AntTower Sand Mold

[Haze809]

I purchased an AntsCanada Ant Tower (small) for my colony of Formica Neogagates. They are about 30 workers and 2 queens and I noticed they never bothered to move into the AntTower. Probably because their numbers are still low (even though the queens haven't laid any eggs in almost a month).

In any case, I looked into their AntTower today and noticed a thin layer of white mold on the top of the sand. I never placed any food directly on the sand. I always used water bottle caps to put the food and removed it after a couple of days. They just moved the food to their test tube portal and consumed it there.

I'm curious if the mold was a reason why the ants never moved in there..

I used the sand that comes with the AntTower, which I believe was already boiled or cleaned off any bacteria. I poured some water over it months ago so the sand would be compact and moist.. I never poured water since the first time.. but now that I threw away the sand, I noticed it was still quite moist.

I've cleaned out the sand, poured new sand in there and added water again (bottled water). Hoping that this time the ants will find it more habitable.

I'm just curious why there was mold all over the sand of the tower though?

[kykel09]

Haze,

One thing to understand, and this is why I don't recommend dirt or sand nests to new ant keepers, mold will grow in dirt nests. This is primarily due to waste from the ants or their food. You absolutely have to have decomposers in the ant tower if you're going to go that route. This means springtails and/or other arthropods that feed on rotting waste. That mold can kill your colony. I lost almost an entire lasius colony and I'm still not sure if the queen will make it as she is malnourished with no eggs.

[Haze809]

Haze,

One thing to understand, and this is why I don't recommend dirt or sand nests to new ant keepers, mold will grow in dirt nests. This is primarily due to waste from the ants or their food. You absolutely have to have decomposers in the ant tower if you're going to go that route. This means springtails and/or other arthropods that feed on rotting waste. That mold can kill your colony. I lost almost an entire lasius colony and I'm still not sure if the queen will make it as she is malnourished with no eggs.

Wew! Makes total sense.. Sounds like I need to buy a new home for my ants then.. I'm not really interested in having spring tails or other athropods in there

I almost wish AntsCanada mentioned this on their website / product specs.. they advertise it as the perfect beginners and low maintenance..


"Perfect for beginner ant keepers, the AntsCanada Ant Tower™ is a fully contained ant environment, complete with a nesting area and a foraging area in a single enclosure. It comes with an easy-to-use hydration system to keep your ant colony well hydrated and provides easy and secure access for feeding. The Ant Tower™ is our easiest-to-use formicarium of our roster of formicariums, and it allows your ants to create their own nest by digging tunnels and chambers with 100% visibility, and requiring very simple maintenance and set up!"

[QJH2023]

Haze,

One thing to understand, and this is why I don't recommend dirt or sand nests to new ant keepers, mold will grow in dirt nests. This is primarily due to waste from the ants or their food. You absolutely have to have decomposers in the ant tower if you're going to go that route. This means springtails and/or other arthropods that feed on rotting waste. That mold can kill your colony. I lost almost an entire lasius colony and I'm still not sure if the queen will make it as she is malnourished with no eggs.

Wew! Makes total sense.. Sounds like I need to buy a new home for my ants then.. I'm not really interested in having spring tails or other athropods in there

I almost wish AntsCanada mentioned this on their website / product specs.. they advertise it as the perfect beginners and low maintenance..


"Perfect for beginner ant keepers, the AntsCanada Ant Tower™ is a fully contained ant environment, complete with a nesting area and a foraging area in a single enclosure. It comes with an easy-to-use hydration system to keep your ant colony well hydrated and provides easy and secure access for feeding. The Ant Tower™ is our easiest-to-use formicarium of our roster of formicariums, and it allows your ants to create their own nest by digging tunnels and chambers with 100% visibility, and requiring very simple maintenance and set up!"

coconut fiber does not mold so just make a 33% coconut fiber 66% soil this will stop mold from growing in your setup this is what AntsCanada himself does

[Haze809]

Thanks for the tip! Will try it out

Can it be 100% coconut fiber? If not, i imagine the 33% coconut fiber would be the top layer right?

[QJH2023]

Thanks for the tip! Will try it out

Can it be 100% coconut fiber? If not, i imagine the 33% coconut fiber would be the top layer right?

you just mix it all together not sure about 100% though

[kykel09]

Thanks for the tip! Will try it out

Can it be 100% coconut fiber? If not, i imagine the 33% coconut fiber would be the top layer right?

While there isn't anything wrong with 100% cocunut fiber, it is a very fibery material and by itself not the best environment for ants. It isn't something can dig or move through entirely easily. And to add on your previous reply on the Ant Tower being easy, it is. Adding decomposers isn't anything complicated to do. You can get them on amazon for less than 10 bucks or can literally find spring tails under rocks in your back yard or in dead vegitation. I do agree that should probably be listed on the website though. I am a GAN farmer and I'll reach out to the staff concerning that possible change to the website description. Less experienced ant keepers might not realize the importance of this step.

I would like to note that even with coconut fiber I still recommend adding some springtails or arthropods. It's a good habit to get into with any dirt nest and even with coconut fiber to decrease the chances, there is still dirt in the nest which can allow mold to spread, even if not on the fiber itself.