29 replies to this topic

[CheetoLord02]

https://www.arthropodantics.com/

A new site ran by yours truly with the hope of bringing economic yet functional antkeeping supplies to the market!

I've personally been unhappy with the US Formicarium market for a while now. Essentially our only options are Tarheel Ants, which is excellent but expensive, or Amazon/Etsy, which are usually cheap in both price and quality. I've been thinking for a while now that it's time for a "middle of the road" option, something that won't empty your wallet and still provides a premium antkeeping experience.

With Arthropod Antics products, our goal is to fill in that niche in the market and provide to the community economic products that don't skimp on the quality. Hand-crafted, high quality formicaria.

These nests are designed to be suitable for the widest variety of species possible, whether it be Camponotus, Monomorium, Acromyrmex, or most other species you can think of, our nests promise a simple and enjoyable experience for antkeeper and ants alike.

More info can be found on the site, so head over there for an idea of what we've got in store! Hope to see everyone there!

Edited by CheetoLord02, August 29 2021 - 1:26 PM.

[ZTYguy]

Awesome! I’ll need to stock up on the formisquariums for Acromyrmex season. Also, I’m jumping with joy we have another US based formicarium website that is affordable and high quality.

[Antkeeper01]

yay i may buy one of these for my new pheidole colony

[Richard7sol]

Formicarium are good quality and great price. My ants don’t have trouble moving into them, I use them in a 80oz container with a bit of dirt.

[MelodicRedHawk]

How do the Formisquariums work? Are they supposed to act as one, giant single chamber? Or do the ants tunnel into it somehow?

[Mettcollsuss]

What's the depth difference between the shallow and the deep formisquariums?

[CheetoLord02]

How do the Formisquariums work? Are they supposed to act as one, giant single chamber? Or do the ants tunnel into it somehow?

Yes, it just acts as one large open chamber. It seems counterintuitive at first, however I have had no issues with the design thus far. I've even had some colonies make their own chambers out of brood, which is really cool to see.

 

What's the depth difference between the shallow and the deep formisquariums?

(roughly) a 5mm difference, with the shallow chamber being around 1cm and the deep chamber being around 1.5, on average. It may vary a little bit, but not by more than 3mm in either direction.

[MrPurpleB]

 

How do the Formisquariums work? Are they supposed to act as one, giant single chamber? Or do the ants tunnel into it somehow?

Yes, it just acts as one large open chamber. It seems counterintuitive at first, however I have had no issues with the design thus far. I've even had some colonies make their own chambers out of brood, which is really cool to see.

 

 

Chamber walls made out of brood, sounds wicked. Do you have any pictures that you may able to share? Would love to see it.

[CheetoLord02]

Not at the moment. The one colony who did it got too large and needed to be moved out. I do have a polygynous Pheidole colony in one and they've been piling brood up in a corner but leaving space for the queens, although it still doesn't exactly look like a real chamber.

[KitsAntVa]

Oh and my pogonomyrmex colony loves this nest as well.

[Chickalo]

 

How do the Formisquariums work? Are they supposed to act as one, giant single chamber? Or do the ants tunnel into it somehow?

Yes, it just acts as one large open chamber. It seems counterintuitive at first, however I have had no issues with the design thus far. I've even had some colonies make their own chambers out of brood, which is really cool to see. 

Did you make it one large chamber to allow room for fungus growers grow their fungi larger?  I know you're pretty big fans of them.  Also, can you make formisquarium smalls?  Preferably the size for small-medium size colony of smaller species (like my Ponera pennsylvanica) and maybe claustral chambers for larger species like Camponotus,

[CheetoLord02]

 

 

How do the Formisquariums work? Are they supposed to act as one, giant single chamber? Or do the ants tunnel into it somehow?

Yes, it just acts as one large open chamber. It seems counterintuitive at first, however I have had no issues with the design thus far. I've even had some colonies make their own chambers out of brood, which is really cool to see. 

Did you make it one large chamber to allow room for fungus growers grow their fungi larger?  I know you're pretty big fans of them.  Also, can you make formisquarium smalls?  Preferably the size for small-medium size colony of smaller species (like my Ponera pennsylvanica) and maybe claustral chambers for larger species like Camponotus,

 

The primary goal was to accommodate as many ant species as possible with one consistent design. By removing a chambered design it allows for the space to be used more efficiently by fungus growing species and larger ants in general, while not sacrificing any actual usability for smaller species.

A founding nest is not out of the question. If there's enough demand I can look into what I'd need to start producing a mini-sized nest.

[Devi]

I will say - when actually digging deep and looking at all material costs, labor, and how specialized and well done they are made, THA's products are actually very affordable, especially with how well made and high quality they are. It's incredibly difficult to make a formicarium at prices lower than those with the same materials THA uses - especially while maintaining quality. There really isn't another competitor right now that remotely compares to THA. (In my opinion.)

I just thought of another thing - whenever you buy THA's products you know you are getting a good product and you know that you won't get scammed. You also know that what you are buying has been tested hundreds of times. Mack is also very knowledgeable about all products and provides great customer service. There is more to price than JUST the product.

All that aside - good luck with the formicaria Cheeto! Looks like a great start and I look forward to see how ants do in them.

Edited by Devi, June 11 2021 - 5:40 PM.

[CheetoLord02]

I will say - when actually digging deep and looking at all material costs, labor, and how specialized and well done they are made, THA's products are actually very affordable, especially with how well made and high quality they are. It's incredibly difficult to make a formicarium at prices lower than those with the same materials THA uses - especially while maintaining quality. There really isn't another competitor right now that remotely compares to THA. (In my opinion.)

I just thought of another thing - whenever you buy THA's products you know you are getting a good product and you know that you won't get scammed. You also know that what you are buying has been tested hundreds of times. Mack is also very knowledgeable about all products and provides great customer service. There is more to price than JUST the product.

All that aside - good luck with the formicaria Cheeto! Looks like a great start and I look forward to see how ants do in them.

I have nothing against Mack at Tarheel Ants. His formicaria are extremely high quality, and I'm not calling them overpriced. For what you're getting, the price is fair. However when his smallest nest is $35, things can get expensive quickly. My goal was to create an option for antkeepers to still get high quality nests without having to pay a premium price. I have never had a bad experience with THA; that's not why I'm here. I just recognize that the main population of antkeeping is quite young, and often times don't have $35 (+shipping) to spend on a single nest. I absolutely will still recommend Tarheel Ants to people who can afford it, it's just not fair for there to be few options for those who can't.

[CheetoLord02]

Status update with Arthropod Antics: Things are going great! I was happy to release a new formicarium earlier this month; the Vertical Formisquarium! Designed mostly for Myrmecocystus, this nest allows room for repletes and other workers to hang from ceilings while still offering incredible visibility and plenty of room for brood to be stored. The nest is also suitable for most large ants, as they will be able to use the space most efficiently. I know Novomessor will use it to hang upside down and carry brood.

Formisquarium XLs are also back in stock!

Furthermore, I'm very excited to release an Acromyrmex food mixture soon! A mix of various dried plants that my Acromyrmex just can't get enough of. I know with Acromyrmex, the main issue people have is finding food that they like, especially as small colonies when they are the most picky. I have gathered a local variety of plants that my Acromyrmex go crazy for, and will soon be selling bags of it on arthropodantics.com, so keep an eye out!

Next on the agenda is a Vertical Formisquarium XL and other equipment. I'm looking into selling small bottles of fluon as well as individual syringes, so that people who don't already have one can just grab one with their first order and have it to hydrate all of their Arthropod Antics nests.

In the future I will also be looking into a Formisquarium Mini and Formisquarium Mega, which are both pretty self explanatory, although those are likely a bit further down the line, unless demand for them increases.

[yaboiseth]

Status update with Arthropod Antics: Things are going great! I was happy to release a new formicarium earlier this month; the Vertical Formisquarium! Designed mostly for Myrmecocystus, this nest allows room for repletes and other workers to hang from ceilings while still offering incredible visibility and plenty of room for brood to be stored. The nest is also suitable for most large ants, as they will be able to use the space most efficiently. I know Novomessor will use it to hang upside down and carry brood.

Formisquarium XLs are also back in stock!

Furthermore, I'm very excited to release an Acromyrmex food mixture soon! A mix of various dried plants that my Acromyrmex just can't get enough of. I know with Acromyrmex, the main issue people have is finding food that they like, especially as small colonies when they are the most picky. I have gathered a local variety of plants that my Acromyrmex go crazy for, and will soon be selling bags of it on arthropodantics.com, so keep an eye out!

Next on the agenda is a Vertical Formisquarium XL and other equipment. I'm looking into selling small bottles of fluon as well as individual syringes, so that people who don't already have one can just grab one with their first order and have it to hydrate all of their Arthropod Antics nests.

In the future I will also be looking into a Formisquarium Mini and Formisquarium Mega, which are both pretty self explanatory, although those are likely a bit further down the line, unless demand for them increases.

I would absolutely LOVE an Acromyrmex food mixture for my picky colony. Looking forward to that and the Vertical Formisquarium!

[CheetoLord02]

New Supplies page featuring Acromyrmex versicolor food mix has been released! Other supplies to come soon.

https://www.arthropo...cs.com/supplies

Formicaria page also updated to include the new Vertical Formisquarium XL and updated images to replace some outdated ones.

https://www.arthropo....com/formicaria

[CheetoLord02]

Added a testimonials section! If you'd like to get added, shoot me a message! I'd love to get more feedback about everything and add slowly add more and more to the testimonials page.

https://www.arthropo...om/testimonials


Also... coming soon:

Edited by CheetoLord02, September 3 2021 - 7:02 PM.

[CheetoLord02]

Big update!

Overhauled the Formicaria page to include sub-categories for each different type of nest we offer (horizontal, vertical, outworlds). Take a look!

https://www.arthropo.../all-formicaria


Also released the Mini Formisquarium as well as the Formisquarium Series Collection! Both can be found on the Horizontal Formicaria page here:

https://www.arthropo...ntal-formicaria

[AntBoi3030]

You're on a roll!

Edited by AntBoi3030, September 14 2021 - 11:04 AM.