I've been working on my formicarium design, mostly to make sure that the hydration is safe and dependable. I experimented with making concrete, mixing the cement with coir and vermiculite. This nest contains both, in a ratio 1:2:2 cement:coir:vermiculite by volume. Mix together then add water until it's the right consistency. The amount of this depends on how wet the coir is.
I poured the concrete into a small Ikea Godmorgon box lined with a plastic bag, both oiled for lubrication. It doesn't matter that the plastic doesn't let the concrete fill out the box 100% as you can just turn the overlapped bits into tunnels. Any other wrinkles just make the concrete look like rock. The nest isn't painted, dyed or anything.
I demoulded the nest a day or two after pouring, then misted it every now and again for a few days. Then I carved the tunnels, chambers and test tube hydration hole with a screw driver and small drill bit. There are tunnels that meet up underground underneath the hydration hole, so the ants always have a water source and can hydrate the nest themselves. Any extra hydration is achieved by squirting drops around the test tube when needed. If anyone's used this kind of hydration before, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it as a system.
This is designed for my Lasius flavus and umbratus, who like to be under the ground and don't need much of an outworld. You could always add another outworld for a busier species. There will be a port hole in the side of the box for attaching an outworld or test tube.
The dish is made from Fimo clay. It's ant safe.
I've only been keeping ants since May, so would welcome any feedback. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
