3 replies to this topic

[Amazant]

I’ve been wanting to make an aquarium into more of a formicarium and I would like to know if this would all work.
First of all probably an important factor is what ants are going in, I’ve decided to choose my largest species I have right now which is camponotus vicinus, their colony is small with 2 queens and only 12 workers and in diapause right now, but I think if they were in a large tank with plenty of food all the time they would definitely produce tons of workers
Materials:
5 gallon aquarium
120 wire mesh for the lid
Some kind of plant light if I decide to get plants
A dirtied section if I get plants
Fertilizers if I get plants
Springtails
Dirtied section would take half of the tank and would be divided by a rock into a shallow sand area.
A glass pane or a sturdy plastic sheet used to go up one side of the tank creating an uncle Milton ant farm looking thing to see ants dig.
Petroleum Jelly for the sides of the tank So ants can not escape
Still debating on the dirtied section because I don’t really want the ants to nest somewhere I can’t see what goes on in the nest.
For the future if the colony outgrows the tank I could cut a small hole in the mesh possibly and run vynl tubing through it into another nest.
Leaning towards just having the glass pane on one side where the ants can nest in and the shallow sand bottom with small pieces of driftwood and artificial plants and a small nest on the other side of the tank so the ants have options.

[ANTdrew]

I don’t see any way to grow real plants in a healthy way without ants choosing to nest in the soil.

[Devi]

I don’t see any way to grow real plants in a healthy way without ants choosing to nest in the soil.

Yeah, agreed.  You could possibly grow some moss or something...

[Amazant]

I will probably do artificial plants since I already had 3 aquariums that are planted. If I do go with live plants I may put air plants and then have a very shallow water area with some moss from an aquarium. Another idea would be to have the Small plants potted and put rocks and sand around them which would let the ants have some digging room but not enough to where their entire colony would live in those pots.