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Re: Atta colony

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 10:46 am
by Acromyrmexbob
This is the way I would do it if I had a colony for myself. At the end of the day provided temp and humidity are on target and they are cutting leaves then you know everything is good without monitoring the fungus. The only thing I would say is I wouldnt feed grapes at this stage. Grapes are eaten and drunk by the ants rather than being added to the fungus. At the start you want the ants to be working hard to repair the fungus and fix the nest, not drinking at the local grape bar! So stick to leaves to begin with, get them to show you that the fungus is growing well and then you know all is good.

Re: Atta colony

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 11:33 am
by Leroy123
Right leaves it is then, I was saying yesterday the lazy gifts are on a beeno and not working haha.
One issue I'm having right now is the dreaded condensation on the glass (which is quite bad now).
So I first assumed temp in room must be hugely colder than in tank so got another thermometer for room temp and the results are- 24.6 inside soil, 25.2 outside soil (in tank) and 23 in room (outside tank). Any ideas?

Re: Atta colony

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 11:38 am
by Deansie26
It's colder outside so you will have condensation, doesn't need to be by a lot.

Re: Atta colony

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 11:40 am
by Leroy123
Any ideas on how to fix it bud? Or is it only done by getting room and tank same temp?

Re: Atta colony

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 12:19 pm
by Deansie26
You can either bring the heat up in the room or try insulating the sides. If it's for viewing I'd just get a small heat mat to sit again the front above the soil that prevents condensation building under it and you can just lift it for viewing.

Re: Atta colony

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 12:59 pm
by Leroy123
Didn't think of that mate, simple and effective cheers.

Re: Atta colony

Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2016 11:42 am
by Acromyrmexbob
You can also have a small light shining at the front glass which will clear the condensation and light up the tank. In a soil based setup this doesnt affect the colony. In any event the condensation does not harm the ants in this type of setup because it just runs back down the glass and into the soil, keeping it hydrated. Seems bomb proof. Only keep an eye on their feeding rate, thats your only monitor of the health of the fungus.

Re: Atta colony

Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 1:21 pm
by Deansie26
Hi Leroy, any updates in your colony,has bee a while. Be great to here how its going, good or bad.