110 replies to this topic

[KBant]

I use the claves too! Lol I have them at work too. I work in a hospital haha

[soulsynapse]

Been following this thread- any updates? Love your designs

[FSTP]

Are these photos showing up for you guys? I can see them. But let me know if they aren't I'll try and update it with a different hosting site. I have some new ideas I'm going to try in regards to formicarium building. I'll update this thread when I start trying to build them. Thanks for the interest guys!

[Rstheant]

Can you put the link in this thread to where you got ALL the materials?
Great job!
I tried to make one and put a m.navajos in there. They already have repletes
I think honeypots will like it
Keep up the good work

[DaveJay]

I've read this from the beginning and if the last picture was 21st March then I can see them all, if you posted some today then no.

Great ideas btw. Does the round style swivel around the tube to line up one on top of the other? It seems like it should.

[neoponera]

update on the Pogonomyrmex queen on those stacked petri dishes?

[FSTP]

Just a quick Update.

 

made some quick little founding petri dish formicariums today. This time I used some "sandstone" pigment in the hydrostone, maybe a little to much...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

an ant

 

  

     

Edited by FSTP, November 12 2018 - 6:39 PM.

[FSTP]

update on the Pogonomyrmex queen on those stacked petri dishes?

 

 

Sadly, she didn't make it I don't think she was fertile she just lingered on for a few months then kicked the bucket...

[Rulkan]

All of these are absolutely amazing. I can't wait to see more!

[Kalidas]

So I have never really worked with hydrostone. Do you just shape it how you want and it dries out the way you shaped it? Also how water absorbent is it? Very or not really at all?

[YsTheAnt]

Hydrostone is extremely water absorbent and behaves identically to grout or plaster of Paris when casting, except that it expands a small percent which helps it "glue" itself to containers.

[Leo]

what is that white stuff in the first picture?

 

Just a quick Update.

 

made some quick little founding petri dish formicariums today. This time I used some "sandstone" pigment in the hydrostone, maybe a little to much...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

an ant

 

  

     

[AntsCalifornia]

How do you get the hysrostone out, I tried it before but the hydrostone was stuck in the container and I smashed the container to bits trying to get it out. That was the last time I ever tried hydrostone. I tried making the mini hearth, but instead a design that allowed water to soak into the hydrostone because the evaporation method has always kind of bugged me since they can't drink from it and it is too dry for some species I think. 

[FSTP]

 

what is that white stuff in the first picture?

 

Just a quick Update.

 

made some quick little founding petri dish formicariums today. This time I used some "sandstone" pigment in the hydrostone, maybe a little to much...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

an ant

 

  

     

 

That's a non hardening modeling clay called Plastilina.

 

How do you get the hysrostone out, I tried it before but the hydrostone was stuck in the container and I smashed the container to bits trying to get it out. That was the last time I ever tried hydrostone. I tried making the mini hearth, but instead a design that allowed water to soak into the hydrostone because the evaporation method has always kind of bugged me since they can't drink from it and it is too dry for some species I think. 

 

 

I use vegetable/canola oil lightly coated all over the mold so it slides out easier afterwards. With the Mini hearth Design you can slightly overfill the water tower if you want some water to soak into the hydrostone. Also with the Genuine THA Mini-hearth there are ports for you to place "nestmates" in so the ants can drink directly from then if you want them to have direct access to water in the nest while they're founding.

 

 

I didn't have any Nestmates for my home made Mini-Hearths so what I've don for direct water access is I've adapted some Byformica liquid feeders for the ant can drink directly from it. 

 

  
     

[AntsCalifornia]

Thanks for the help, I'll give these nests another try this weekend and try the vegetable oil.

 

Update: It worked!!! Thanks! If you want to see the finished product scroll to the bottom of this, http://www.formicult...ne-formicarium/

Edited by AntsCalifornia, December 1 2018 - 3:32 PM.

[FSTP]

So I wanted to make a formicarium using dirt. So since i no longer have a 3d printer I thought I'd make a "poor mans" version of Drew's "Dirt Shack". 

 

So everything that would be plastic on Drews formicarium is Hydrostone on mine. The only difference is that my water storage is on the bottom and will hopefully wick its way up through the hydrostone. At least hats idea. I know hydrosome erodes after some time when used in this fashion, so I don't intend to use this for very long. Think of it as a short term founding set up at best.

 

 

So I used a doll display case and molded clay in the appropriate places

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Then poured in hydrostone like one does and  was left with this hydrostone insert. So I molded little chambers into the insert spacer so that when the ants feel like it they can expand into those little chamber sections. That way they have more room then just the narrow space between the container and insert.

 

 

 

 

 

Here it is inserted into the display container.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now I just need to add some dirt. I'm going to get some tomorrow. I also need to add a little water port clave to the bottom so I can inject water as needed. I also plan on making a small cover for the bottom so you can't see the water section.

 

 

So without dirt it looks very "poor man" but once some dirt is added it will be fine.

[AntsCalifornia]

 Great job on these formicariums! I think I might have an idea to lengthen the life of the formicarium, though. Instead of making a water chamber underneath, just leave the thing on the bottom, no pole. Then, drill a hole through the bottom hydrostone and put a right angle tubing extender, or whatever those things are called, and hydrate it through that. If you're wondering what the heck I'm trying to say, I got my idea from the way this guy hydrates his hydrostone nests, https://www.youtube....h?v=6qXt0OAd26Y (skip to 2:48 and watch till about 4:00)

Edited by AntsCalifornia, December 2 2018 - 5:49 PM.

[FSTP]

I placed some nice sandy loamy dirt in it and added the watering clave

 

 

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 Great job on these formicariums! I think I might have an idea to lengthen the life of the formicarium, though. Instead of making a water chamber underneath, just leave the thing on the bottom, no pole. Then, drill a hole through the bottom hydrostone and put a right angle tubing extender, or whatever those things are called, and hydrate it through that. If you're wondering what the heck I'm trying to say, I got my idea from the way this guy hydrates his hydrostone nests, https://www.youtube....h?v=6qXt0OAd26Y (skip to 2:48 and watch till about 4:00)

 

 

Thanks!. I've seen that guys builds. They're really nice and clean. I'd love to see some with ants in them. Unfortunately that system of watering I imagine wouldn't mitigate hydrostone erosion, as you still have a small body of water in constant contact with the hydrostone. The issue is when you have water slowly flowing through hydrostone in a capillary fashion there is going to be erosion. I could have avoided this by using a ceramic medium for the watering section. Similar as to how drew uses unglazed bisque ceramic tiles in his watering systems. Since this was just a quick and dirty (maximum pun intended) nothing is really optimal with it. I just needed a dirt setup quick for a fussy queen.

[Kalidas]

Oh man these look great! Drew better watch out, there may be a new king of formicarium building.

[FSTP]

Well I placed one of me Pogonomyrmex rugosus queens in the dirt box. This queen has been really restless and kept pulling and pullng at her cotton, and she layed a few eggs but then they got lost in the cotton. So I think this dirt shack will do he some good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also here is a video of her digging