4 replies to this topic

[Mdrogun]

Iknow a lot of people make their own formicariums. My question is, if you had to buy a formicarium from a company which company would you by it from?

[iXvXi]

I bought mine from tar heel ants. They are very well made, I couldn't be happier.

Antscanada make some very good formicarium's also. The reason I didn't go with them initially is because I wanted something natural/forest looking. Antscanada's old formicarium's would of work perfectly for what I wanted but they discontinued them unfortunately. They seemed to refine their designs to a more practical layout for keepers with multiple colonies.

You can't go wrong with either or! There are plenty of others of course that I would look into also. I live in the states so these two were the better option for me. Tar heel ants is actually out of the city I use to live in which helped my decision.

Happy hunting!

[Crystals]

I do tend to make most of mine.  I find it cheaper, more entertaining, easier to customize, and I can be as fussy as I want. 

 

There are a surprising number of places that will sell formicariums.  I have seen a lot more become available online in the last year or two.  Most are 100% acrylic, but I have recently seen a surge in plaster, grout, hydrostone, and ytong nests being offered.

 

In the end it really depends on what you want, and if you need to keep anything in mind for your ants needs.  Do you want a pure acrylic nest with a nice clean layout?  Do you want something more natural with other materials and tunnels?  Any special needs for the ants?  Does the nest need to be able to remain humid for a long hibernation with no access to an outworld with drinking water?

It also somewhat depends on the species you are after.  I have found some species do very well in test tubes and acrylic setups, while others struggle in those same setups.

 

Do you prefer to shop more local, in North America, or are you willing to look at Europe shops and other worldwide?  How much in shipping are you willing to spend?

 

The 3 regular places in North America seem to be byformica.com, antscanada.com, and tarheelants.com.  Each seems to specialize in slightly different nests with various options.

There are too many European stores to list, you can google ant store Europe and find quite a few.

 

In the last few months I have seen a surge of nests available on the more traditional all around shopping sites like ebay, amazon, aliexpress, etc.  Not many long term reviews on these new appearances, so do your homework before buying.  They also seem fairly pricey considering how small some of them are.

 

Truth be told, while I make most of my own nests, I have owned 2 tarheelant formicariums, an older model Byformica growtube, and I also have an AntsCanada small omni nest.  Most of which I got secondhand from other members.

Tar Heel Ant - The picture frame one I still have (it inspired my grout nests), and the all in one setup I re-homed as I didn't like it.

Older model Byformica growtube - works well for starting fussy parasitic Formica out, but this model does not work that well with a heating cable or in a long hibernation with no foraging area.  I still have it.

AntsCanada small omni nest - once I modified it with mesh to keep ants from digging in the water sponge and added a grout floor, it works great.  Not exactly an omni nest at this point though...  I still have it.

 

In the end, it usually comes down the species I am looking to put into it. 

I have noticed that some of my species prefer certain features - My Aphaenogaster demanded more humidity with no condensation and more head space.  My Lasius crypticus did not like plain acrylic flooring and would attempt to move if they even thought they found a non-acrylic flooring.  My Myrmica did well in test tubes and humid acrylic nests, but did not fare so well if these nests were not humid.  Condensation was terrible for Tapinoma, who also required high heat of 36C in some spots.  The Camponotus preferred a nest with the heat cable under the floor instead of on the glass.  Most of my Formica wanted to move out of nests with glass or acrylic floors once the colony topped 20 or so workers, to the point where they would live in the foraging area.  Formica ulkei would simply not settle in a nest with acrylic or glass flooring.  My Crematogaster seem to love test tubes (still testing this one, since I can't convince them to move despite the fact they no longer fit in their test tube).

[NightsWebs]

I personally like THA formicariums they look more natural and you have them custom made.  I currently own two Nucleus formicariums.  Mack helped me with all design aspects and the videos are very helpful as well.

[Tspivey16]

I have had several nest from Tar Heel Ants and also have the new growtube and outworld from ByFormica. Each have their pros and cons, so it comes down to what you are looking for and personal taste as Crystal outlined well.

 

I haven't had any Antscanda nest personally- but have heard several reports of quality issues. I want to hear a few more reviews on their new nest- I still haven't seen any journels or insight with them full of ants to observe experiences. I have concerns about the top not being removable as I believe the suggested practice is to silicone it in place once you receive the nest.

 

So far the growtube has worked well for my Aphaenogaster colony. I echo Crystals concern about not being able to heat, but think that this nest would work well for smaller colonies overall.

 

The customization that you can get from Tar Heel Ants is great as well. You can literally think of any layout you want and they will make it happen. Recently, I am particularly a fan of the Inception Nest. This horizontal nest with built in humidity control via water towers is excellent for my Tetramorium. The glass top, which is removable via magnets, is also great to lay a heat cable over a section.

 

Although I have made nests in the past- I find purchasing is the best option for me currently due to time constraints. I have 2 daughters ( a 4 year old, and a 2 year old), and one due any day now. So, I am lucky that I get the time that I do with my ant colonies - lol

Edited by Tspivey16, October 21 2015 - 5:24 AM.