I need feedback on my design and plans!
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2019 2:43 pm
Hello Antfarmers!
I am completely new to keeping ants, in fact, I still have to start... I would love some feedback from you guys on my design for an enclosure. I have based this idea loosely on the youtube videos from AntsCanada, combining the floating island, the golden springs and other elements, but any input will be appreciated.
I plan to house a colony of carpenter ants (Camponotus ligniperda) which are more common in other parts of Europe ( I live in the Netherlands) but do naturally occur in our country as well. The terrarium part in the middle is 68cm wide, 43 cm deep and 40 cm high, giving them 103l / 27 gallons of digging space...
The worker ants can grow up to 1,5cm in length, so the setup should be about 45 times their body length. Now I assume these ants normally travel considerable distances in the forest to forage for food ( I could be wrong ), so I am not completely sure if this setup is adequate. Developing from an egg into a worker could take up to 10 weeks, so the colony probably won't outgrow the terrarium very quickly but still, I am eager to hear what you guys think.
I read that these ants prefer to build their nests in (rotting) wood or under stones. This could actually work to my advantage as adding pieces of wood and rock, would create some height, increase the traversable surface area, make for an interesting environment and hopefully increase their visibility as well.
I have surrounded the terrarium with 15cm of water on the left, front and right and 8cm of water at the back. A little 'beach' at the front should give the ants easy access to the water to drink or dispose of rubbish. The waterfall in the left corner combined with the little divider should provide a nice flow of water. I plan on using an external pump, sucking water from the refugem and pumping it into the aquarium. The overflowing water can then flow back through a tube to the refugem, completing the circle. The divider is slightly lower than the water level, so some of the water will be recirculated. I didn't want the divider to be a bridgde for the ants to reach the outer walls. Now since these Ants prefer to live in forest areas, I assume they won't like to cross the water, and therefore I won't risk the ants escaping. But as I said, I am completely new to this... So if you have any ideas?
The aquarium part holds about 318l or 84gallons of water, with another 106l / 28 gallons in the refugem. I have concocted a mixture of Asian species of fish, shrimp and snails, which should complement each other nicely. (based on what they eat, their size, where they hang out, how friendly they are, the ph value of the water etc. etc.)
At the bottom layer
The sewellia lineolata (max 9cm) should mainly stick to the bottom. It's omnivorous, but prefers algae and waste matter
These snails will help to control any algea and decaying plant matter in the aquarium
These neocaridina cf davidi shrimp should keep the aquarium clear of dead ant bodies and other waste (some will be placed in the refugem to breed)
In the middle layer
The Colisa lalia (max 6 cm) is omnivorous and likes to eat larvae of mosquitoes and such. I am hoping they like ants too
Betta splendens male super delta. I'd like a male and female of this species which grow to max 6 cm. Also omnivorous
At the top layer
... actually I am not quite sure yet. I am thinking about adding a school of rasbora espei, but I am not sure of their added value. Several species of guppies would certainly make for a colorfull display, but I'm afraid the males (the colorful ones) will start fighting
The refugem has several functions besides increasing the volume of water.
- I want to fill a good portion of it with porous rocks, so beneficial bacteria and mosses can easily settle.
- Next I want to add fresh water muscles as a natural water filter (1 mature muscle should be able to clean about 10l per hour) In aquariums they tend to bury themselves in sand, but they might actually like to settle on the stones as well, as the refugem wouldn't house any natural enemies.
- Furthermore, I would like the refugem to be a breeding place for shrimp, water fleas and possibly little snails. I am hoping their offspring will be sucked up in the water flow and be dispersed in the aquarium to be gorged on by my omnivorous creatures. The snails could both be food for the ants and the aquatic creatures once they have been crushed.
- finally the refugem will be the place to house a heating element out of sight, to keep the water at a steady temperature.
I am eager to find out what you guys think.
I am completely new to keeping ants, in fact, I still have to start... I would love some feedback from you guys on my design for an enclosure. I have based this idea loosely on the youtube videos from AntsCanada, combining the floating island, the golden springs and other elements, but any input will be appreciated.
I plan to house a colony of carpenter ants (Camponotus ligniperda) which are more common in other parts of Europe ( I live in the Netherlands) but do naturally occur in our country as well. The terrarium part in the middle is 68cm wide, 43 cm deep and 40 cm high, giving them 103l / 27 gallons of digging space...
The worker ants can grow up to 1,5cm in length, so the setup should be about 45 times their body length. Now I assume these ants normally travel considerable distances in the forest to forage for food ( I could be wrong ), so I am not completely sure if this setup is adequate. Developing from an egg into a worker could take up to 10 weeks, so the colony probably won't outgrow the terrarium very quickly but still, I am eager to hear what you guys think.
I read that these ants prefer to build their nests in (rotting) wood or under stones. This could actually work to my advantage as adding pieces of wood and rock, would create some height, increase the traversable surface area, make for an interesting environment and hopefully increase their visibility as well.
I have surrounded the terrarium with 15cm of water on the left, front and right and 8cm of water at the back. A little 'beach' at the front should give the ants easy access to the water to drink or dispose of rubbish. The waterfall in the left corner combined with the little divider should provide a nice flow of water. I plan on using an external pump, sucking water from the refugem and pumping it into the aquarium. The overflowing water can then flow back through a tube to the refugem, completing the circle. The divider is slightly lower than the water level, so some of the water will be recirculated. I didn't want the divider to be a bridgde for the ants to reach the outer walls. Now since these Ants prefer to live in forest areas, I assume they won't like to cross the water, and therefore I won't risk the ants escaping. But as I said, I am completely new to this... So if you have any ideas?
The aquarium part holds about 318l or 84gallons of water, with another 106l / 28 gallons in the refugem. I have concocted a mixture of Asian species of fish, shrimp and snails, which should complement each other nicely. (based on what they eat, their size, where they hang out, how friendly they are, the ph value of the water etc. etc.)
At the bottom layer
The sewellia lineolata (max 9cm) should mainly stick to the bottom. It's omnivorous, but prefers algae and waste matter
These snails will help to control any algea and decaying plant matter in the aquarium
These neocaridina cf davidi shrimp should keep the aquarium clear of dead ant bodies and other waste (some will be placed in the refugem to breed)
In the middle layer
The Colisa lalia (max 6 cm) is omnivorous and likes to eat larvae of mosquitoes and such. I am hoping they like ants too
Betta splendens male super delta. I'd like a male and female of this species which grow to max 6 cm. Also omnivorous
At the top layer
... actually I am not quite sure yet. I am thinking about adding a school of rasbora espei, but I am not sure of their added value. Several species of guppies would certainly make for a colorfull display, but I'm afraid the males (the colorful ones) will start fighting
The refugem has several functions besides increasing the volume of water.
- I want to fill a good portion of it with porous rocks, so beneficial bacteria and mosses can easily settle.
- Next I want to add fresh water muscles as a natural water filter (1 mature muscle should be able to clean about 10l per hour) In aquariums they tend to bury themselves in sand, but they might actually like to settle on the stones as well, as the refugem wouldn't house any natural enemies.
- Furthermore, I would like the refugem to be a breeding place for shrimp, water fleas and possibly little snails. I am hoping their offspring will be sucked up in the water flow and be dispersed in the aquarium to be gorged on by my omnivorous creatures. The snails could both be food for the ants and the aquatic creatures once they have been crushed.
- finally the refugem will be the place to house a heating element out of sight, to keep the water at a steady temperature.
I am eager to find out what you guys think.