exo terra setup
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 12:28 am
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
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