10 replies to this topic

[Loops117]

Havent done much testing on barriers. Actually, only used extra virgin olive oil and it works great with every species i've tried it on.

 

My only issue is that it leaves a "wet" film over the glass and it makes the outworld seem steamy or really humid. I don't like this, and it hinders me from seeing my ants from the side of the outworld. As i'm building my new large outworld for a personal colony, i'd like to plan on a good barrier.

 

Anyone use anything that's nearly if not completely invisible? 

[T.C.]

Oil is the clearest barrrier I am aware of. However I don't know how much testing has been done?  It could be most people just went with oil, fluon, or a escape proof lid rather than searching for a alternative. What I am saying is just do some random testing and you might find something that works.

[Loops117]

As bad as this sounds, i'd rather not test a bunch of products. I really wanna just use byformica fluon, but i've seen outworlds with a nasty film from fluon. idk if it was user-error or if the product leaves that residue as it dries. There's a powder as well but i feel that won't be as effective. I may just not use a barrier, but it would be nice to not have ants getting out while i'm doing maintenance.

[Loops117]

If nothing works, i'll place a 1" barrier around the bottom were the glass meets the substrate.

[Serafine]

Build an inlay-lid for your outworld (basically a ring at the top). That way you can look at it from the side unobscured, plus while some few ant species can walk on Fluon vertically, non of them can upside-down.

[Loops117]

The outworld is a 10g exo terra terrarium. Has front opening doors.

[Vendayn]

Fluon is really clear when I use it. Its like its not even there. I only put a thin layer on, though. I lightly wipe off any excess with a dish towel. If its applied thick, it doesn't work as good from my experience.

 

I also use extra virgin olive oil beneath the fluon, and that works great. You may want to try (if you haven't already) putting the olive oil on a dish towel, then applying it on the glass/plastic (just a layer of it, not the whole thing). Then lightly (so it doesn't remove it all), wipe the extra olive oil with the dry part of the towel. If its runny or drips, then its too much and some ants can cross it easier. It does leave a little bit of a shine to it (a bit more than fluon), but only a little. Maybe that be a bigger deal to you though, but you can try it on a test container and see how it comes out. Also, it has to be a towel to wipe off the excess (and only wipe it lightly), not paper napkins or anything else as that actually ruins it and makes it not work as good. 

 

I find most ants can't cross olive oil (other oils don't work nearly as good), and then with fluon it adds an extra barrier. Plus as pointed out, they can't cross upside down if you decide to change your design a bit to add some kind of lip to the top of the formicarium.

[Loops117]

Thank you guys. I used too much on their current outworld and i lightly wiped it out with a paper towel. Perhaps i could have removed a little more?  I'll have to run some more tests to see how it turns out.

[drtrmiller]

The photo below is a fairly typical example of what I get when I apply byFormica Fluon markers to a flat surface—dark surfaces expose the hazy film, but you can still clearly see plenty of detail:



You will never get an invisible barrier with Fluon, but you will get a dry film, on which, unlike oils, the ants won't be able to place substrate. If you don't like your application technique, you can wipe it off with a damp cloth and try again. The worst examples I've seen come from overapplication, where the Fluon drips down the sides to form some sordid bukkake hellscape.

Although I haven't tried it, I don't see how Vendayn's suggestion of applying both oil and Fluon could be beneficial, given that Fluon is an aqueous dispersion until the water evaporates away to form the dry film. Last I checked, oil and water separate, and so I certainly don't see how the Fluon can be applied after the oil, without possibly contaminating/ruining the Fluon marker applicator tip.

You may have some difficulty with a glass tank configured to open from the front, as there is usually a high tolerance gap for the doors on hinges. You may need to design a custom physical barrier, or simply switch to a more conventional setup. As Serafine mentioned, a lid with a lip, under which the Fluon may be applied (as shown in the above photo), works best. Although Fluon will work on glass, it works best on virgin, high-gloss plastics.

Edited by drtrmiller, December 13 2016 - 9:15 AM.

[Loops117]

Thank you terry. I have a good plan for the tank i'm using. I plan on buying some of those small silicone peel n stick window seals or weather stripping and putting it in the gaps.. Gonna experiment with this one.

[Vendayn]

While I didn't know that about both oil and fluon. That is what I've done and works for me. Haven't had any issue with it. Maybe it is an issue, dunno, it is just one I haven't experienced. I've left it on for many months and never had to re-apply either of the two. That was with Forelius pruinosus/mccooki and they were kept pretty dry, so maybe that is why? But, I did the same with Pheidole megacephala when I kept them for a bit (only about three months till they went in the freezer), kept a bit more moist (open air formicarium, typical substrate nest) and never had an issue with them either, when I did both olive oil and fluon.

Edited by Vendayn, December 13 2016 - 9:07 PM.