74 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

I like that one, much more natural looking than a lot of them, I would have liked to see a long shot though.

Looks like a Minihearth mk1 with outworld to the left

[DaveJay]

Yep, I just searched it and watched the introductory video from 2015, I was a bit surprised at how small it is. Nice idea though and very easily copied at home by the looks.

[CoolColJ]

So with this gypsum nest



I found a 9mm OD tubing, with 7mm ID fits perfectly into the side ports - really hard to get these here in Australia, it's either 8mm or 10mm tubing...
So I had to order some from Aliexpress. Food grade ones which feels much softer than the typical vinyl tubing here

Anyway a short piece of this wedges nicely into as 12mm x100mm graduated plastic test tube, since it has a slight taper.

With this wedged into a side port, with water and a cotton dam placed at the right depth, in the test tube, it all fits together neatly.
So now I have a drinking port, and possible some hydration from it.

I raised dual Pheidole queens in this test tube for a few months before the water got low, and without the queens in there, you can hold more water.
So it should last ages if the ants don't drink from it.
Far longer than any dedicated water feeder I know of!

I tried a 15mm x50mm tube with cotton dammed water in the foraging area, and it only lasted a week

Edited by CoolColJ, August 16 2018 - 4:23 AM.

[fleetingyouth]

These still seem to be sold out. I would love to get a couple like this. 

[CoolColJ]

These still seem to be sold out. I would love to get a couple like this.

no longer sold on Aliexpress, but you can get it on TaoBao

[CoolColJ]

Similar style of nest, but no magnets, the top sits loose
 
 
 
https://www.aliexpre...b7-94ae958e9550

Edited by CoolColJ, November 26 2018 - 12:08 AM.

[Leo]

I have a few tarheel ants mini hearth copies at home. INCREDIBLY cheap. 100$ HKD go check that with whatever currency you use.

[DaveJay]

I have a few tarheel ants mini hearth copies at home. INCREDIBLY cheap. 100$ HKD go check that with whatever currency you use.

$17.63 Australian, pretty good!
Compared to $59 for the real thing from AKD.

Edited by DaveJay, November 26 2018 - 5:59 AM.

[CoolColJ]

I have a few tarheel ants mini hearth copies at home. INCREDIBLY cheap. 100$ HKD go check that with whatever currency you use.

 

 

The copies actually have better visibility than the real thing

More like the original Minihearth. The quality and design of the later ones seems to have dropped off

[Leo]

Currently housing a non native ant species. They seem happy with it.

[fleetingyouth]

Hey Coolcolj. 

 

I was wondering how the humidity and water absorption went over time on those gypsum nests? I picked up this about the same time you got those and never used it. It has a lot of similar problems as you were testing on yours. 

 

It only has one small port down near the bottom at a large tunnel cave. I've tried wetting from the top and in the cave but both pool up with slow absorption.  

 

I'm worried if ants move in they may get flooded. I found if I use a syringe and poor water into the lowest corner of the open outworld section it will run to the bottom and I can wet the bottom inch easily without flooding however even though it seems to spread the material color changes back to the dry look in a few hours. 
 

I put a humidity meter in the outworld section closed it up and left it over night. The humidity went from 90% to 80%. Its just placed in a small office with about 70 degrees ambient. 

 

Using the humidity info since I can't see the moisture where you able to determine how well it stayed wet enough for your ants?

 

Thanks for any tips or info just trying to use this since I have it and I know its not perfect. I plan on making my own and just bought this one to test some ideas. 

 

 

 

 

[CoolColJ]

 

Hey Coolcolj. 

 

I was wondering how the humidity and water absorption went over time on those gypsum nests? I picked up this about the same time you got those and never used it. It has a lot of similar problems as you were testing on yours. 

 

It only has one small port down near the bottom at a large tunnel cave. I've tried wetting from the top and in the cave but both pool up with slow absorption.  

 

I'm worried if ants move in they may get flooded. I found if I use a syringe and poor water into the lowest corner of the open outworld section it will run to the bottom and I can wet the bottom inch easily without flooding however even though it seems to spread the material color changes back to the dry look in a few hours. 
 

I put a humidity meter in the outworld section closed it up and left it over night. The humidity went from 90% to 80%. Its just placed in a small office with about 70 degrees ambient. 

 

Using the humidity info since I can't see the moisture where you able to determine how well it stayed wet enough for your ants?

 

Thanks for any tips or info just trying to use this since I have it and I know its not perfect. I plan on making my own and just bought this one to test some ideas. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The type of gypsum they use is too hard, so it absorbs really slowly

 

I found the best way to get moisture in is to wick in water from a container or petri dish lid via cotton glove finger cut off and stuffed with cotton, or similar wick material.

The wick plugged into one of the ports touching the nest

Once I put a syringe worth of water into the dish it will absorb in over 15-30mins

 

This will stay over 80% humidity for at least 2 weeks.

Since it sucks from the petri dish lid is no bother to add water fairly frequently if desired, but it will over hydrate the nest

And mold issues etc

 

With your nest does it have a port into the nest itself?

You could put a ball of cotton on the nest and just make it really wet and it should absorb into the nest over time

 

One of my other similar clay nests has a gap under the nest itself in the container.

With a port to squirt water in there. The water never touches the nest itself, with no mesh, but the nest manages to stay above 80% humidity for months.

Just from evaporation

 

 

maybe you can raise your nest up a bit with cotton balls or a spacer and do something similar

Edited by CoolColJ, March 19 2019 - 10:15 PM.

[fleetingyouth]

Thanks that's super helpful. It has been sitting in the room holding about 80% humidity for a few days I will continue to monitor it. So if it can stay at 80% before adding more it should be fine? What about enough moisture for them to drink? Will i need to add a water source or will they be fine you think?

 

I like that raising it up idea. The ones I'm making I have been playing with the idea of putting an inch of sand on the bottom with a hose to the top for filling with water. So that seems kinda similar. 

[CoolColJ]

Yeah i think they can drink from the walls. One of my small colonies in a acrylic founding nest has no access to direct drinking water but are fine a year later, so they drink from the condensation on the mesh in front the hydration sponge. And probably from the moisture wicking between the acrylic layers.

if you want to be safe a wet cotton ball up top can provide all the water they need, and they might use it as a rubbish dump

 

80% humidity is fine for most ant species

Edited by CoolColJ, March 21 2019 - 3:59 AM.

[CoolColJ]

improved version

 

https://item.taobao....bucket=7#detail