13 replies to this topic

[P0rcelain]

winter is coming to an end and spring is beginning

i want to move my ant colony to some terrariums soon, but there has been a bit of a hold up

as neither of my terrariums have an escape proof lid or barrier

insect barriers will not work effectively, as my terrariums can be quite humid (i am working with earthworms and pill bugs)

my terrariums are already built in glass tanks

and i am 80% sure my ants are nocturnal, so it is likely i will not need to worry about them escaping while i am doing work

(they do not forage during the day, but i frequently wake up to see food has been taken away, and the few times i check on them at night, they are foraging)

for this reason, i have been leaning towards a very simple lid design that would consist mostly of just something resting against the top of the tank, with a wire mesh or some very fine holes so they can breath

they are a little small, and i am quite inexperienced with ant keeping in general so i would like clarification on if this will work fine or if i will have to do something a bit more intelligent

the ant colony has repeatedly been identified as Notoncus sp.

they are somewhere between 5mm and 10mm in size and are quite timid

they are currently kept in a small container with some test tubes, and a thin barrier of baby powder along the top

they have not attempted a great escape yet and i do not think they are prone to

Edited by P0rcelain, August 27 2020 - 5:20 PM.

[zantezaint]

I'd say a polycarbonate or acrylic sheet, not too thin, and thick enough to not bend and warp, drill a hole for ventilation, 50 micron metal mesh with super glue on top of the ventilation.

[P0rcelain]

ok

would you suggest any extra bits along the sides so it fits around the glass tanks a little better?
excuse my sheer lack of proper terminology

i have scored acrylic once, and badly

but rest assured i am doing a lot of research on it as we speak

[P0rcelain]

i have been losing my darn mind about this for months, nay, close to a year.

i have no workshop, i have no experience with acrylic

i have no idea where i could make a commission since i am clearly too under experienced for this

i am thinking of just trying to use olive oil as an insect barrier, but the idea of having no other safety net in case they get past it is giving me nightmares

i am beginning to think i should just push past my paranoia and do something stupid already

[P0rcelain]

the problem is, i already have my terrariums set up

and i really, really do not want to have to dig it all up while it is looking more or less stable just so i can make modifications to these freaking glass tanks

that i also do not know how to do because like i said, i have no experience

the typical barriers will not work because they produce toxic fumes while setting

and just 'plugging up the ants nests' is not an option since this is a vivarium set up i am going for, with multiple species already present

i am pulling my hair out rn

[P0rcelain]

before anyone asks, no my tanks did not come with lids

they came with crappy plastic sheets that rest on plastic corners that go over the sides of the tank

i do not even know what they are made of

if there is anything i have learned its that 'plastic' is a very unhelpful catch-all term that means nothing to anyone who actually cares

Edited by P0rcelain, September 16 2020 - 10:38 PM.

[Ants_Dakota]

I would look around and try to find something go buy if you have no workshop, or don't want to make it. I have equipment to make something similar to what zantezaint said above. And i am willing to help you if you want, whether advice or making the lid.

[Mariaface]

You can buy acrylic/polycarbonate/plexiglass sheets online and score/snap them using a box cutter, x-acto, or other stable cutting tool. Acrylic can be 'glued' together using a bonder that basically melts the edges against each other, otherwise silicone is a good pet-safe (once cured) sealant. Silicone won't be guaranteed to hold water if used on acrylic, but for those purposes it'd be fine.

 

If you have to do something really custom and can't just snap straight-edged pieces and glue them together, maybe take thin plastic sheets and a wood burner and melt it to shape? Definitely do that outside; you don't want to breathe in the fumes. But you can draw the outline of what you want on a sheet of plastic (maybe a clear storage container's sides/lid), and run the tool along the outline. Then once the outer shape is done, you can cut a ventilation hole in the middle and silicone or hot glue some fine stainless steel mesh like someone mentioned above.

 

If you want something removable as a vent cover, cut another plastic sheet slightly larger than the original ventilation cut-out so you have two similar-sized panels, cut two same-sized holes into those two, and sandwich the mesh between them. The smaller size will sit inside the original lid you made, and you can use fluon or something else on the underside of the outer lid so things can't reach your ventilation.

[P0rcelain]

ok well let me assess if i can do this myself based on this advice

what should i do, do you think, if i need to connect the two tanks?
it is not a total necessity, but i would like to, since i have two terrariums and one colony atm

more foraging space would be nice

i might be able to get my hands on vinyl tubing, but this does not seem to play nice with other materials at all

[P0rcelain]

i have a new plan, that will require bonding and gluing

and that is it

what i will do for each lid is have six 3mm thick acrylic sheets

230 mm x 30 mm (2)

371 mm x 30 mm (2)

236 mm x 80mm (2)

one of the 236x80 sheets on each lid will have a hole in it 19mm in diameter

i will bond two acrylic tubes 19mm in inside diameter to either side of the hole, which will serve as the nozzle to attach vinyl tubing on either side (as i do not want to encourage ants climbing the glass walls as a path to the other terrarium. that sounds like a nightmare.)

then, the i bond all the other sheets together

and glue on a metal mesh

i will try to get the acrylic sheets precut so i do not have to worry about drilling

here is my sketch atm

sorry it is very messy

if anyone more experienced with acrylic could weigh in and tell me if this will work fine or not that would be nice

i am a bit peeved already since it seems a bit like that hole on two sheets will cost me a lot of money, and that i will have to buy a vice grip of some kind to bond the acrylic properly

but other than that the plan seems fine to me

[ANTdrew]

Why always overthink things? If you worry so much about details, why not capitalize letters according to English grammar?

Edited by ANTdrew, September 26 2020 - 6:47 PM.

[KitsAntVa]

Yes usually the best things come from the least complex. 

Edited by KitsAntVa, September 26 2020 - 6:46 PM.

[Domagoj]

Have you seen this thread?
https://www.formicul...llon-fish-tank/

[P0rcelain]

i have not, thank you

-

i overcomplicate things because i do not know what i am meant to be doing