264 replies to this topic

[UtahAnts]

Good question, the water usually takes about 2-3 weeks to evaporate completely, depending on ambient temperature. As long as I partially refill every 1-2 weeks, the water levels will remain optimal.

 

If you use a heating mat like I do, you can also use the amount of condensation above the towers to judge water levels.

 

Another way to gauge the water level is to use the ants themselves. Are they placing their larvae on or near the water tower? Then it's probably at a good height. When they don't place any brood on the tower and instead pile small amounts of sand it's usually a sign the reservoir is empty, and they are just trying to cut off air circulation from the refill tube.

Edited by UtahAnts, November 17 2022 - 9:21 PM.

[T.C.]

 

Good question, the water usually takes about 2-3 weeks to evaporate completely, depending on ambient temperature. As long as I partially refill every 1-2 weeks, the water levels will remain optimal.

 

If you use a heating mat like I do, you can also use the amount of condensation above the towers to judge water levels.

 

Another way to gauge the water level is to use the ants themselves. Are they placing their larvae on or near the water tower? Then it's probably at a good height. When they don't place any brood on the tower and instead pile small amounts of sand it's usually a sign the reservoir is empty, and they are just trying to cut off air circulation from the refill tube.

 

 

Noted. That was one reason years ago I was hesitant on tarheel ants designs. I would have to pick them up and look underneath. Rather Inconvenient.  

[Flu1d]

Another custom. It was supposed to be modeled after a THA labyrinth, with a 5x7 inch nest block. This one was designed for a large Tetramorium colony, so I tried to incorporate arbitrary tunnels and chambers. The outworld features a Utah sandstone cross section which should function great as a feeding area of sorts.

Fantastic work!!

[UtahAnts]

Another take on the dome outworld, this one is for one of my Myrmecocystus colonies who should be moving into a new setup soon. I used a large sandstone with a flat top to create an accessible feeding area. The entrance to the tubing is hidden right under the overhang of the rock. To access the outworld, there's a hole on the top which will be plugged with a stopper or cotton, through which I'll be using terrarium tweezers to place food and remove trash.

 

 

[UtahAnts]

New Acacia wood formicarium based on previous designs. It features 3 separate chamber complexes with individual tubing and connection ports, allowing easy expansion for a fast growing colony, or housing of 3 separate colonies at the same time. All plexiglass was magnetically secured.

 

 

[UtahAnts]

Small perfect cast nest with slightly separated chambers for a growing tetramorium colony. 

 

[antsriondel]

 

Small perfect cast nest with slightly separated chambers for a growing tetramorium colony. 

 

Wow, nice nest! These are some of the best nests I have ever seen!

[UtahAnts]

 

 

Small perfect cast nest with slightly separated chambers for a growing tetramorium colony. 

 

Wow, nice nest! These are some of the best nests I have ever seen!

 

 

I really appreciate the sentiment, but if I'm going to be honest there are some great brands out there with more infrastructure and skill than I have. Just look at Crazy legs or foranto, not to mention THA. Perhaps I'll eventually be on par with some of these brands but formicariums are an acquired skill. I'll keep making low-priced customs for anyone interested, but ultimately this thread is to be a reference for those interested in DIY. 

[UtahAnts]

Here's a large replica formicarium of the previous 4-tiered design. This nest was only single sided, but the same principles apply. Used a wood mold, fine sand, and plexiglass covering.

 

 

Notice the feeding port lines up with the large stone underneath, providing a natural feeding area.

 

 

 

[Ant-nig321]

I like all of your formicariums.THEY ARE ONE OF THE FINEST.

[Katla]

i am very interested into how you mold the large replicas, i intend on using one in a terrarium setup. Being from europe shipping is a very expensive, if you could share any suggestions on how to form such large stacked replicas

[UtahAnts]

I didn't use an actual mold to replicate the chamber design, I just used the same technique to create a similar formicarium:

 

1. Pour a base layer, insert water tower.

2. Apply and form sand to create chambers

Repeat

 

The mold previously mentioned holds everything in a rectangular shape.

[Katla]

if you are insterested into talking about the process in private and sharing suggestions on the setup i intend to build please let me know

[UtahAnts]

I'll be making a complete guide in the near future for these vertical nests. There are a few other guides on the forum already that use the same technique if you'd like to look into those.

[UtahAnts]

I tried to finish this vertical formicarium before Christmas, but I'm still waiting for outworld supplies. I'll get higher quality pictures of the full setup in the future, but in the meantime this image shows the internal lighting of the formicarium. The yellow LEDs give this nest a cozy look, comparable to a lighted Christmas tree in that regard. As for the guide/tutorial for these vertical builds, I'll work on it before the end of the year. I'll link the thread in a future post here.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

 

 

[Ant-nig321]

Wow, that looks amazing!

[Ant-nig321]

Merry christmas to you too?

Edited by Ant-nig321, December 23 2022 - 10:23 PM.

[UtahAnts]

Just finished the Vertical Formicarium Guide which can be found here.

[UtahAnts]

Here's the completed LED formicarium. This one was designed for a customer to house Myrmecocystus sp. from southern Utah. The LED system was soldered from separate LED bulbs and a 9V battery. The battery pack is external allowing easy battery replacement. I used about 4 lbs of perfect cast (1 bag) for the nest block. A complete list of materials can be found in the post above.

 

 

 

 

[Locness]

LED formicarium is looking sexy. I'll bet the pics come out better without any reflective glare.