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
I like that one, much more natural looking than a lot of them, I would have liked to see a long shot though.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Edited by CoolColJ, August 16 2018 - 4:23 AM.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
These still seem to be sold out. I would love to get a couple like this.
These still seem to be sold out. I would love to get a couple like this.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Edited by CoolColJ, November 26 2018 - 12:08 AM.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
I have a few tarheel ants mini hearth copies at home. INCREDIBLY cheap. 100$ HKD go check that with whatever currency you use.
$17.63 Australian, pretty good!I have a few tarheel ants mini hearth copies at home. INCREDIBLY cheap. 100$ HKD go check that with whatever currency you use.
Edited by DaveJay, November 26 2018 - 5:59 AM.
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
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Currently housing a non native ant species. They seem happy with it.
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.
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.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
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.
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.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
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