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pdr0cks: Need Help on Formicarium. (15. Mär 2009 11:48)

hi, I've never kept ants before but have kept animals and insects that require specialist care and I've decided that i want to keep Lasius n iger ants because they seem to be what pretty much everyone starts off with and have got a couple of questions on what the formicarium has to be like.
1. Do you have to have a seperate tank for foraging/garbage? or can you have a single tank thats half full so that they can forage etc above the nest entrance.
2. Is it possible to keep lasius niger in y-tong?
3. what size formicarium would I need if i started with 1 queen and say about 50 workers?
Thanks.

thecowmaster: Re: Need Help on Formicarium. (15. Mär 2009 13:41)

I can only anwser to the question 2:

Yes you can XD

JimmyVe: Re: Need Help on Formicarium. (15. Mär 2009 15:23)

Hello pdr0cks and welcome.

1. No you dont need more tanks (not for Lasius niger , you can have a single tank with the forage area above the nest area.
2. Yes in deed.
3. Best to start of with tubes. (or a small ytong).

tail__: Re: Need Help on Formicarium. (15. Mär 2009 16:39)

Well, if you can have a formicarium at start, why not use it. With my L. niger I started with new queen alone, and I put her into nest the colony lives now (ca. 20 months), test tubes are nice if you don't have a formicarium yet.

pdr0cks: Re: Need Help on Formicarium. (15. Mär 2009 21:24)

ty everyone.

TimLarge: Re: Need Help on Formicarium. (15. Mär 2009 21:28)

May I advise you read the Lasius niger caresheet? It has a ton of good tips on keeping this ant: http://formicopedia.com/lasius_niger_caresheet.pdf

Good luck with your first ants!