question: grout formicariums

[idahoantgirl]

So, I was looking into making a grout formicarium to house tetramorium ants in. I was thinking of making something similar to the old AntsCanada habitat nest. (the one that was in a frame) I think it would be really cool to have an upright formicaria. My question was: could I just make a grout nest with no special watering chambers or anything, and just have a small hole in the glass that I just squirt water through?? or is there something else that i'm missing? I saw on Mikey's daily ant routine video that that appeared to be all he was doing. I would appreciate any help I could get. It would be nice to be able to do something as simple as that without watering tubes or chambers

[AntsRule]

Yep you can do that But a watering chamber is really easy. Just squirt some water in and do not let them drown. Water one side and leave the other dry

[idahoantgirl]

Thanks!!!

[Solenopsisace]

check my YouTube channel out. I think it is my first video on my channel that shows you my Wick system on a grout formicarium. But here is my grout formicarium build video.

[idahoantgirl]

Yep you can do that But a watering chamber is really easy. Just squirt some water in and do not let them drown. Water one side and leave the other dry

Hi!, so just to be clear, are you saying that I could just make a chamber that isn't connected to the rest of the nest at all and just fill it with water and the water would soak in and hydrate the nest like plaster would? Or would I have to do weird stuff like this one says to do with chamois towels and sand tunnels and complicated stuff?

http://www.formiculture.com/topic/2298- ... hydration/

lol as you can probably tell I'm the kind of person that likes to do stuff super simple without having to buy a gazillion things

[AntsRule]

I am a bit confused on this too so do not base your build on my post. From what I have seen all you have to do is provide a separate chamber for water. You also need to mix perlit into the grout for water retention. The water moves through the nest by capillary action. It is supposed to go between the glass and the nest so I do not know if you can glue the piece of glass on or not. I am planning on building a grout formicarium too. Can anyone else clear this up?

[larynx]

it all depends on how you want to do it, and how much time you want to put into it in the end. the simplest way is to just create a water chamber or tunnel inside the nest, that can be filled from the outside, but ants have no access to. the grout will absorb through capillary action. only difference between chamber and tunnel is the shape and area it covers. i personally would try this style first just to get your "feet wet".
this one has a chamber, on the bottom left>>>>
http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq176/c_scherer123/Ants/DSC05138_zpsdcb38976.jpg

second is making the nest hold water in a internal storage material like the ones you were seeing.>>>>
http://www.formiculture.com/topic/2298-how-to-make-a-picture-frame-grout-formicarium-with-advanced-hydration/

another way is to have a reservoir of water outside the nest and have it wick into the nest through something absorbent that runs from water to nest. similar to the AntsCanada nests.>>>>
http://www.AntsCanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/La4-v2-1.jpg

also you could do something like this and put a water "tower" inside the grout nest area, so the ants can access the moisture but cant get to water through the screen. the screen you see is the top of the tower a.k.a (cup) inside the nest, it is fed through a tube on the outside that you fill with a syringe. >>>>
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0477/1801/products/IMG_9364_1024x1024.JPG?v=1450897806

no matter which way you go, you will still be watering nests as they dry though... hope this helps.

[larynx]

Hi!, so just to be clear, are you saying that I could just make a chamber that isn't connected to the rest of the nest at all and just fill it with water and the water would soak in and hydrate the nest like plaster would?

im not sure if i answered this question with my last post. yes you can just do it that way. put a separate chamber under the same glass as the nest, and the water will move down the nest through capillary action.

[idahoantgirl]

Hi!, so just to be clear, are you saying that I could just make a chamber that isn't connected to the rest of the nest at all and just fill it with water and the water would soak in and hydrate the nest like plaster would?

im not sure if i answered this question with my last post. yes you can just do it that way. the water will move down the nest through capillary action.

Okay, and I could still glue the glass to the nest if I wanted? oh and also do you reccomend mixing the grout with sand or perlite? if so what ratio? Sorry I have had a lot of questions I really appreciate your detailed responses that you've been giving!

[larynx]

yes, i glue my AC nest glass with clear school glue,(non-toxic, washable). with my home made grout formicariums i use a dot of silicone on each corner, depending on how well my glass fits, or weather or not there will be condensation.
the only time i use sand in mine is when im sprinkling it around the parts they will walk over, before the grout dries after sitting for a bit. this allows it to have a texture. i do the same in my out worlds.
the ratio for perlite, you would have to look up on the build page for that build you referenced before. the way she uses it is pretty nice though. i would do it that way if i had more material to practice with, and perlite wasent so darn messy.
never apologize for asking questions. there is no such thing as too many questions, or stupid questions when learning something new. it is always better to have a question about how to do something before, than a question about how to fix something after.