Do terrariums work as fornicariums

Show us your formicariums and ant setup, ask formicarium-related questions, or share your experiences with building an ant home. Here you will also find formicarium requirements for specific ant species.

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Meltywax
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2021 11:36 pm
Location: Arizona

Do terrariums work as fornicariums

Post: # 78801Post Meltywax
Tue Jun 22, 2021 11:38 pm

Thats it plz help

Gamorust
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2021 12:38 pm
Location: Libourne

Re: Do terrariums work as fornicariums

Post: # 78802Post Gamorust
Wed Jun 23, 2021 12:43 am

It does work.

But there are real downside. One of the most important one (for many) is that you usually don't see the ants until they are numerous. After a year I can finally see galeries for my Pheidole Pallidula. I don't think I ll see more than that but it's OK for me.

Also humidity and heating can be tricky. Moving them when you need to can also be a bother so plan ahead.

For mine, I build them and test them thoroughly before introducing the ants. For example, I m moving my three Camponotus nicobarensis queens into one this month into setups that were done a year ago. ( But that's just me)

My set up for them is actually two terrariums linked by a tube so the ants can go and choose where they want to settle.

Mine also have colembols inside and a few others insects to help clean things. Ecosystems that work fine but may need adjusting.

I can send pictures if you wish.

Ljgusky
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:18 pm
Location: Tucson, Az

Re: Do terrariums work as fornicariums

Post: # 78919Post Ljgusky
Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:32 pm

[/quote][/quote]
Gamorust wrote:
Wed Jun 23, 2021 12:43 am
It does work.

But there are real downside. One of the most important one (for many) is that you usually don't see the ants until they are numerous. After a year I can finally see galeries for my Pheidole Pallidula. I don't think I ll see more than that but it's OK for me.

Also humidity and heating can be tricky. Moving them when you need to can also be a bother so plan ahead.

For mine, I build them and test them thoroughly before introducing the ants. For example, I m moving my three Camponotus nicobarensis queens into one this month into setups that were done a year ago. ( But that's just me)

My set up for them is actually two terrariums linked by a tube so the ants can go and choose where they want to settle.

Mine also have colembols inside and a few others insects to help clean things. Ecosystems that work fine but may need adjusting.

I can send pictures if you wish.
Please post pictures of the terrariums you have I am starting one this week (planting and setting up) so I was wondering what yours looks like. Is yours a desert scape or more of a forest/jungle scape?

AntsLuxembourg
Posts: 1578
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 7:17 am
Location: Luxembourg
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Re: Do terrariums work as fornicariums

Post: # 79153Post AntsLuxembourg
Thu Jul 01, 2021 1:07 am

Another downside can be that the ants could escape. I used aquariums myself and got me some lids to put on top so the can's cannot easily escape in case they manage to get past the baby powder and teflon barrier. Also you need to remove some of the silicone to avoid that they can use it to climb out. I removed only the one that was too much on the inside and it worked very well for a small fish tank but for the bigger one it was a much thicker layer so there are still one or two ants that manage to escape.
Doing some proper research is the best way to start an antcolony.

Need help or want to help? https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=18153#p70566

Currently not keeping any ants anymore.

Theantkid
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 8:18 am
Location: New York

Re: Do terrariums work as fornicariums

Post: # 79356Post Theantkid
Sun Jul 04, 2021 5:14 pm

It's a good thing that I found these posts because I am currently keeping a fire ant queen and I always get worried that since I can't see her that something bad might be happening so at least I know I'm not alone. :D :)
Theantkid, Keeper of Formica subsericea/The Black Knights, Queen name, Black and Gold.

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