67 replies to this topic

[ctantkeeper]

That drawing is adorable :3

[Connectimyrmex]

Thanks

[Connectimyrmex]

I updated the species list (new orders, new identifications, and new species)

[Connectimyrmex]

Quick species update: I made a little "termitarium", as I'm going to call it, for my Reticulitermes colony. It has peat soil in the bottom, and some wood (rotten wood, which was dried for a month, washed, and then dampened again) pressed against the plastic The termites look very happy in it. The workers made a wall of peat soil to block their nesting chamber. I may be mistaken, but I think that I even saw a worker carrying an egg! 

I moved them because their tube molded over, killing two workers and all of the termite egg fungus mimics. Thankfully, the mold spread everywhere except for the spot coated in termite poop (aka their nesting spot). Glad that termite poop is antibacterial.

 

I also finished my setup for the Diabolical Ironclad Beetles (arriving this week, yay!). Apparently they prefer slightly dampened soil over dry conditions, so I pretty much made another forest terrarium. I also added a "desert beetle sampler" to my order (coming with a biocube kit). I hope they arrive alive and healthy!

 

Will add terrarium/animal pics sometime this week/month. I might put ant photos here as well.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, December 19 2017 - 9:34 AM.

[Connectimyrmex]

My beetles arrived! I got 1 Eleodes armatus, 1 Eleodes osculatus, 2 Nosoderma diabolicum, and one strange Tenebrio sp. with N. diabolical markings. The Eleodes armatus quickly won its way into my heart.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, December 20 2017 - 6:34 PM.

[Connectimyrmex]

The Eleodes armatus certainly loves Josh's Frogs roach rations. For some reason she loves it more than the roaches love it.

 

Her face is just covered with the powdery bits of the roach food. The Eleodes osculans is trying to eat the food off of the armatus's face.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, December 20 2017 - 6:44 PM.

[Connectimyrmex]

I keep on finding dead Camponotus alates stuck in spiderwebs in weird places (behind my roomba, behind my bookshelf, outside in an old birds nest, in my garage). 

 

I'm calling my unidentified Tenebrio (?) a "Diabolical Darkling", due to its resemblance to my diabolical ironclads.

 

Edited by Connectimyrmex, December 21 2017 - 10:14 AM.

[Connectimyrmex]

I just got some new Blaptica dubia nymphs! I can't just get over how cute they are...

[Connectimyrmex]

I kind of feel bad for the Petco roaches. They're kept in bad conditions. I moved my new nymphs into a cup with damp coconut fiber substrate and egg carton. They definitely look happy. 

I just learned that they love carrots.

[Connectimyrmex]

I just got a juvenile Pandinus imperator scorp! He's eating a dubia roach as I type.

[Connectimyrmex]

I'm thinking about buying some "white ant springtails" from RoachCrossing. The ones I have might as well be the same species, but a larger colony of springers could be fun to experiment with.

 

My new P. imperator baby is either dead or molting. For some reason, he went completely immobile yesterday, with his tail curled over his body. I'm hoping that he's molting (he got very fat recently), and I'll keep him in a dark place for another week. I hope he's not dead

 

I also learned that my new favorite pet store (a local one called Harris in Wonderland) carries Gyna sp.! I hope they sell them in colonies, I've always loved the genus's coloring.

 

Wish me luck with my little P. imperator. I hope he survives (and isn't dead)

[Connectimyrmex]

I almost forgot to mention that I bought a Betta (splendens) male a few days ago. I haven't kept the species in a while. The Petco that I bought him from marketed him as a "Paradise" male, but I learned that he is actually a "Mustard Gas" variant. He's in a 5 gal critter keeper right now, but I'm planning to clean out my older terrarium for him (I also need to buy a filter, his airstone probably won't do him any good).

[Connectimyrmex]

I just bought an adult pair of Blaptica dubia along with two large (female?) nymphs. They are absolutely adorable! I hope to get some babies from them in a few months.

 

I also got a mourning gecko, and she looks very nice (but she's still a bit thin).

When I was at Harris In Wonderland, I met another ant keeper (I had no idea that he was one), which was nice. Glad the CT anting empire is growing

[TennesseeAnts]

Nice! My favorite one of these is the paper wasps! But, alas, I'm still not allowed to keep them.

why no just keep them in a heated drum outside

Guessing his parents hate them. My parents like Paper Wasps due to my hours and hours of blabbing about the occasional foundresses I saw in Hawaii.

Annnnnnnd you are correct!

[Connectimyrmex]

I just bought a small aquarium to convert into a terrarium today. It originally was going to house my A. rudis colony, but I ended up putting my Mourning Gecko inside. The setup kind of looks weird with the native CT plants and the asian/polynesian gecko. I used uncooked wild soil from my backyard to get the most springtails and other scavenger arthropods, plus I added some predatory mites just in case. The gecko looks really happy in the terrarium.

[MegaMyrmex]

Everyday I go into this forum, waiting for a reply Man,I have to get me one of those geckos! They look adorable!

Edited by MegaMyrmex, January 13 2018 - 6:58 PM.

[Connectimyrmex]

Everyday I go into this forum, waiting for a reply Man,I have to get me one of those geckos! They look adorable!

Thanks!
I really love this gecko, she literally eats anything.

[Connectimyrmex]

My female dubia just gave birth to some adorable babies! I'm going to count them.

EDIT: Probably 27.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, January 15 2018 - 1:56 PM.

[Connectimyrmex]

I'm thinking about getting a small frog to live with my Mourning Gecko, but I'm not sure if my terrarium is big enough (I'm pretty sure that its 5 gal, its big enough for the 1/12 in mourning gecko to have plenty of space, but a frog might cramp things)

[Connectimyrmex]

My betta's in a 2.5 gallon with a new filter. He's looking great, except for a microscopic lump on his tail fin (not ich, but maybe fungus).