Atta - Aquarium setup

[RichardP]

When I posted the last video on this forum, Deansie raised the one thing that I hadn't solved and that was the restriction on expansion. Which got me thinking. Eventually I devised a method of tubing out of the aquarium by using the aquarium water as a moat. Below are the results. I used 20mm piping (too small really but it seems to work for now). I've added plenty of algae shrimp to the aquarium you may notice.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/iw0yowq0tiur1 ... 9.mp4?dl=0

[RichardP]

The new tubing system and outworld has made me realise how large my colony is. When you feed them close to the nest they only send out what is required but for the first time today I saw 80 or so ants out on the forage. I also think I saw my first soldier ant. It was huge. I quickly got my camera and a ruler but it retreated before I could get a shot. I got this shot though of some fairly large specimens. The suspected soldier was 10% bigger.. heavier.. meaner..

[Formica123]

Wow. Amazing!

[Deansie26]

Be brutal when you get your first riot and prison escape, soilders love the heat of a warm bed

[Acromyrmexbob]

Your journal is a very good read. The growth rate is very impressive! Good stable temperature and constant high humidity is working. Your setup is an example to everyone who is trying to find a way to get everything just right. And the proof is in the fungus!
Remember that Atta colony growth is exponential. (As an accountant you should now be breaking into a cold sweat!). So as things progress you will find that the numbers start to double approx every month. Permanently! You seem to have a lot of space in your aquarium. You could use that eventually for 10 or more of your next chambers. I can organize glass ones for you with holes drilled or Sean can get the acryllic ones. One negative point though that you should be aware of. Never put a pyramid decoration into your fish tank and then expect to be treated seriously or with any respect on any forum. Thats just one step below a bubbling diver or a flourescent pink plastic plant.
You seem to be using PVC pipe which is not clear although it is sold as clear. It has a blue tinge to it and tends to be expensive. You can get absolutely clear acryllic pipe on the internet very cheaply. Might be worth a look. You could consider later having a hole drilled in your tank for the pipe to go through to neaten it up. Not difficult to do and wouldnt require anything to be moved out.
Nice work, keep up the posts!

[RichardP]

Thanks for you advice an interest. I love all the problem solving of this sort of project and genuinely enjoy the process of putting it all together.

Remember that Atta colony growth is exponential. (As an accountant you should now be breaking into a cold sweat!). So as things progress you will find that the numbers start to double approx every month. Permanently! You seem to have a lot of space in your aquarium. You could use that eventually for 10 or more of your next chambers. I can organize glass ones for you with holes drilled or Sean can get the acryllic ones.

I was aware of the exponential nature of the potential growth and, as I've mentioned elsewhere on the forum, expansion was the one unresolved issue that has been occupying my thoughts. I've had a major breakthrough with the piping out to a feeding chamber. By taking the feeding out of the aquarium I now can stack nesting chambers in the aquarium, to an extent. I still need to be able to access the water biotope to trim plants and generally fiddle about. With that in mind I can't just block off the whole surface area of the water with nests and platforms.

I can certainly get three nest boxes onto the current glass platform. I may be able to stack more nest boxes on top of the first layer and that could be an option but it makes the nest much nearer the aquarium lights. If I put another glass platform on the other rock I could get another 3 nests on there. Taking me to 6 x 10*10*20cm nests. How long will that last me do you think? It might be a more efficient use of space if I had one or two larger nest boxes? Say a 30*20*20cm glass box? Could you send me a link to details of the glass boxes you describe. I would be very interested in trying to find a UK supplier of this sort of product as I currently use Antstore for pretty much everything. I currently have one 10*10*20cm glass box ready to put in.

One negative point though that you should be aware of. Never put a pyramid decoration into your fish tank and then expect to be treated seriously or with any respect on any forum. Thats just one step below a bubbling diver or a flourescent pink plastic plant.

Ha.. that is very harsh. But fair. To be honest that addition was necessary (with such an immature tank) to provide the fish with some cover. I did have reservations about putting it in. I originally had the ambition of trying to create a South/Central American biotope. Perhaps trying to recreate the shallows of some distant Amazonian tributary. Anyway, so I was at the tropical fish shop, with my wife, trying to solve the problem of providing cover for the fish and she said, "What about this pyramid?" I pointed out that she was somewhat on the wrong continent. She said "Well the Aztecs had pyramids". Fair enough, put it in the trolley.

You seem to be using PVC pipe which is not clear although it is sold as clear. It has a blue tinge to it and tends to be expensive. You can get absolutely clear acryllic pipe on the internet very cheaply. Might be worth a look.

It does have a blue tinge. It wasn't sold as "clear" (in that they were up front that the product had a blue tinge and was not entirely "clear") and it wasn't especially expensive. I think I got all the piping and fittings, delivered, for about £25. But I'd be really interested, again, if you could share a link, to see what other options there are. I think my current set up was really a trial to see how it could work and it was largely based on getting 20mm tubing rather than larger tubing that I thought would become visually too much in and out of the tank.

You could consider later having a hole drilled in your tank for the pipe to go through to neaten it up. Not difficult to do and wouldnt require anything to be moved out.

But who could do such a thing?.. drill a hole in glass... sounds fraught with peril!

Thanks again for your interest. If I have one question out of this it is, how long will my current set up last, expansion wise, based on say 5 10*10*20cm boxes.

[RichardP]

I've seen some concerns expressed on this forum about having difficulty in accessing a container when a colony becomes very large. I was wondering if people could comment on the possible solution (which I am currently employing in my feeding area) of using the glass frame (see link)

http://www.antstore.net/shop/antfarms-- ... -5118.html

If you smear fluon oil (antstore again) on the top 2 cm of the container and then also on the underside of the frame then I can't see any ants getting to the glass lid that would sit on top of the frame.

[Deansie26]

Hi Richard, as I mentioned to you in the other thread this would work but fluon does need replication, its messy to look at and with you putting so much effort in to your set ups appearance i doubt you would like it for long.
It also deteriorates quicker in higher humidity's also so will need clean ans reapplied more often.
Have a look at the tanks Andrew builds for people, he builds a glass most round the top of the tank, Id prefer this option long term if it was for myself. Andrew could probably make it for you if it was something you fancied.

[RichardP]

Hi Richard, as I mentioned to you in the other thread this would work but fluon does need replication, its messy to look at and with you putting so much effort in to your set ups appearance i doubt you would like it for long.
It also deteriorates quicker in higher humidity's also so will need clean ans reapplied more often.
Have a look at the tanks Andrew builds for people, he builds a glass most round the top of the tank, Id prefer this option long term if it was for myself. Andrew could probably make it for you if it was something you fancied.

I've always used the fluon oil from Antstore and it is, so far, extremely effective and entirely clear. Yes it does need reapplication every once in while but we, as ant keepers, are dedicated to our hobby. Reapplication of fluon oil every 6 months is about the least arduous task I have in maintaining my colonies, daily feeding etc.

In terms of humidity causing problems, then yeah, it could be an issue if the ants are actually in the container but if you use it for a feeding station a few feet away from the climate controlled nesting area then I don't think it would be an issue. My feeding area is not excessively humid and the fluon oil seems to be working (albeit with a a relatively immature colony).

I've seen the top moat boxes and I think they are fantastic. I'll admit that I don't know why the design isn't used with fluon oil though rather than water. Fluon oil doesn't evaporate and is lighter and less intrusive. Also the moat could be a lot smaller (less height) if it was just lined with fluon oil?



This is a picture of the current feeding chamber, well doused in Fluon Oil and it looks pretty clean to me. BUT.. Will it stop the little blighters getting out when I feed them? It's worth noting that I currently have a perspex lid on this box. I need a trip to the glass people.

[Deansie26]

A picture always helps Richard that looks great! That's a new product you have introduced me to, I've only ever used white fluon which looks like a milky water when applied. I don't doubt for one second your not a coniencious ant keeper, you look to have it sorted. I'm no expert like Andrew so I've only my own personal experiences of leafcutters and other exotics to draw on and juat say what I see. Sure issues will arise but you enjoy that side of it, exactly like myself. If its to easy then where is the fun eh!