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DIY Natural-looking Plaster Outworld

plaster paris tupperware plastic natural sand rock outworld connectable modular fluon

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#1 Offline jdsaunders1390 - Posted October 8 2017 - 3:41 PM

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Hey guys! I'm here to share an outworld that I just made. It still has time to cure, but I wanted to share pictures! Short how-to below the pictures. 

 

Top view outworld
IMG 4605
Side view outworld
 
So this was pretty easy to make, and is based off of this video:
 
I bought the containers from The Container Store. I drilled 2 holes in one side of the container and one hole in the other side. The hole by itself is meant to connect this outworld to other places later on, though I will need to widen the hole with a dremel. I attached (with silicone) the lids of test tubes (holes were drilled in the lids as well) to the outside of the other two holes. These are meant to easily attach test tube setups with a current colony and/or a fresh setup to use for water. All 3 holes were stuffed with cotton temporarily while I poured plaster of paris into the container. I then added a rock (actually a piece of dry rock rubble from my saltwater aquariums) and sprinkled the top of the plaster with sandy soil (this sand was baked in the oven at 300F for 45 minutes to kill baddies). A knife was then used to cut out a rectangle from the lid of the container, and fluon was added to the lip that was remaining around the lid to prevent escapees. I cut the scrap piece of plastic into 4 smaller pieces that can be used as an ant food tray later. I can't wait to move one of my small colonies in there!
 
(Edit: Formatting)

Edited by jdsaunders1390, October 8 2017 - 4:07 PM.

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#2 Offline StopSpazzing - Posted October 8 2017 - 5:58 PM

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Nice! Seemed to turn really well. What container did you use from TCS?


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

#3 Offline Scrixx - Posted October 8 2017 - 7:36 PM

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I'm really impressed with the video. You spent quite some time filming and editing that and it shows. It was awesome! 


ScrixxAnts Queen Adoption

YouTube: View my ants

Keeping: Camponotus sansabeanus - C. vicinus - Formica francoeuri - Liometopum occidentale -  Pogonomyrmex californicus - P. rugosus - P. subnitidus - Solenopsis molesta - S. xyloni - Tapinoma sessile - Temnothorax sp.

Journals: Camponotus sansabeanus & C. vicinus | Pogonomyrmex californicus & P. rugosus | Solenopsis molesta & S. xyloni

Discontinued: Pogonomyrmex subnitidus


#4 Offline T.C. - Posted October 9 2017 - 8:09 AM

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I'm really impressed with the video. You spent quite some time filming and editing that and it shows. It was awesome! 

I had to re-read this, but that isn't his video. Awesome outworld eitherway.


“If I am killed for simply living, let death be kinder than man.” -Althea Davis

#5 Offline jdsaunders1390 - Posted October 9 2017 - 11:04 AM

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Sorry for any confusion. No, it is not my video. I watched the video and based my build off of his. 

 

I bought the container in store, so I am not positive which product I bought. I believe this is the container though (21 oz): 

https://www.containe...ter_price:0..10

 

Update on the progress: I added a colony of Camponotus floridanus with ~13 workers. All was going well until I came back home and saw that the lid holding the extra test tube setup was no longer in place. I pulled off the silicone and reattached it with PVC glue, so we will see if that helps when I reattach the test tube tomorrow. Fortunately, the tube with the colony is still well in place.

I saw one worker go outside shortly, and quickly went back inside. I believe they have left at some point though, because there is now a drop of honey and a few grains of sand in the tube that were not previously there.

 

IMG 4637
Camponotus floridanus (~13 workers)

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Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: plaster, paris, tupperware, plastic, natural, sand, rock, outworld, connectable, modular, fluon

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