39 replies to this topic

[UberDuber]

This idea is awesome! I'll be making a few of these this evening. I have quite a few colonies outgrowing their tubes and can't afford a nice formicarium for all of them.

 

Where do you guys get the wire mesh for breath-ability? I went to the hardware store and they didn't have any. Also, what do you guys use to attach the tubes to the containers and where do you get it?

[PTAntFan]

Just wanted to let you know, I finished mine and they came out great! My queens are enjoying them much more than their old test tubes.





I love how I can add/subtract sections based on what I need at the time. Thanks again for posting the tutorial!

Fantastic!  I like the addition of the grout.  Enjoy!

[PTAntFan]

This idea is awesome! I'll be making a few of these this evening. I have quite a few colonies outgrowing their tubes and can't afford a nice formicarium for all of them.

 

Where do you guys get the wire mesh for breath-ability? I went to the hardware store and they didn't have any. Also, what do you guys use to attach the tubes to the containers and where do you get it?

I am pretty sure I got mine at lowes but if you search "stainless steel mesh" on Amazon I am sure you can find something cheap that'll work.

[UberDuber]

Thanks I found it on amazon! FYI, Drew's cotton gloves are even cheaper now. Really good buy.

Does anyone know whether Tetramorium would have trouble climbing through this tower without me adding tubes for ramps?

[Hikari]

Thanks I found it on amazon! FYI, Drew's cotton gloves are even cheaper now. Really good buy.

Does anyone know whether Tetramorium would have trouble climbing through this tower without me adding tubes for ramps?

If you see how mine have the grout going up the sides, between the holes in the sections, that really helps with climbing. I put Ponera in a mini-version I made, and they can climb up and down grout just fine, and this is a species who can't even walk on plastic or glass when it's horizontal. You could also just try sandpapering the walls where they climb to make it rough and give them a foothold.

[yen_saw]

The same thing for my Pseudomyrmex pallidus set up

 

 

[PTAntFan]

Great to see all the adoption and creative expansions! Yen-Saw can you tell me about those sticks?
Great to see all the adoption and creative expansions! Yen-Saw can you tell me about those sticks?
Great to see all the adoption and creative expansions! Yen-Saw can you tell me about those sticks?

[Zeiss]

Great to see all the adoption and creative expansions! Yen-Saw can you tell me about those sticks?
Great to see all the adoption and creative expansions! Yen-Saw can you tell me about those sticks?
Great to see all the adoption and creative expansions! Yen-Saw can you tell me about those sticks?

Pseudomyrmex tend to nest inside of twigs, so that is probably why he has all of them there.  

[anttics]

I like this set better than the one I have. here is a pic.


if I want to change a tube for what ever reason. I just unplug it and place it on the out world. ants move back to nest in less than an hour. you do not have to wait for them to move. too bad this set up I have is the last I'll do. next will be a proper formicarium in a 40 gallon tank. first they need to reach the few thousands.

[Trooper]

I love this simple idea so i made a hydration system to wick to a grout base, happy with the result but the sponge is rubbish at wicking and the grout doesnt get moist.

[nurbs]

Aren't those containers great? I've also made quite a few formicariums with these stackable containers as well, but use a sponge and vinyl with a hole drilled in the middle for hydration and hydrostone as the floor. I have them inside a bin as an outworld also with laid with hydrostone.

[T.C.]

Aren't those containers great? I've also made quite a few formicariums with these stackable containers as well, but use a sponge and vinyl with a hole drilled in the middle for hydration and hydrostone as the floor. I have them inside a bin as an outworld also with laid with hydrostone.

They are, when I ran out of test tubes I was forced to do this....

 

[TennesseeAnts]

Aren't those containers great? I've also made quite a few formicariums with these stackable containers as well, but use a sponge and vinyl with a hole drilled in the middle for hydration and hydrostone as the floor. I have them inside a bin as an outworld also with laid with hydrostone.

They are, when I ran out of test tubes I was forced to do this....
 

How are you getting water to the top?

[T.C.]

 

 

Aren't those containers great? I've also made quite a few formicariums with these stackable containers as well, but use a sponge and vinyl with a hole drilled in the middle for hydration and hydrostone as the floor. I have them inside a bin as an outworld also with laid with hydrostone.

They are, when I ran out of test tubes I was forced to do this....
 

 

How are you getting water to the top?

 

The cotton pulled up through the center did just fine for Camponotus. In a similar setup, they had actually went through that cotton and killed the other queen a "floor" down.

[TennesseeAnts]

Well, that is not nice! She needs a time out!

[KBant]

OMG, this is so cool! I've been trying to think of a formicarium solution that wouldn't break the bank, and would be easy to make, and this seems perfect! I'd just need some of those bead containers, some aquarium silicone, and some material to shove the cotton in, and I'd be set!

They sell a multi-sized pack of those bead containers at JoAnn's: http://www.joann.com...6.html#start=23, which I think will be plenty to play with!

I think instead of having a separate water container though, I'll just drill a small hole near the top of the water section and use the syringe that came with my THA formicarium to fill it. I don't have ants that are as escape-happy as the ones you were containing with this set-up, so having some tiny open holes here or there won't be as bad.

Mine tend to be a bit jumpy though, so I think I'll line the bottom of each layer with grout. If I line up the holes correctly, I could probably even make little "stairs" between layers out of siliconed stones too. I have some extra aquarium pebbles I could use for that. Let's see if my obsession with making towers in Minecraft helps me plan my little ant towers, lol.

Bless you for coming up with this idea though, this is great!

 

thanks!! i bought the containers this morning and the ideas are endless for what can be done with these! only $6 for 30 containers! 

[CoolColJ]

I saw a commercial nest on Taobao that took this idea and expanded it

 

https://gd1.alicdn.com/imgextra/i1/259073266/TB2HXR8qgmTBuNjy1XbXXaMrVXa_!!259073266.jpg

 

https://gd3.alicdn.com/imgextra/i1/259073266/TB2XD0oh5CYBuNkSnaVXXcMsVXa_!!259073266.jpg

 

https://gd3.alicdn.com/imgextra/i3/259073266/TB2G_yvjk9WBuNjSspeXXaz5VXa_!!259073266.jpg

Edited by CoolColJ, June 22 2018 - 3:40 PM.

[PTAntFan]

I love it! There are no stolen ideas, only visionaries, entrepreneurs and customers.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

Would a cork work equally well for the hydration system? It would probably be tighter fitting, and therefore harder for the ants to squeeze past. Obtaining a small enough cork might be a problem, and I don't know if corks are treated with pesticides or not.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I'm asking because this might be great for my Temnothorax colony.