10 replies to this topic

[MinigunL5]

I might soon be in  the need of a heating cable and I'm interested in knowing which ones are reasonably priced for their quality. 

 

Also, what is the best way to warm a test tube? should it even be done? My house is not warm enough for ants in my opinion so any warmth would help.

 

It doesn't matter their price as long as it fits with their quality. All help would be greatly appreciated!

[ANTdrew]

The Zoo med 15 watt cables are good for ants. A good way to use these for test tubes is actually to heat up a box that the test tubes are in. That way the cable is not in direct contact witn the tube, which can be too hot for some queens. This also prevents condensation.

[MinigunL5]

The Zoo med 15 watt cables are good for ants. A good way to use these for test tubes is actually to heat up a box that the test tubes are in. That way the cable is not in direct contact witn the tube, which can be too hot for some queens. This also prevents condensation.

Ah ok, Ill try that! Thx

[ArmyAntz]

I have a question about this too. Is sunlight a good way to heat test tubes? Place the tubes inside a shoebox, for instance, and let the magnified sunlight from a window heat it up?

 

My concern with this is possibly overheating the ants, I really wouldn't want to accidentally cook them alive.

[Temperateants]

I actually tried this, and the test tubes had a lot of condensation. I would imagine it could easily overheat queens or cause test tube flooding.

[Temperateants]

Also, putting the brood and queen under intense heat and then letting them cool for the night would be stressful for them, A constant 75-78 degrees is better.

[ANTdrew]

That could be ok as long as the queens are kept dark. Better yet, just turn down your AC and let them warm naturally. I set my AC to 79-80 in the summer and let Mother Nature heat my ants.

[Temperateants]

Nevermind, my Camponotous did fine last year with Sunlight at a constant 80 degrees. Just make sure they don't get direct sunlight? Depends on the species you're raising.

[MinigunL5]

Thx for all the tips

[ArmyAntz]

I ran a little experiment on this just now. The box in sunlight got to upwards of 96 degrees within 40 minutes. I constantly have to monitor the box (move it in and out of the light) to keep the temp constant.

 

Personally I'll invest in a controllable heat mat.

[Temperateants]

I ran a little experiment on this just now. The box in sunlight got to upwards of 96 degrees within 40 minutes. I constantly have to monitor the box (move it in and out of the light) to keep the temp constant.

 

Personally I'll invest in a controllable heat mat.

Very good point. My camponotous got filtered sunlight that had to get past a window and the temperature was regularly 80-82 (they did fine still)