What formicarium for Aphaenogaster cf. araneoides?

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What formicarium for Aphaenogaster cf. araneoides?

Beitragvon dijuna » 5. Apr 2017 13:40

I want to buy Aphaenogaster cf. araneoides colony from Antstore. I'm not really a beginner as I've had ants for years before the college. I took a long break from the hobby and now I wish to get back to it. I have two problems with choosing the nest (I have the outworld already prepared):
1) Material. I don't really like cork: it's hard to water and ants tends to dig into it, ruining the viewing pleasure. I like acryl glass and beton, but I know some ants don't like living in such conditions (my Camponotus spp. didn't seem to care, but Manica rubida was ignoring the nest and prefered to live under some random rock until I have it the cork nest). Will I have any problems, ignoring tips from Antstore (about the species liking cork or sand-based nests) and picking one of these materials? I would go for beton, as high and constant humidity is easy to maintain.
2) Size. These ants seems to be tall, judging from the legs shape. Is the height of the nest which was okay for Camponotus ligniperda, okay for Aphaenogaster cf. araneoides or I'm overthinking it and smaller height is okay too? I know ants like to be close to each other and the species' maximum colony size is 200 workers: what nets size (approximately) will be okay for them? I don't want to have too big of a nest, I don't like when it seems empty.

And, well... hello, as it's my first post here. :)
dijuna
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Re: What formicarium for Aphaenogaster cf. araneoides?

Beitragvon Atom Walker » 5. Apr 2017 18:07

Hi dijuna,

the choice of yours is interesting: Aphaenogaster araneoides. Often contemplated to get them for myself.

Well, I can only answer to your question of size. Your Camponotus ligniperdus nest size should work fine. In tendency it might be too big rather than too small. The colony size is in comparison quite different, too. Have you read that these ants need a few nests, not only a single one? The colony size that Antstore sells is already quite developed. Perhaps a colony being kept at home might not reach higher numbers than 100 individuals. It certainly depends on the conditions. Therefore build a few small nests.

Good Luck! Keep us posted!

Greetings, Atom
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