24 replies to this topic

[LowQualityAnts]

I have a 10 inch by 20 inch rimmed aquarium. I am having a hard time finding a good lid for the aquarium. I thought about putting a pogonomyrmex species in but I saw that they have deep nests. Does anyone know If pogonomyrmex or another species would work without the lid? Any directions on where to find diy materials for a lid would be helpful too.

[ANTdrew]

Buy a poster frame at a craft store. Cut the clear plastic to fit the top and also cut out the middle to make a rim. Glue this on with silicone and line the bottom with Fluon or baby powder.

[T.C.]

Is it one of those aquariums with the black base? You can custom order a piece of plexiglass to cover the top and then put whatever holes you want in the top. Personally I won't cut a square in it because i don't like the way it looks. However it is best when considering a natural setup as ventilation will be a huge factor to avoid mold and to avoid mold you need good airflow. 

[LowQualityAnts]

Is it one of those aquariums with the black base? You can custom order a piece of plexiglass to cover the top and then put whatever holes you want in the top. Personally I won't cut a square in it because i don't like the way it looks. However it is best when considering a natural setup as ventilation will be a huge factor to avoid mold and to avoid mold you need good airflow.

Yep its one of those. Where would i custom order one?

Edited by LowQualityAnts, November 5 2022 - 6:54 AM.

[TypeD]

Seconding the lid-with-square-in-the-middle-style. The big hole is important for ventilation like T.C. was saying, but it's also very important for the health of the fluon. Closed containers with the kind of moisture you need to keep most plants alive will degrade fluon to the point of uselessness quite quickly.  

 

I do it with plastic "cardboard" from a crafts store for my setups. If you're patient and take it slooooowwly with a boxcutter or the like, it's reasonably easy to make good looking cuts, especially if you trace the rim or base on to the plastic in advance. Accented with a coat of paint, I think they look pretty good:

 

[ANTdrew]

That’s an elegant solution!

[TypeD]

That’s an elegant solution!

Thanks! Luckily they do the job. No more waking up at 5 am to find 70+ carpenter ants galavanting around my room…

[T.C.]

Is it one of those aquariums with the black base? You can custom order a piece of plexiglass to cover the top and then put whatever holes you want in the top. Personally I won't cut a square in it because i don't like the way it looks. However it is best when considering a natural setup as ventilation will be a huge factor to avoid mold and to avoid mold you need good airflow.

Yep its one of those. Where would i custom order one?

Tap Plastics

[Trapjawsaremyjam]

don't forget to put some bugs in there that do cleaning, such as springtails.

[LowQualityAnts]

Deleted

Edited by LowQualityAnts, November 8 2022 - 11:22 AM.

[LowQualityAnts]

What are some substrate mixtures that might be good for a arid style terrarium. I have materials like pine straw/cones and some rocks they would make a good bush/pine desert (i do not know the actual name of the biome) style.

[ANTdrew]

Gather substrate from where you found the ants.

[LowQualityAnts]

My soil is super clay saturated and i find it doesnt make for good looking terrariums. What would be the outcome if i mixed the soil with some sand? I would test this out myself but substrate is way too expensive.

[AntaholicAnonymous]

I mixed soil, sand and coco fibers.
It's cool at first but as you water the setup and things move around they start to separate. Sandy towards the bottom and larger pieces get to the surface over the months.

I'd just use different kinds of substrate in different areas of the setup that's what I do now. Ants love to build in sand and plants love to grow in good soil.
You can easily make a design where those are separated.
If you do decide to mix sand and soil I'd make sure the soil doesn't have a lot of bigger chunks in it they'll all come up eventually.

[TypeD]

Just in terms of substrate quality, clay + sand would be a good mix for Pogonomyrmex (that's what I did for my Pogonomyrmex viv; like 60% sand, 30% clay, 10% soil). The sand gives great drainage and the clay keeps things structured/prevents tunnel collapses.

 

Visually it's hard to say, it depends on what your substrates look like. I ended up using this red sand for my substrate mix and it turned out nicely, without looking unnatural (the photo above is that vivarium; it's redder than it looks).

[LowQualityAnts]

I might end up not using soil from my yard. If i was to make a sandish soil setup how would 50 percent sand 30 percent clay, and 20 percent soil sound?

[TypeD]

I might end up not using soil from my yard. If i was to make a sandish soil setup how would 50 percent sand 30 percent clay, and 20 percent soil sound?

 

That would likely work just as well. The extra soil would add a bit of bioactivity, which is good for plants and small invertebrates (if you're planning on adding those too).

 

To mitigate what AA mentioned you can try to compact the mixture somewhat as you add it to the vivarium (moisten it and press down to make it denser). Although their idea of varying the substrate composition in certain areas is also good, as that creates a range of environments for the ants and other critters to choose from.

[ISpeakForTheTrees]

The bush/pine desert biome is called Pinyon-Juniper Woodland. ANTdrew's advice to use substrate from where you found the ants is probably the best, but, as mentioned, you can do the soil mix too (you'll likely see some shifting and settling, but if you mix it well and compact it as discussed above, it shouldn't be too bad). I know different ants prefer different substrates, but the only species I know specific details for is Pogonomyrmex occidentalis because of the study linked below. Pogonomyrmex occidentalis nest soil is ~72.5% sand, 16% silt, and 11.5% clay. 

 

https://mountainscho...e=1&isAllowed=y

[LowQualityAnts]

The bush/pine desert biome is called Pinyon-Juniper Woodland. ANTdrew's advice to use substrate from where you found the ants is probably the best, but, as mentioned, you can do the soil mix too (you'll likely see some shifting and settling, but if you mix it well and compact it as discussed above, it shouldn't be too bad). I know different ants prefer different substrates, but the only species I know specific details for is Pogonomyrmex occidentalis because of the study linked below. Pogonomyrmex occidentalis nest soil is ~72.5% sand, 16% silt, and 11.5% clay. 
 
https://mountainscho...e=1&isAllowed=y

Yeah that was it. I was thinking of buying a small colony and putting it in later in its development which is one of the reasons i didn't want to use soil outside my house.

[AntaholicAnonymous]

This is one that I just did a face-lift on a couple days ago.
I have a compacted sand/soil mix for the bulk of the substrate that I covered with rocks.
If you put flat rocks under ground the ants will likely make their bigger chambers under them so it's good to place them against the glass.


In the back I have a mix of soil, leaflitter and small tree bark chips as a home for the isopods and springtails.
A compressed sand/soil mix doesn't take water very well and you'll likely end up flooding chambers and the drainage a lot.
A more absorbent soil in certain areas will make maintenance a lot easier.