Leaf Cutting Ant Forum

So will the moat be in the feeding unit on top?
How are you going to heat this set?

Hi there,

Here is the completed feeding station. The moat on the inside has really made the whole structure very rigid. I'm hoping to measure and join up the pipe work this week. After this I'll add the insulation to the inside of the cupboard and start experimenting to see if I can get the required steady temperature.

Thats a text book moat. In acryllic. Very impressive. You built that yourself? Fantastic quality and very clean. Nice work. Does the moat hold water? As Jamie has said, how are you going to heat it. When we use this type of set up in commercial displays we normally do so within heated rooms where we can globally control the humidity. Do you have a larger enclosure to house the tank in. If its a feeding station then humidity wont necessarily be a problem.

I filled the moat with water, but found a small leak in it , so I've put in a second coat of acrylic cement into the joins to try and make it 100% watertight. One leak isn't too bad right? . Does anyone have any experience with keeping the water in the moat fresh? Does anyone have a pump and filter for their moat to keep the water clean, or would something like washing up liquid in the water keep it from stagnating?

I've been testing the temperature of the room and the baseline temperature isn't too bad - about 21.5c. I've bought 2 heating cables and plan to run them under the shelves in the book case in order to provide the gentle heat needed to raise the temp a few degrees. I've got some velcro strips to keep the cables on the underside of the shelves

Does anyone have any experience with cutting acrylic tubing? I'm looking for advice on the best way to make T junctions in the tubing.

Colin

So are you meaning your going to have the heating cables running on top of each shelf with the units on top? You said under the shelf in your post.
I would buy pipe connecting pieces rather than trying to cut angle in acrylic pipe, far less hassle and they will let you disconnect/ change things easier later if needed. Richard will be able to point you in the right direction on where to get nice grey ones plus check his thread out as he keeps his water great with filtration.
These might be better than Velcro for keeping your cables in place
http://uk.farnell.com/pro-power/cbt-727 ... AGPSPN=pla

Am I right in thinking the moat is just around the top of the feeding station? If so, you know there may be a better solution.

https://www.antstore.net/shop/en/components/esca ... l-586.html

This product is completely clear and incredibly durable. You could smear a 2 inch thick layer around the inside top of your moat (with a cotton bud) and you wouldn't have any escapees.

I may have misunderstood.. i.e. if you have a larger "moat", say in an aquarium then I can advise on that but it's not how I understand your set up to be.

Just let me know.

Water in the moat that doesnt move will become stagnant and smelly with or without soap liquid in the water. The best way to set up the moat and form an effective barrier is to move the water with a small submergable filter. This will let you clean the sponge periodically and the water will wash away any bridges that the ants form.