1 reply to this topic

[Mirandarachnid]

Hi all! 

 

I got a bee in my bonnet the other day and started working on this. I figured I'd check and see if this is a good idea before I put more time into it. 

 

 

The material is soapstone, it's a very soft stone composed mostly of talc. My two concerns with this using this material for a formicarium are moisture, and a heat gradient.

 

You can see the water reservoir I'm working into the bottom left of the stone. I'll make it deeper and wider, and extend a channel from the reservoir to the tunnel directly to the right, as well as a channel leading to the left, outside of the formicarium, which I will use to refill it. This stone does not absorb water, will this create enough humidity for the nest? Recommendations on what to put inside it? I was considering a piece of an aquarium filter, or sponge. 

 

On to heat. From what I've read about this stone, it takes a while to heat up, but it distributes the heat very evenly and holds it very well. I would like to set this formicarium inside of an outworld. Would a heat lamp above the outworld be sufficient? I have a heat pad, as well as a heat cable, so I have options. I have a feeling that the entire stone will eventually heat to a consistent temperature from top to bottom. I'll definitely test it out and take some measurements before I put any ants into it. 

 

I'm in no hurry to put ants in this, by the way. I currently only have one queen in a test tube with no brood as of yet. Super new in this hobby, but I gather it's better to start working on a formicarium too soon rather than too late. Because I will have ants 

 

Any input is very much appreciated! 

[Scrixx]

Hmm well I'm not sure about the material. I looked it up and it looks like it is at least a solid rock but high in magnesium. I wonder if it will affects the ants in some way? I mean it is an electrolyte and if they drink the water that contacts the soapstone they may get too much. In theory it would affect their neurological processes but can't be sure until tested.

 

The heating aspect sounds good though. I also read that it is great at absorbing and radiating heat. This could be good and bad. Best case scenario, there's a beautiful gradient, worst case scenario it absorbs too much heat and bakes the whole nest. Maybe test out the heating capabilities before adding ants. Temporarily put the glass cover and put a light on top then measure the temperature inside with either a probe or a laser thermometer. I wouldn't go over 78F to be safe when starting. Then when you add the ants observe what they do. If they go up towards the light then you can lower the light more, if they're midway in the nest then move the light up so they go to the top portion when they want heat. If they're at the very bottom then they might be running from the heat and it's too hot so move the light higher and away.

 

Not absorbing water isn't a huge concern. Acrylic nests don't absorb water either but are still widely used. The key to this is having a well fitting glass cover. If fitted properly, it should contact all points of the nest minus the areas with chambers. This allows water to follow the surface of the glass and distribute water around the nest, up to a certain point.