964 replies to this topic

[Antoria]

 

https://www.youtube.com/@Antoria-world

[An-Ant]

Where do you guys get grout/cast, containers, and molds for custom made formicaria?

[ANTdrew]

Where do you guys get grout/cast, containers, and molds for custom made formicaria?

Hobby Lobby is the best place for me.

[rptraut]

Hello An-Ant;

 

I live in Canada and I get the materials I use for my DIY formicaria at various places.   The grout is basically bathroom tile grout.    It comes in various colours and I get it at my local hardware store.   I buy the vinyl tubing at the same place.   The vermiculite I mix with the grout is horticultural grade and I get it at our local plant nursery.   

 

Most of the larger containers I use are made for storing food products and I get them at the Loblaws grocery store.   The small clear plastic containers I find at the Michael's craft store.   I get a lot of the smaller items like rubber stoppers, eye droppers, test tubes, and tweezers at a surplus store that carries a variety of chemistry supplies.    I bought the 100-mesh stainless steel screen on Amazon.

 

Many of the tools I use to construct my formicaria, like drill bits, are available at our local building center. 

 

You can find more information and examples of the formicaria I make on pages 40/41 of this thread, and I also detail construction in my Journal located here      https://www.formicul...e-5#entry252290 

 

 

 

Good Luck building your DIY formicaria.    Part of the fun of ant keeping for me is putting together a formicarium that fulfils the needs of the ants and the ant keeper, making it easy for me to observe, feed and clean them easily, without escapes.

 

You'll find more information about the feeding port shown above in this thread       Make a Feeding Port - General Ant Keeping - Ants & Myrmecology Forum

RPT

 

 

Edited by rptraut, October 27 2025 - 12:54 AM.

[An-Ant]

Thanks!