6 replies to this topic

[Shareallicu]

Has anyone ever made a formicarium out of cement?   How is it compared to grout?  Grout is so expensive in comparison so I was hoping I could use cement thanks!

[Crystals]

I have never tried cement, but I have no plans to try it since most attempts I read about ended in dead ants.

I used to do a lot with ponds and cement has a bad habit of raising the ph of the water.  It must also do something to ants.  You can try if you want, I would be interested in seeing the long term results.

 

Either way, one small box of grout can make several nests.

There are other commonly used mediums when it comes to building formicariums - http://www.formicult...ium/#entry11018

[dspdrew]

After fully cured, cement (portland cement I assume you are talking about) barely absorbs water.

[T.C.]

Like Drew said, the water absorption is the problem here.

[Alabama Anter]

Yes, I would go with grout as well because of better water absorber

[dspdrew]

I'm actually going to be using cement in some of the naturalistic formicariums I am designing. I actually don't want a material that absorbs water, because I usually have a permanent water source. If you have a permanent, uninterrupted water source, your whole nest will be saturated and the ants will not be happy.

[Shareallicu]

I'm actually going to be using cement in some of the naturalistic formicariums I am designing. I actually don't want a material that absorbs water, because I usually have a permanent water source. If you have a permanent, uninterrupted water source, your whole nest will be saturated and the ants will not be happy.

I usually keep the water source separate from the formicarium