7 replies to this topic

[futurebird]

I've been thinking a lot about the kind of nests and outworlds that appealed to me as a beginning ant-keeper vs. now. I think the biggest difference is I no longer like "all in one" designs. When I was getting started these kinds of designs seemed easier, especially if I thought I might need to move the nest and outworld... but really, disconnecting the tube isn't such a big deal (unless it's a species that stings)

 

The real issue I have with many all in one designs is they do not have big enough outworlds. Not even close. Take a look at these designs:

 

 

 

Should you have a colony that can fill those nests spaces those tiny outworlds are going to get trashed in just a week! These outworlds will be crowded with ants and it will be annoying to remove the lid and clean. 

 

In the founding stage many ants don't need an outworld, then small colonies are so shy and cautious they will only need a small feeding space... but everything changes once the colony gets into the 300+ range. Your ants aren't shy anymore. They want to explore. The outworld should be several times larger than their nest. This might mean having multiple outworlds.

 

The only downside is it's hard to find large outworlds. Everything seems to be geared for smaller colonies. 

 

The other downside to "all in one" nests are the limited viewing angles. By definition the colony will block part of your view of the outworld. It will be harder to see both. So, beyond the late founding stage I think it's mostly better to skip all in one nests so you can better customize the ratio of outworld to nestspace to match the needs of your ants. 

 

What do you think? 

[cooIboyJ]

I don't know the best outworld, but I think the big plastic storage containers will probably be fine. They are big and cheap.

[futurebird]

They are fine for my ants, but my husband won't let me keep anything that ugly in the living room LOL. And I like to keep the ants out where I can see them all the time. So I try to make their outworlds look nice. 

[cooIboyJ]

ok

[Artisan_Ants]

Preferably, connecting any kind of acrylic or clear plastic to the nest living space, because it makes it easier to view the ants through two parts (nest and outworld).

[Mushu]

I’m definitely in the bigger outworld movement. Ants probably don’t care as much if food/water is convenient and will do fine but as mentioned, the interesting behavior is when you have a big enough outworld. I already picked up a 20 gallon acrylic for a planned desert outworld with mini cactus. I however ideally want a 60 or 100 gallon outworld.

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[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

They are fine for my ants, but my husband won't let me keep anything that ugly in the living room LOL. And I like to keep the ants out where I can see them all the time. So I try to make their outworlds look nice. 

i am in this boat too, keeping the ants out visible in our living space. So the aesthetics of it matter a lot to me. I suspect if i had an ant room and only came to see them sometimes, that would not have the same weight any more.

I found many all-in-ones to be very nice looking, and it was a THA mini-hearth that is why i am doing any of this now. I just liked the look of it so much i wanted it on a shelf like any nice curio one would enjoy just to have it and look upon it sometimes.

And then yeah i felt a little silly about having an ant house but no ants in it.

 

I like a THA fortress and fallen fortress a lot because while they look like al-in-ones, they are separate items. The nest is held to the outworld with magnets and rests on a platform the outworld is mounted to. The nest can be separated form the outworld, it just comes setup like it was an all-in-one, but it is two parts you can use separately.
 

 

I do feel a nest/outworld ratio of about 1/5 is a good minimum starting place to try and get to. In the wild they would have planet earth as their "outside." I figure we just can't give them too much, sense we'd need the actual 1:1 scale outworld just to be equal to natural. And we'd need the Tardis outworld to get more than that.

We provide just the illusion of outside. So the more convincing the illusion the more we get to see ant natural behavior. Which has a lot of variety to it, but that variety can only be witnessed if environmental conditions bring it out. And size of outworld is going to be one of the biggest influences on that.
 

[The_Gaming-gate]

Someone got me one of the pictured formicaria, and I questioned myself. "How in the world am I supposed to use this with S. invicta?" I know the answer, you don't. The ants will fill the outworld and it will be impossible to get anything done. The hydration in the nest is also very questionable, just a dime sized watering hole for the massive, very tall nest. A bit concerning.