20 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

I guess this is why they blew out all the stock of the older designs a few months back

 

Looks to be modular like, allowing each section to be closed/opened, with interesting details.

Extra sections can be bolted into each other or flipped in different directions

Gypsum back plate for hydration flow

 

http://en.antsrussia.ru/shop/ant_farms

 

 

 

Edited by CoolColJ, May 17 2018 - 4:22 AM.

[MaxGen]

I just ordered the X8 medium. this past weekend after seeing RobJ's Ants review here:  https://youtu.be/8Mum3Ojwc8I    I actually called him out in the comments on the review because it seemed to be so favorable.  He assured me that the nest was not a gift and it was an impartial review.

 

I ordered the Medium gypsum nest last year from AntsRussia and my Camponotus love it.  They moved into it within an hour of presenting it to them.  Sadly AntsRussia seems to only sell the X8 now.

 

I'm not sure what colony I will place n the X8, maybe one of my fast growing Lasius colonies.  Should give me plenty of room for them to grow.

[CoolColJ]

I think the AntHill X8 Optima is the most flexible package, as you have the vertical outworld-nest setup, but can also do the other positions the other setups can do.

 

This nest is pretty nice for my Pheidole, as when they get to a certain size, they can just explode in numbers overnight.

 

When you get to 50-100 workers and fill up a test tube, and transfer to this nest, and just open up one chamber and the corridor, that would be around two test tubes worth of space.

Then open up each section as you go.

According to the site, these can hold 15,000 4mm sized ants.... and at 3mm Pheidole minor workers, minus a few thousand for the queen and majors is more than enough

 

When I see others raising Pheidole with other nests, they have to keep adding more and more nests over time, and it gets messy.

Either it's too small or way too big for the colony

 

Plus I like the fact I can change from horizontal to vertical nest positioning anytime I want.

Although with the gypsum backing, horizontal would make the most sense, as the ants now have a nice surface to walk on, instead of the slippery acrylic, that some species have issues with

Edited by CoolColJ, May 17 2018 - 2:21 PM.

[CoolColJ]

[CoolColJ]

I think the AntHill X8 Optima is the most flexible package, as you have the vertical outworld-nest setup, but can also do the other positions the other setups can do.
 
This nest is pretty nice for my Pheidole, as when they get to a certain size, they can just explode in numbers overnight.
 
When you get to 50-100 workers and fill up a test tube, and transfer to this nest, and just open up one chamber and the corridor, that would be around two test tubes worth of space.
Then open up each section as you go.
According to the site, these can hold 15,000 4mm sized ants.... and at 3mm Pheidole minor workers, minus a few thousand for the queen and majors is more than enough
 
When I see others raising Pheidole with other nests, they have to keep adding more and more nests over time, and it gets messy.
Either it's too small or way too big for the colony
 
Plus I like the fact I can change from horizontal to vertical nest positioning anytime I want.
Although with the gypsum backing, horizontal would make the most sense, as the ants now have a nice surface to walk on, instead of the slippery acrylic, that some species have issues with

As I was saying Pheidole colonies can get ridiculous growth
Perfect nest for these types of ants

[Skwiggledork]

Anyone using this formicarium? I Don't have a colony big enough to need it at the moment, but I like the look of it and am thinking of picking it up for later. Hopefully in a year or two my new C.chromaiodes queen will have enough workers to move into the first chamber or two. Anyone know if you can hook nests together like front to back?

[CoolColJ]

Anyone using this formicarium? I Don't have a colony big enough to need it at the moment, but I like the look of it and am thinking of picking it up for later. Hopefully in a year or two my new C.chromaiodes queen will have enough workers to move into the first chamber or two. Anyone know if you can hook nests together like front to back?

 

Should be able as these nests are modular and have multiple ports on all sides

edit - They don't appear to have ports on the side facing away from the outworld, since the hydration chamber is on that side

 

But best to shoot Ant Russia an email to confirm

 

At very least you can put them side by side

 

 

edit2 - you can probably connect them together on the front side, the side facing the outworld in the photos, and then connect to the outworld using the side ports like this

 

https://youtu.be/8Mum3Ojwc8I?t=2m10s

Edited by CoolColJ, June 5 2018 - 2:19 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Looks pretty good with large ants

 

[MaxGen]

I moved my Tertamorium immigrans  colony into my X8.  They accepted the nest readily and moved in over night.  BTW, I could not get this colony to move into the AntsCaada Hybred 2.0 nest. 

 

I'm getting the occasional escape though.  Haven't figured out where they are getting out from yet...   It's possible my escapes are happening at the joint to my outworld as well.  I can't say it is the X8 for sure yet.

 

They are able to slip past the two top shut-off pieces into the two top chambers.  The shut-off pieces are not quite flush against the side.  This would only be a problem for small ants...

[Jamie_Garrison]

I moved my Tertamorium immigrans  colony into my X8.  They accepted the nest readily and moved in over night.  BTW, I could not get this colony to move into the AntsCaada Hybred 2.0 nest. 

 

I'm getting the occasional escape though.  Haven't figured out where they are getting out from yet...   It's possible my escapes are happening at the joint to my outworld as well.  I can't say it is the X8 for sure yet.

 

They are able to slip past the two top shut-off pieces into the two top chambers.  The shut-off pieces are not quite flush against the side.  This would only be a problem for small ants...

 

is anyone else having this issue... looking into one of these for S invicta that i need to move soon

[MaxGen]

I reworked my setup.  Used some sticky putty to seal the tube where it meets the nest and outworld.  I haven't seen any rogue explorers on my desk for 24 hours.  They were probably squeezing by the connection points.  Note that I am not using the outworld that came with my X8. I'm saving that for another project.

 

If you are going to get one, don't forget to use the 10% off code from RobJ's Ants channel -- Code# ROBJSANT

 

This is my favorite formicarium so far.

[CoolColJ]

How is the hydration system working out?

 

How long do the hydration test tubes last before getting low?

 

I think this might be the nest for my Pheidole antipodum/Carebara type queens, as they can explode overnight with tons of minor workers, and I need flexibility in nesting space.

Not too many options, apart from some the Chinese acrylic nests, everything else just doesn't have the capacity nor the right type of design.

Edited by CoolColJ, June 8 2018 - 3:04 PM.

[MaxGen]

Hydration system is working well.  I'm only using 1 tube, and it lasts about 5 days.  There is plenty of hydration left in the gel though, so it can go for longer.

 

My Tertamorium have primarily nested on the hydrated side, with 2/3 the brood.  A smaller group and about 1/3 the brood is on the other side.  Both in the lowest chambers closest to the hydration.  Because these Tetramorium were getting past the chamber barriers at the top, they have too much room now.  They have started putting trash in the top left chamber.  Consider that for the people planning on using these for small ant species and just give them less chambers to start.

 

 

 

[CoolColJ]

I find it strange these nests have the red cover for the top, but the sides are exposed

[CoolColJ]

Been thinking a bit...

and it wouldn't be hard to replace the test tubes with a tubing into a big plastic container of water, then it would last months

[CoolColJ]

They added a Gypsum and Ytong nest to the lineup, with gel chambers on either side

These do not appear to be modular, but much cheaper with a built in outworld

 

 

edit - seems like the nests have dropped in price a lot across the board

 

 

 

Edited by CoolColJ, August 2 2018 - 6:11 PM.

[MaxGen]

CoolColJ, Thanks for pointing this out.  I love the Ants Russia products.  Just ordered the AntHill X-8 G-Inside model.  Thought it would be interesting to see how looking over the outworld into the nest works out.  Think I will put one of my Lasius colonies in this nest.

 

FYI, ROBJSANTS coupon still works for a 10% discount.  

[CoolColJ]

Well that inside model wouldn't be for me, as I like to take macro photos, and the distance would be too great

[CoolColJ]

CoolColJ, Thanks for pointing this out.  I love the Ants Russia products.  Just ordered the AntHill X-8 G-Inside model.  Thought it would be interesting to see how looking over the outworld into the nest works out.  Think I will put one of my Lasius colonies in this nest.

 

FYI, ROBJSANTS coupon still works for a 10% discount.  

 

 

ROBJSANT

[MaxGen]

Oops..  Sorry about that.  Did you just buy something