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can you use clay for making ant formicariums


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9 replies to this topic

#1 Offline AntPerson - Posted April 14 2018 - 11:24 AM

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all in the title



#2 Offline KBant - Posted April 14 2018 - 9:33 PM

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What kind of clay? Moldable clay? Baked in a kiln? Used to just form chambers or used as a nesting material? You see how your question is vague and perhaps “all in the title” is not sufficient? Try putting in more of an effort if you want to get back serious replies please.
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#3 Offline StopSpazzing - Posted April 16 2018 - 9:59 PM

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https://www.antkeepi...lding_Materials

 

Non-drying modeling clay can't be used.


> Ant Keeping Wiki is back up! Currently being migrated from old wiki. :)Looking to adopt out: Crematogaster sp. (Acrobat Ants) colonies

#4 Offline Klassien - Posted April 16 2018 - 10:07 PM

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Are you talking about the whole formicarium? What kind of clay? What did you have in mind?

Stay away from modeling clay that you can pick up at the store.



#5 Offline ken14400 - Posted April 17 2018 - 7:49 AM

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Are you talking about the whole formicarium? What kind of clay? What did you have in mind?

Stay away from modeling clay that you can pick up at the store.

what about air dry clay?



#6 Offline antnest8 - Posted April 17 2018 - 1:31 PM

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i once did that. the colony never moved in plus air-dry will crumble into a muddy powder when touching water. maybe kiln clay would work


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have 1 camponotus queen

1 crematogaster queen

5 lasius umbratus queens


#7 Offline dspdrew - Posted April 17 2018 - 2:53 PM

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Clay will work great, if it's fired in a kiln. In my opinion it's probably the best material you could make the typical naturalistic formicarium out of. Just making a formicarium out of it will probably be more difficult than any other material. I can't think of any other nest making material that absorbs water, is rock hard, and doesn't dissolve or break down.



#8 Offline nurbs - Posted April 17 2018 - 3:59 PM

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all in the title

 

I always do my best to help and answer questions, especially to new users. 

 

But when you don't even put the effort to ask a question, I don't respond. I've seen so many posts like this. Some of you kids of the current generation so entitled. Seriously, how are your parents raising you?  


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#9 Offline StopSpazzing - Posted April 18 2018 - 12:24 PM

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Clay will work great, if it's fired in a kiln. In my opinion it's probably the best material you could make the typical naturalistic formicarium out of. Just making a formicarium out of it will probably be more difficult than any other material. I can't think of any other nest making material that absorbs water, is rock hard, and doesn't dissolve or break down.

Gives me an idea, why not make modular clay formicariums/sections with your kiln?


> Ant Keeping Wiki is back up! Currently being migrated from old wiki. :)Looking to adopt out: Crematogaster sp. (Acrobat Ants) colonies

#10 Offline dspdrew - Posted April 18 2018 - 3:42 PM

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Clay will work great, if it's fired in a kiln. In my opinion it's probably the best material you could make the typical naturalistic formicarium out of. Just making a formicarium out of it will probably be more difficult than any other material. I can't think of any other nest making material that absorbs water, is rock hard, and doesn't dissolve or break down.

Gives me an idea, why not make modular clay formicariums/sections with your kiln?

 

 

I would probably only make ceramic formicariums for myself because they would take a lot of manual fabricating. Ceramics shrink and distort when fired, so there would be a lot of post sanding and working to get things to fit together properly. I mainly only use ceramics for parts of formicariums.


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