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exo terra setup

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 12:28 am
by ben31
hi guys so after a lot of research and years wanting to try keeping leaf cutters i have now built a setup and am ready to order my first colony

i have both 5 foot and 3 foot terrariums available but i opted to go with a 900x450x450 exo terra terrarium with lih canopy for this build
i then painted the exterior rear or the terrarium black with standard black emulsion paint (good old wilkos own tester pot)
i then used good quality heat proof aluminium tape to secure an 800mm 45w heat mat to the upper half of the rexternal side of the rear panel to help aid with ambient air temperatures (thermostat controlled)
i had various acrylic and glass boxes and platforms so i layed them out toill i found the configuration that went best.
for the nest box i took a 200mm 5 sided 3mm acrylic cube, drilled a 22mm hole as advised by Andrew. using good quality aquarium safe acrylic cement i fitted a hinged lid. the nest box was then sat onto an offset 200mm square 5mm thickness to allow an area for the ants to exit the nest box (see pictures) the nest box and platfor where sat onto a 150mm high acrylic stand and all parts bonded together then silliconed to the base of the terrarium.
then i used a 150mm 5 sided cube sat on a 100mm platform with a removable 200mm sqaure top to cact as a platform. i drilled a 35mm hole in the centre of the lid allowing access into the chamber bellow. i hope this to be used by the colony as a dump site but also accept that it may be used as a secondary nest site. the bottom of this chamber sits about 15-20mm under the waterline.
the feeding table is a 250mm square 5mm thick platform sat on the top of a 200mm stand that then has a 50mm deep 150mm square acrylic tray on top
all the islands have a 20mm marine grade stainless m8 eye bolt attatched to them to allow an anchor point for bridging between platforms

Re: exo terra setup

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 12:30 am
by ben31
pictures of the nest and dump box

Re: exo terra setup

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 12:32 am
by ben31
dump box and foraging area

Re: exo terra setup

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 12:44 am
by ben31
for heat there is the heat mat on the back then i added another 50w water heater set to max and controlled by the same thermostat as the heat mat. the thermostat is set at 24.5 degrees and takes its reading from a probe hung next to the nest box.
There is also a second 50w water heater set at 25.5 degress to help with constant water temps and maintain humidity.
i have fitted a small internal water filter and have a larger one designed for turtle tanks to fit.
the bottom of the terrarium base is covered with 10kg of fine black gravel.
i have put a thin layer of purple bag b and q compost in the bottom of the dump box, and i have filled the nest box up to about 1/3-1/2 full with the same compost.
i have a hygrometer/thermometer attached to the inside of the nest box to monitor the conditions inside easily.
for bridging between platforms i have used a large exo terra flexible jungle vine twisted and bent to fit between the eye bolts i mentioned earlier.

Re: exo terra setup

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 12:48 am
by ben31
the lid of the exo terra is very fine mesh and is removable to make access easy
it also has a bit at the back to open or close slots for wires into the setup
there are also vents below the front doors
this means ventilation is good and i have made 2 perspex covers for the front of the top not covered by the light canopy to help keep humidity up.

Re: exo terra setup

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 12:57 am
by ben31
finally the light canopy is a standard canopy for this terrarium fitted with 4 x b and q 9 w led screw fit daylight bulbs. this is 2 stage lighting so you can have 2 or 4 bulbs on.

i am hoping to get some drift wood and a few small aquarium plants in the bottom this week and then i am debating a few small fish or possibly a small colony of red crabs. the crabs being filter feeders should thrive on the waste dumped by the ants. i have about 60 litres of water in the bottom so seems a shame not to try and house some life under the water as well as over it.

so anyway the setup has now been running over 2 weeks and i have a very nice 99% humidity and 24.5 c in the nest box and 94 % humidity and 24.5 c in the rest of the setup so i am very happy with this build and now ready to house me first leaf cutter colony.
i was hopeing to buy a colony this week or last but due to car problems and the mrs being made redundant ive had to put it back a few weeks but cant wait, im hoping to be able to order the colony this weekend or next fingers crossed and will post more pictures as i add either ants or aquatic life.

Re: exo terra setup

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 5:09 pm
by RichardP
Nice one.. I love a good build project and it looks like you are on the right track.

What species of ant are you going to put in? From personal experience I don't think the setup could cope with Atta.

Did you make the perspex support pillars yourself.. if not, where did you get them?

Edit - was going to mention that crabs are climbers which may give you cause to reconsider.. if they got up and destroyed the colony.. that said I'm not sure they would if they are filter feeders... It would certainly be an interesting addition if it worked.. I always fancied getting crabs but worried about them attacking the colony.. be great to see it working...

Re: exo terra setup

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 7:07 pm
by ben31
The stands are from eBay just search for acrylic display stands.
The fact that the platforms overhang the stands quite a bit will mean that the crabs dont have enough purchase or way to climb it

Re: exo terra setup

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 7:09 pm
by ben31
I do have a 5ft terrarium that I am planning to do the same with on a bigger scale or to use a tube system to link to this one.
I'm undecided on species as of yet, for what reason do you think atta would not work, as I say if it's purely space that is not a problem and can be addressed

Re: exo terra setup

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 9:32 pm
by RichardP
When I did mine I tried looking for some of those sort of stands.. couldn't find them in an appropriate size so I ended up using rock.. acrylic looks great though.

Good point about the crabs...!!

In terms of atta, it is their growth - If you get your setup right, their growth can be phenomenal so you really have to start thinking about how to expand - not impossible as you say - In fact it was what I had to do on my setup. But then, with extra room, they just become more successful and growth doubles - and so on...

My colony grew from 100 ants to very approximately 10,000+ ants in 18 months.

All that said, it's really exciting and interesting to develop a colony of atta...

Which ever species you choose I wish you the best of luck.. looks like a great project and really well thought through.