ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Antdung]

Hi guys new to the forums and looking forward to meeting likeminded people who dont look at me like im an alien for loving ants so much!

Had a fair bit of experience with my european species of Messor Barbarus, Lasius niger/flavus & Pheidole pallidula and confident enough to treat myself to an exotic species.

Went for the Polyrhachis Dives to start with a simpler exotic spec. after reading Miszt's brill posts (thx Miszt!).

Had my colony about a month now and all is going really well, seen 3 queens maybe more and about 300 workers, already laid LOTS of eggs even in just a month and am astonished at just how fast these guys reproduce!

Enclosed a pic of the open topped setup i've been using for a month now, have a 2 inch layer of vasteline around the top of the tank and also around the rim which seems to work perfect with not one escapee!!

Hopefully more pics of the ants/colony itself when i get a better camera.

Any tips/comments for me are more then welcome!

[mpir]

It looks nice. Only problem I see is if this set up is expendable or not. As you said, they reproduce very fast and I'm affraid that they will out grow it sooner than you think.

Beeing open setup, how do you regulate moist and temperature?

[Antdung]

The temperature i have a large heat matt which i made sure only covers half of the tank so they themselves have some choice as to the temperature they prefer on the ground, and also a heat bulb in the lamp shown to keep the tree heated, i also measure this at around 24 to 26 with the side away from the bulb being cooler.

I was hoping to encourage the ants into the tree itself but as per my luck i hadnt noticed the box's under the lava lamps are hollow and have a small hole allowing the ants in, they have settled in there blocking most activity being viewed! But im sure they'll outgrow that soon. Good news is a lot have also set up under a cooler section of the heat matt itself at the back of the tank and with the tank being glass bottomed i can slide under the table for an amazing view of lots of activity which is how i spotted all the eggs. They seem to take the eggs too and from the block to the ground nest at different stages in their growth more then likely to optimise their temperature/moisture, if u asve the pic it zooms in quite a lot and `u can see in the pic a line of them going back and forth from the two but they seem to absulutely thrive under the matt.

Moisture i maintain through keeping the tank regularly sprayed with a simple bottle sprayer,. the bark retains any excessive and dangerous ammounts of water pooling stopping the tank/ants being flooded and the ants love to drink the droplets left on the side of the glass, its amazing to watch especially if on the front of the tank under a magnifying glass, you can see their gasters fill up like a balloon as the droplet gets sucked up by the ant and dissapears!, i also keep a tray of cotton buds soaked in water allongside some soaked with honeywater (which they love!!), but they tend to ignore these prefering the droplets of water.

The cd i was using as a flat surface to place food on and has now being replaced by a proper dish, i also place feeding trays i made up in the tree which they regularly visit, allowing me to inspect the ants a lot closer then through the glass.

I'm not too sure about them outgrowing the setup, its as rather large tank and hopefully will allow much growth for them but i presume i'd have the same problem with any size tank i used. From reading bits n bobs i think the colony size is somewhat dependant on how much room they have to expand so wont over populate dangerously.

[JimmyVe]

Hello Antdung and welcome to the forum,

I must say i like you setup very much, looks cool. I would love to see some more pictures of you ants and other setups to. Good luck with these ants.

[Necturus]

You will need a cover for the tank to keep the winged ants from escaping.
Polyrhachis dives are some of the species suspected of incest, which would prove them a possible thread to our enviroment, should winged ants get out - please adjust your setup and be a good keeper
Greetings,
Necturus

[JimmyVe]

Well i forgot that for a moment, thanks Necturus.
Yes he is right you know, winged ants could be a problem, but i'm sure you can fix that some how.

[Antdung]

This is indeed something i have already thought of, i have some netting i can cover the tank with simillar to mosquito netting that they wouldnt get through so i can still keep the overhanging tree setup i have. Wouldn't have been able to see much if it was on in the pics however so i didnt include it. If push comes to shove tho i will indeed be responsible enough to simply add the lid

[miszt]

Looks good antdung glad my thread was inspirational to you!

I am moving my colony to a very large setup over the next month or so, using mosquito netting aswell

[Antdung]

It certainly was! Greatly appreciate it! Just hope i can encourage them into the tree, but patience is a virtue

As for the mosquito netting what can i say... Great minds think alike! lol

[NoMa]

Hello Antdung,

I'm sorry, but when I saw your setup I was like wtf. It looks realy realy strange to me.

The cheesy lava lamps with the aluminium foil, the CD inside, the cables in the tree, a thermometer in the centre of the front pane, the unaesthetic and incomplete breakout protection...

Sorry again, if my words are too hard, but i'm realy disappointed by this construct.

[miszt]

lol NoMa, did you get out of bed the wrong side or something?

When I read your post, I was like, wtf.

I can appriciate critism when its useful and constructive, we all need it to learn, but I can see nothing useful or constructive about your post, so I have to wonder what the point of it is?

We have a saying in England, you might have one simlar...

if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing

[NoMa]

lol NoMa, did you get out of bed the wrong side or something?

When I read your post, I was like, wtf.

I can appriciate critism when its useful and constructive, we all need it to learn, but I can see nothing useful or constructive about your post, so I have to wonder what the point of it is?

The point is the expression of my opinion, to give Antdung some feedback. But I agree in the point that my post was not very constructive. So here are some steps I would take:

- Remove the CD
- Remove the cables
- Remove the tree
- Remove the lava lamps
- Remove the vaseline(?)
- Build a cover
- Change the location of the thermometer
- use foam-tape and a thin film of oil or vaseline around the upright glass panes for outbreak protection
- Get some smaller plants
- Get some wood/roots
- Offer some moss (as building material)
- Offer a watering place

We have a saying in England, you might have one simlar...

if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing

I know the saying from an episode of "The Simpsons". It was translated literally.

But I think this saying is stupid and wrong. Corresponding behaviour will only lead to threads were someone posts about [whatever] followed by a number of posts saying how nice it is.

Why shouldn't I post my honest opinion?

[mpir]

But I think this saying is stupid and wrong. Corresponding behaviour will only lead to threads were someone posts about [whatever] followed by a number of posts saying how nice it is.

Why shouldn't I post my honest opinion?

I love your sincere post to be honest. I see too many post around here where somebody posts a picture of some horrible formicarium and then everybody says how great it is. I usually refrain myself from writing anything as it would only be my personal irrelavant oppinion. I guess aestethic is something very subjective. And if the person who built by my oppinon horrible formicarium, likes his creation, then let him enjoy it and have fun with it.

But I love your honesty nevertheless.

[Antdung]

Hello Antdung,

I'm sorry, but when I saw your setup I was like wtf. It looks realy realy strange to me.

The cheesy lava lamps with the aluminium foil, the CD inside, the cables in the tree, a thermometer in the centre of the front pane, the unaesthetic and incomplete breakout protection...

Sorry again, if my words are too hard, but i'm realy disappointed by this construct.

I'm afraid i agree with Miszt here, your post was more insult and flame then actualy constructive, could have been rather hurtfull to a new/younger or more sensitive member, but as it happens i've got tough skin .... if you would have taken time to actually ready my post before replying you sould have had some of your points answered

- remove the cd - the CD 'WAS' removed, it was placed in the tank as a temporary flat surface to place honeywater and food on.. I tried a standard white dish and they prefered something darker. This species seem to avoid anything white.

- remove the cables - the cables where also a temorary measure, they where only in there a day or so to encourage the ants into the tree and give them more routes up into the leaves (wich may i add worked great! they loved using the cables more then the actual tree! ) . they are now replaced with more branches as routes

- remove the tree - nah, it looks good and i like it. its your oppinion if you dont.

- remove lava lamps - again, nah, i like them, if you dont then thats your oppinion, the foil is actually a practical meassure to make them heat up faster, not to make them look better..and it works well.

- remove the vasteline??? - you talk about my setup being unsecure?? as i said in my post the vasteline works fine, if it didn't then yes i'd use other mediums like veg oil but it is doing it's job fine and none escape. ive not had one escapee, surely removing it would make it less safe.. and as previously put, i also have netting for further protection.

- get some smaller plants & moss - now this is the type of fair constructive comments i would expect. There is some grass and moss but this is a fair comment, i will indeed be adding more, thanks for your suggestion

- get some wood/root, again there is some in there, the base is actually wood & bark if you actually care to look at the pic.

- offer a watering place - AGAIN.. please read posts before reply, there is indeed a tub in there with water and cotton buds for them.

Thanks, Antdung

[Antdung]

Also NoMa i'd love to see your own setup if u have some pics or a link??