Substrates and Materials For Building Your Formicarium with Pros and Cons:
Firebrick (K-23 refractory brick, fired clay)
Ytong
Grout
Hydrostone/Gypsum
Plaster of Paris
Acrylic
Gel/Agar
Pumice
Firebrick (K-23 refractory brick, fired clay)
Pros:
Mold resistant
Easily absorbs water
Fairly lightweight depending type of firebrick
Fairly easy to carve with a dremel
Cons:
Can be somewhat difficult to find a local source (usually pottery supply stores). Expensive to ship
Several different types of firebricks made by different manufacturers can affect absorption and carvability
Some ant species can chew through it in time
Ytong
Pros:
Mold resistant
Easily absorbs water
Fairly lightweight
Fairly easy to carve with a dremel
Cons:
Very limited availability in some areas. In some areas like North America, it can be extremely difficult to get ytong. Expensive to ship.
Several different types of firebricks made by different manufacturers can affect absorption and carvability
Some ant species can chew through it in time (less likely than with firebrick)
Grout (unsanded and sanded)
Pros:
Mold Resistant
Absorbs water, but absorbs it fairly slowly. Although it holds the moisture for a long time.
Fairly heavy when compared to hydrostone
Easy to pour into any mold
Easily obtained at any stores that sells floor tiles.
Cons:
Must be mixed with additives like perlite and/or sand.
The exact mix affects weight, strength, and water absorption.
When fully cured it is hard to carve with a dremel
If it is less than 3/4 inch thick, it can crack easily
Unsanded grout and sanded grout behave slightly differently. Pure Unsanded grout absorbs water slowly, Pure Sanded grout does not like to absorb water at all. Some other slight differences as well.
Hydrostone/Gypsum
Pros:
Mold Resistant
Very good water absorption and distribution
Fairly lightweight
When cured it is fairly hard
Easy to mix and pour into any mold
Cons:
Limited availability - can be hard to find in stores, and shipping it can be expensive
Sweat - Hydrostone residue appears on the outside formicarium walls as it absorbs water. This does not affect keeping ants, it just looks ugly. The residue can be wiped off when wet or dry, and the residue slowly stops occurring after 3 months. If the water source is below the nest, it may cause holes to form.
Can discolor the hydrostone if some food left in nest gets moldy.
Once fully cured, it is hard to carve with a dremel.
Plaster of Paris
Pros:
Easily available and can be found at any craft store
Good water absorption
Easy to mix and pour
Somewhat hard when cured, somewhat easy to carve especially if damp.
Cons:
Highly prone to mold
Plaster rubs off easily if it rubs against anything
Wet plaster gets very soft
Acrylic
Pros
Mold resistant
Water absorption/humidity depends on nest setup, it can vary from needing water 2x/day to twice a month
Fairly cheap to make or easy to build. Easy to buy, with many designs available online.
Good visibility
Cons
Unless the floor has a substrate, species with formic acid may have problems if they deposit small drops of formic acid on the floor and stumble into them shortly afterwards.
Some species have difficulty walking/climbing on smooth acrylic
Air flow (and humidity) may vary with different designs
Soil filled nest (narrow vertical, narrow horizontal, or box shaped)
Pros
Most natural method
Get to view digging ability and ants choose tunnel sizes and shapes
Easily watered
Plants can be grown in box shaped soil nest
Cons
*There are many types of soil, and each behaves differently.
Vertical and box shaped soil filled nests can be prone to tunnel collapses. Horizontal nests with 4-8mm of height remove the potential for tunnel collapses.
Visibility isses with dirt smears on glass and ants placing soil against glass to block light.
Mold problems can occur
Difficult to convince colony to move
Gel/Agar
Gel nests seen online are not designed for a long term colony. They have nutrients in the agar solution which causes various problems. Please do not use that type of gel.
Agar (100% agar gelatin used for Cooking)
Pros
Can see the ants dig
Can be used in test tubes for queens that do not do well in ordinary test tubes
Cons
Can be difficult to re-hydrate
Difficult to convince colony to relocate
Pumice
Pros:
Mold resistant
Easily absorbs water
Fairly lightweight depending type of pumice
Easy to carve with a dremel
Cons:
There can be lots of variation from one pumice stone to another. Each stone may behave a bit differently in regards to carveability, water absorption, and strength.
Can be somewhat difficult to find a local source depending on your location (some pet stores carry it). Expensive to ship
Some ant species can chew through it in time
Keep in mind:
If ants drag food into the nest, the food may mold, even if the nest material may not.
Products under different brands, and in different locations, may be slightly different.
Different ways of setting up the nest can affect how often the nest needs to be watered, as well as ventilation, and other things.
Materials and Equipment Purchasing Guide:
