148 replies to this topic

[noebl1]

I may finish it by cutting some acrylic on the table saw.  In the odd shaped gap in the bottom, there will be hydrostone poured to the same level of the bed to hydrate it.  In that larger area I'll then put some coconut fiber and little bit of sand, and then put a sheet of glass over the top.  Idea being hoping to see some of the ants from above as they work.  I did the distance between the bottom and the glass about 2.7mm, however thinking for Ponera, this could still be too high and they'll burrow under the substrate so I can't see them.  The left side has a cover, so basically a built in test tube portal.  Figured for ants like Ponera, they may not need a full outworld.  This is an experiment I've been tossing around for awhile.

 

PLA is probably fine for most prints anyways.  If I do something for outdoors, I prefer PET, though this summer I used PLA to replace a broken umbrella mount on our deck set, and it did fine all summer outside.  ABS I don't think is worth the hassle anymore compared to PET and others.

 

Enjoy your new toy   Also welcome to the world of constantly tweaking it until you feel it's perfect, LOL.  How big of a bed are you looking for, and heated?  I ended up using a MIC6 bed, and mounting my own heater to the bottom.  If you're looking for some glass just to put over the existing bed, what size?  McMaster Carr sells borosilicate glass sheet (designed for high temps) that may be cheaper than going with a custom cut locally. https://www.mcmaster...glass/=1asb598 For bed leveling I have tried mechanical switch based, IR based, and now using a BLTouch (I really like).  I have yet to try inductive.

[starcraftjunkie]

I may finish it by cutting some acrylic on the table saw.  In the odd shaped gap in the bottom, there will be hydrostone poured to the same level of the bed to hydrate it.  In that larger area I'll then put some coconut fiber and little bit of sand, and then put a sheet of glass over the top.  Idea being hoping to see some of the ants from above as they work.  I did the distance between the bottom and the glass about 2.7mm, however thinking for Ponera, this could still be too high and they'll burrow under the substrate so I can't see them.  The left side has a cover, so basically a built in test tube portal.  Figured for ants like Ponera, they may not need a full outworld.  This is an experiment I've been tossing around for awhile.

 

PLA is probably fine for most prints anyways.  If I do something for outdoors, I prefer PET, though this summer I used PLA to replace a broken umbrella mount on our deck set, and it did fine all summer outside.  ABS I don't think is worth the hassle anymore compared to PET and others.

 

Enjoy your new toy   Also welcome to the world of constantly tweaking it until you feel it's perfect, LOL.  How big of a bed are you looking for, and heated?  I ended up using a MIC6 bed, and mounting my own heater to the bottom.  If you're looking for some glass just to put over the existing bed, what size?  McMaster Carr sells borosilicate glass sheet (designed for high temps) that may be cheaper than going with a custom cut locally. https://www.mcmaster...glass/=1asb598 For bed leveling I have tried mechanical switch based, IR based, and now using a BLTouch (I really like).  I have yet to try inductive.

I like it. I was thinking about pouring my own nests in the future. I live in an apartment so it's not easy to do messy crafts like that.

 

I actually went to my local glass shop and got a custom cut fire place glass piece that they had left over for 5 dollars. I switched to the glass and used hair spray and am finally getting prints. Before I finally got it to work, I spent at least 20 hours taking it apart and trying to level it. The buildtak that's on it from factory just doesn't stick like it should. It's so unforgiving that you need to find a super super sweet spot that's within a few 0.01mm for it to stick and actually extrude an entire line. The glass is more forgiving and I don't have to get that accurate and it'll stick a good layer on it. My motherboard doesn't support auto leveling, I just used simplify3d for the leveling assistant that helps you manually do it, but it would be just as easy full manually with the steppers disabled.

 

My only real issue now is getting my entire build plate to print. I have some black binder clamps keeping my glass on my surface and the nozzle will rub on it if I don't watch out where I place my model. I need some smaller clamps or buy some ABS and print some type of screw to hold the glass together. With that said, I still can get like 6-7 inch models to print.

 

 

Here is my newest design, it is a custom order for someone with a Lasius colony.

Edited by starcraftjunkie, December 26 2017 - 7:18 AM.

[Kevin]

Let me ask you a few questions.

 

How are you hydrating the nest? I assume you are dumping water into the plastic "tanks" on the side, which may result in flooding. Keep in mind that water evaporates very fast compared to a reliable time to consistently hydrate a nest, and an open tank is messy and will not suffice in most occasions. Also, plastic is non-absorbent. How do you prevent flooding especially with air free flowing through the tank and not creating a vacuum?

 

I didn't exactly go through your posts with a fine toothed comb and full read if I missed a method of absorbing water or something, but these are just general questions to always ask yourself when making a nest - concerning hydration.

 

I suggest you read some of dspdrew's formicaria journals if you haven't already, as they can be extremely informational, as he has already done most of the research for us.

[starcraftjunkie]

Let me ask you a few questions.

How are you hydrating the nest? I assume you are dumping water into the plastic "tanks" on the side, which may result in flooding. Keep in mind that water evaporates very fast compared to a reliable time to consistently hydrate a nest, and an open tank is messy and will not suffice in most occasions. Also, plastic is non-absorbent. How do you prevent flooding especially with air free flowing through the tank and not creating a vacuum?

I didn't exactly go through your posts with a fine toothed comb and full read if I missed a method of absorbing water or something, but these are just general questions to always ask yourself when making a nest - concerning hydration.

I suggest you read some of dspdrew's formicaria journals if you haven't already, as they can be extremely informational, as he has already done most of the research for us.

The side chambers are filled with cotton and then hydrated. Flooding would be an issue of they were filled with water, and that's not the intention. There are small escape proof holes seperating the cotton to avoid ants pulling, but allow moisture to pass.

Plastic covers can be added on top of the tanks of evaporation is a concern.

Edited by starcraftjunkie, December 26 2017 - 7:50 AM.

[T.C.]

Mine will come today. I might be able to get ants in it by the end of Today as well.

[Kevin]

 

Let me ask you a few questions.

How are you hydrating the nest? I assume you are dumping water into the plastic "tanks" on the side, which may result in flooding. Keep in mind that water evaporates very fast compared to a reliable time to consistently hydrate a nest, and an open tank is messy and will not suffice in most occasions. Also, plastic is non-absorbent. How do you prevent flooding especially with air free flowing through the tank and not creating a vacuum?

I didn't exactly go through your posts with a fine toothed comb and full read if I missed a method of absorbing water or something, but these are just general questions to always ask yourself when making a nest - concerning hydration.

I suggest you read some of dspdrew's formicaria journals if you haven't already, as they can be extremely informational, as he has already done most of the research for us.

The side chambers are filled with cotton and then hydrated. Flooding would be an issue of they were filled with water, and that's not the intention. There are small escape proof holes seperating the cotton to avoid ants pulling, but allow moisture to pass.

Plastic covers can be added on top of the tanks of evaporation is a concern.

 

 

I assume you are saying you have the nest hydrated purely from humidity from these micro holes. Small ants can likely slip through these, and stronger ants could chew through them. I do not recommend making a nest with hydration purely based off of ants either a ) retrieving water or b ) evaporation/humidity. The reason is, in the real world ants are underground or in wood and have moisture gradients. A moisture gradient allows ants to pick a spot which they like and allows for brood and ants to stay moist. If you stored a moist-loving species in a dry block of ytong and gave them a water bottle cap to drink from, I don't think it would go so well. Overall, I believe a direct connection to an absorbing nesting material and hydration is a good thing (plastic doesn't rapidly absorb water like other materials).

 

My solution would be to add bigger holes and some grout, hydrostone, or ceramic tile to the holes on the nest interior. Water will flow through the holes and hydrate the absorbing material. You can also plate your entire nest floor with grout or hydrostone, or even sand. I prefer just using a gypsum mixture and applying just enough to cover the holes and have  decent platform to be dampened.

 

Good luck experimenting!

Edited by Kevin, December 27 2017 - 7:57 AM.

[AntHUB]

Or you can relocate your hydration holes to the bottom and add sand to reduce the probability of ants going through them

[starcraftjunkie]

 

 

Let me ask you a few questions.

How are you hydrating the nest? I assume you are dumping water into the plastic "tanks" on the side, which may result in flooding. Keep in mind that water evaporates very fast compared to a reliable time to consistently hydrate a nest, and an open tank is messy and will not suffice in most occasions. Also, plastic is non-absorbent. How do you prevent flooding especially with air free flowing through the tank and not creating a vacuum?

I didn't exactly go through your posts with a fine toothed comb and full read if I missed a method of absorbing water or something, but these are just general questions to always ask yourself when making a nest - concerning hydration.

I suggest you read some of dspdrew's formicaria journals if you haven't already, as they can be extremely informational, as he has already done most of the research for us.

The side chambers are filled with cotton and then hydrated. Flooding would be an issue of they were filled with water, and that's not the intention. There are small escape proof holes seperating the cotton to avoid ants pulling, but allow moisture to pass.

Plastic covers can be added on top of the tanks of evaporation is a concern.

 

 

I assume you are saying you have the nest hydrated purely from humidity from these micro holes. Small ants can likely slip through these, and stronger ants could chew through them. I do not recommend making a nest with hydration purely based off of ants either a ) retrieving water or b ) evaporation/humidity. The reason is, in the real world ants are underground or in wood and have moisture gradients. A moisture gradient allows ants to pick a spot which they like and allows for brood and ants to stay moist. If you stored a moist-loving species in a dry block of ytong and gave them a water bottle cap to drink from, I don't think it would go so well. Overall, I believe a direct connection to an absorbing nesting material and hydration is a good thing (plastic doesn't rapidly absorb water like other materials).

 

My solution would be to add bigger holes and some grout, hydrostone, or ceramic tile to the holes on the nest interior. Water will flow through the holes and hydrate the absorbing material. You can also plate your entire nest floor with grout or hydrostone, or even sand. I prefer just using a gypsum mixture and applying just enough to cover the holes and have  decent platform to be dampened.

 

Good luck experimenting!

 

 

That's actually a good idea, I casually thought about doing hydrostone in the small bay areas instead of cotton. I will probably implement this in a later revision.

 

I am still confused, what do you mean exactly? The plastic doesn't absorb any water. The small bay behind the holes is filled with cotton and the cotton is watered to provide humidity, and humidity only. The gradient should work well because the hydration bar is on one side of the nest only, and the user can add as much water to the cotton to achieve the amount of moisture they want. A cover like plastic or plastic wrap would stop it from evaporating too fast. If you are asking about giving them water to drink, I have a detached connection that allows a test tube to be attached.

 

As for the holes, unless you add ants in that are smaller than 0.3mm wide, they won't be able to escape. I don't know if a large ant might be able to cut into it, but I've never tested it. I'd figure that they wouldn't be able to get a grip on it to cut it. The plastic that holds the holes are 0.9-1.3mm long and 0.3-0.6mm wide. The cotton would be the last point of defense, and I'd assume that would stop them long enough to move them, and there would be a plastic cover on top of all that.

 

For the bottom, my printer has too large of a nozzle and I cannot print lines that are small enough to contain small ants. I could add metal mesh and hot glue it or something, but that's for another day.

[Kevin]

Plastic not absorbing water is quite entirely my point. You shouldn't be basing hydration off of humidity, you should also have a hydrated medium for the ants to nest on.

[starcraftjunkie]

Plastic not absorbing water is quite entirely my point. You shouldn't be basing hydration off of humidity, you should also have a hydrated medium for the ants to nest on.

Gotcha now.

 

When I get the money, I was planning on incorporating that later. For right now I'll just have to test what I have.

[T.C.]

Mine will come today. I might be able to get ants in it by the end of Today as well.

I lied, it never came.

Edit: It came today. Got ants in one of them right now.

Edited by T.C., December 28 2017 - 11:08 PM.

[Antking117]

Careful If you plan on using your student license to make up stuff to print and sell you can get in trouble (for autodesk). You are going to want a commercial licensed version for that. I am also just pulling this from i think someone told me so I would look into it xD

Edited by antking117, January 5 2018 - 4:18 AM.

[starcraftjunkie]

Careful If you plan on using your student license to make up stuff to print and sell you can get in trouble (for autodesk). You are going to want a commercial licensed version for that. I am also just pulling this from i think someone told me so I would look into it xD

I gotcha. I did a bit of digging to confirm, but I fall under a seperate category other than free student which is "non-professional and start up." Fusion 360 is given for free to people who do not work for a business and (or?) make less than 100k a year off the product. Selling nests like this qualify me for a free hobby licence which gives you the same suite as a full paid one!


https://www.autodesk...-360/free-trial

Look at the one under the educational one. It allows use past the 30 day free trial.

Edited by starcraftjunkie, January 5 2018 - 8:21 AM.

[Antking117]

 

Careful If you plan on using your student license to make up stuff to print and sell you can get in trouble (for autodesk). You are going to want a commercial licensed version for that. I am also just pulling this from i think someone told me so I would look into it xD

I gotcha. I did a bit of digging to confirm, but I fall under a seperate category other than free student which is "non-professional and start up." Fusion 360 is given for free to people who do not work for a business and (or?) make less than 100k a year off the product. Selling nests like this qualify me for a free hobby licence which gives you the same suite as a full paid one!


https://www.autodesk...-360/free-trial

Look at the one under the educational one. It allows use past the 30 day free trial.

 

Cool, Just making sure xD I use auto desk in school aswell for architectural engineering and I thought i was told to not use this as a professional piece as somehow they figure out Glad it doesn't bother you though Maybe you will get lucky and make more than 100k a year xD

[starcraftjunkie]

New design for an order.

 

Have some new designs that will print soon, so stay tuned! (Much different design ideas that I've modeled and need to test)

 

 

 

[Bracchymyrmex]

Tried my hand at this, currently printing my first attempt. I've attached some screenshots I took in SketchUp of the formicarium. I've really enjoyed this process thus far, we'll have to see how the first print goes. 

 

[starcraftjunkie]

Tried my hand at this, currently printing my first attempt. I've attached some screenshots I took in SketchUp of the formicarium. I've really enjoyed this process thus far, we'll have to see how the first print goes. 

 

Show us a picture of it when it done, I like it. Are those chamber widths too small? It looks like it might only work with a small species. Also, what do you do for humidity?

 

 

 

 

 

Here is what I've been working on. Spent a lot of time thinking and designing something unique... Stay tuned, it'll involve both of the pictures in one design, lets see how it turns out.

[T.C.]

Looks like it could be interesting. I like designs with nests in the outworlds as long as I can access the nest easily.

[starcraftjunkie]

After a lot of testing and prototyping, here is something new I've never done before. It's still a work in progress with more features and updates to come. I've kept with the modular design, these will fit as stand alones, with all other designs I've printed, as well as in this new configuration. The yellow color came from my girlfriend who said I had to use them or else!

 

 

 

 

Cat approved!

 

The system works with a separate screw cap that connects tubing to an adapter into the nest.

 

 

 

Also am playing around with different test tube design ideas, such as upright ones. I'm also probably going to look into a design for it to allow water to escape on the bottom in the case of a leak, so it won't flood the nest in an event of cotton failure.

 

 

[T.C.]

That's awesome. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on something like that.