ANTSTORE World of Ants

[JimmyVe]

At this moment I'm using a heat lamp for my species from Argentina. They need +-28°c. But it seems like they don't like the light.
I use "EXO-TERRA heat glo" red lamps.

I wash wondering to replace the lamps with a heater mat.
like this one
http://www.antstore.net/shop/index.php/ ... heater-mat
I never used them before, anyone have experience with them ? are they any good, what are the pro and contra's ?

Thanks

[HeldGoP]

i use these mats and can realy recommend them. they heat up the ground and need not that much energy like a lamp.

but avoid to heat an earth nest, if the thempertur is to high for the ants, they try to dig in the ground to reach cooler spots.

and you better buy a mat from exo terra, the one from the shop cant be glued to the fishtank like the exo terra.

greetings

[JimmyVe]

Thanks HeldGoP,

So i understand, it is better to use them in an Y-tong nest ?
Most of my colony's are in one so that is not problem.
But this are starting colony's, they are still in a tube but i have put the tube in a small tank so they have a little out world. Is it possible to use them there to.

What kind do i need to heat up this tanks:
- 60*30*40 (y-tong nest)
- 25*15*15 (small tanks)

Greets

[HeldGoP]

hi,

yes you can heat a test tube with a mat. i used one für the tube were my Myrmecia gyne foundet a colony. i control the temp with a thermal switch.

without that switch the 16w 20x25cm mat produces 35°C in the ytong nest.
here you can see pics from the ytong: http://www.antstore.net/viewtopic.php?t=4752

[JimmyVe]

Damn, nice pictures.

So you heated the nest with only the 16w mat ? Only the nest or the hole area ?

off topic: how are your Myrmecia doing ? Like this species very much, but they are to expensive for me.

[mpir]

@HeldGoP

Maybe this is not the place to ask this question. Nevertheless, how big do they get this Myrmecia colonies? Few hundred? Few thousand? Few hundred thousand? I know this ants are quite big. And how big do get this colonies in captivity?

Thanks for info

[HeldGoP]

hi.

@jimmy:

i heat the nest with a 16w mat, additionaly i use a smaal 3w mat to cover the front side of the nest. this prevents condensing water inside the nest.

the ants are doing fine, no canges since mi last update in the report.

and you are right with the price for the ants, they got even more expensive the last months.....

@ mpir:

i dont know how big they get, but i think not more than a few hundret.

greetings

[JimmyVe]

And the 16w mat is underneath the farm ?
That is not such a bad idea, i have condensing in my Lasius niger nest, but they don't need extra heating so maybe this is not a good way to solve that problem.

greets