Southeast asian paludarium

[MikeCzajson]

Guys what do you think about camponotus singularis ? As far as I know they inhabit tropical forests of Asia so I think they'd fit the paludarium better than c. Nicobarensis. They're also big enough to attract water dragons so the population could be naturally controlled by the lizards. The only thing is if they have stingers or spray acid ? Did anyone here keep then ? It is said they aren't very aggressive is that true ?

[antnest8]

Almost all ants sting or spray acid. Camponotus use acid but luckly the acid is weak and in small amounts so weak it dosn't harm humans and i doubt it would hurt the lizards.

[MikeCzajson]

I know that every ant species has to have some protection like stingers or acid. I just don't want species that could harm the dragons eyes like yellow crazy ants did to AntsCanada's bird once. I'm looking for a species as harmless as possible, and I wonder how strong is the acid of c. Singularis.

[antnest8]

I found this "The most common species of black ant in the United States is the black carpenter ant, which delivers a small amount of formic acid through its jaws as it bites."

so if you carpenter ants are like ours there acid is spread through there bites.

in another article it talks about crazy ants and how they spray lots of acid. I think that crazy ants are the most dangerous ants acid-wise. that's why they hurt the bird, the camponotus should be fine I think.

[MikeCzajson]

I also wonder if the c. singularis won't be a threat to the dragons. It's said that they feed mainly on honey and small insects but I fear they'd try to hunt the dragons ? Or will the ants be afraid of them and avoid contact ?

[Hawkeye]

I also wonder if the c. singularis won't be a threat to the dragons. It's said that they feed mainly on honey and small insects but I fear they'd try to hunt the dragons ? Or will the ants be afraid of them and avoid contact ?

Those dragons are way too big to be a target. Dead they'll devour them, alive they will avoid is my guess

[MikeCzajson]

Alright then once again thank you all for your help

[adragondream]

MikeCzajson,

While Camponotus Singularis is very large and beautiful, I don't think they are the best choice for your paludarium. In Chinese ant-keeping forums (Where they are native) they are known to be extremely picky about temperature, suddenly dying because it is either too warm or cool. Also, they are extremely slow growing, so they might just get all eaten by your Chinese water Dragons. While they can be kept successfully if you just pay a little more attention, your paludarium is mostly for your Chinese Water Dragons who are reptiles that require a basking light. I think it would be really rewarding if you're able to figure something out for both of them (Maybe you could do a temperature gradient?), but just be forewarned, you'll have to pay extra attention to the temperature.

JZ

[Hawkeye]

Adding a separate formicarium to your tank, connecting with tubes is of course always an option? If the ants you're going to pick prefer lower humidity than they will favour the formicarium to nest in.

[adragondream]

Adding a separate formicarium to your tank, connecting with tubes is of course always an option? If the ants you're going to pick prefer lower humidity than they will favour the formicarium to nest in.

Hawkeye and MikeCzajson,

For Camponotus Singularis, the high humidity should be fine, they are a surprisingly humidity loving species (Again, for Camponotus), but the queen will stop laying if the enviroment is over 26C and will start to die off once the temperature reaches 30C. I personally think Camponotus Nicobarensis will fit better. While they naturally occur in places with lower humidity, if the nest is dry enough (As Hawkeye said), your ants should fare fine. They are known to be fast growing in population (For Camponotus), are hardy and adaptable and, can be really beautiful (There are certain gorgeous colonies that are magnificently red), they are smaller than Camponotus Singularis, but are still big.

JZ

BTW Camponotus Nicobarensis is native to Hong Kong, which has the humidity and warmth to support a tropical rainforest so they should be fine inside the paludarium.