with the hose.

3.I use the coco plant liner as a substrate layer to keep most of the dirt out of drainage layer.

4.I fill up the drainage layer with bottled water. This is so the water will evaporate up into the soil and prevent disturbing the queens when you put them in.

5.I gather a lot of rotten wood pieces, soak them in a tub of water for a week to get rid of any bugs hiding in the Woods. It will also make it easier for the any captured carpenter ant queens to nest in them.

6.I place the rotten wood on substrate layer, forming caves and caverns with them. I also stack the wood on one of the sides of the terrarium, to form a large trench. The wood usually takes up a lot of space.

7. I used a 2:1 mixture of topsoil from the gardening store and eco earth coconut fiber and try to cover the entire rotten wood. The amount of dirt used is usually 2-5 inches. The mixture might settle and sink in some places.

8. I usually use a large rotten wood piece, a nice smooth rock and a large tree bark as surface decorations, most of them are used as hiding places for the clean-up crew. Also, I gather a lot of dandelion seeds and spread them around the terrarium. Also, add some layer of dead leaves on the surface for the clean-up crew to munch on and hide in.

9. The final step is gathering the clean-up crew, mostly pill bugs and sow bugs from the yard to add to the terrarium. Then use the spray bottle to moisten the terrarium and let it settle for a couple of days.

 

 

 

Edited by GrandAntKing, August 28 2022 - 9:56 AM.

[rptraut]

Nice setup!  Will you put queens in there or a colony?