Post by Joona on Aug 25, 2013 19:13:05 GMT
Hi guys, first off let me say hi and thanks for allowing me to share my experience of keeping this amazing species with you.
My names Mark I am from Walsall in the West Midlands. I have been keeping ants on and off for 6 or 7 years along with a wide variety of snakes and lizards but sadly due to family commitments (getting married and having two children) and living in a small flat I had to get rid of most of them. A few years ago my local garden centre got a colony of leaf cutters (I'm unsure on what species they are), I would spend ages in there looking at them and fell in love with ants all over again. After a quick Google I came across Adam James's Leaf cutter journal and that soon went in my favourite's list I read the entire thing over and over taking notes and translating German journals on other sites for what little info I could find.
After buying a small Lasius Niger colony again and then progressing yet again to three colonies I begged my wife to let me have a colony of Atta and she said no, after much sucking up to her and lots of good deeds around the house she said I could have some if I could promise her they wouldn't escape and eat all her plants! I might add that at the moment I do not have the colony as the person who sells them is in Trinidad and will not return until the end of September.
The Build
I wanted something similar to Adams set up rather then the dirt in a tank with a water jacket as I feel you can't watch the colony or fungus grow and crowd control can be an issue when you can't access the fungus with out being bitten.
I ordered the spheres from eBay, I went for 120mm spheres, 5 to start off with and a small reptile breeding box for foraging until a bigger space is required.
The spheres
I then built a incubator around the shelf I want them on to avoid condensation from direct heat underneath this way I'm hoping it will be mostly equal. (although I know now that it doesn't)
My Small Messor colony enjoying the Incubator
When my humidity / temp gage arrived and 1mm and 4mm drill bits, I set to work on a few test to see how the heat mats will cope. I dampened some cotton wool and put the humidity checker in one sphere and the thermostat probe in another. I'm aiming for 83-90% humidity and 24-25'c temp.
Humidity / Temp Gauge
Ok so I finally got my hatchling box from eBay (last time I use that guy!) and with my impatience I ordered another and both came the same day, I did a bit of rethinking and used both of them in the end. I'll use one primarily for feeding until there ready for a big foraging arena and the other to help regulate humidity. Then hopefully they will be used for fungus.
I brought a third heat mat to keep the temps constant 25'c throughout the set up, I have noticed that as the temps rise the humidity drops but at 24'c I get around 74RH and that's just with leaves in there! All the spheres and boxes have seven 1mm holes drilled in them and tomorrow I'll block them all up with modelling clay for the ants to remove as they see fit, and attach the final two spheres and larger 'T' section for the fungus containers above and foraging arena below. I joined all the spheres together with 16mm ID tubing.
I have ordered some coco fibre substrate and will place a small piece in each of the spheres and foraging area, hopefully it will hold the water fairly well and stop puddles caused by condensation. I plan to put the fungus garden and queen in a smaller tub that I will place inside a sphere as I know too much space can stress the queen out and cause problems with fungus growth, as soon as it fills the smaller pot ill transfer it to a sphere.
Nest Area
Joined Spheres
Foraging Boxes
Smaller Tub
With Perspex Lid on
With the initial set up that the ants will have is now complete. I've yet to get there foraging area but I think there will be no initial rush hopefully not till next spring (I plan to add it when they have two fungus gardens). I'm unsure on size but I'm hoping in the region of 3ft x 2ft x 2ft with about 8 - 12ft of tube between the shelf and the foraging area. In the wild they can go up to 100meters away to forage and the slower the get the leaves back the slower they'll expand, we'll that's the plan anyway
I have added coco fiber to the spheres and foraging areas to help regulate humidity and catch any condensation. The set up is now giving 88%RH and has temps between 24'C and 25'C so hopefuly I am heading in the right direction.
And finaly the set up as it looks now.
Left Side
Middle
Right Side
I hope you all like it and I must give Adam James EVERY credit! If I hadn't of found him and his journal I would of never been inspired to even try to do anything like this and all the info he has given me has been invaluable and I cannot thank him enough. I will update when I make any changes and in October when I get the ants.
My names Mark I am from Walsall in the West Midlands. I have been keeping ants on and off for 6 or 7 years along with a wide variety of snakes and lizards but sadly due to family commitments (getting married and having two children) and living in a small flat I had to get rid of most of them. A few years ago my local garden centre got a colony of leaf cutters (I'm unsure on what species they are), I would spend ages in there looking at them and fell in love with ants all over again. After a quick Google I came across Adam James's Leaf cutter journal and that soon went in my favourite's list I read the entire thing over and over taking notes and translating German journals on other sites for what little info I could find.
After buying a small Lasius Niger colony again and then progressing yet again to three colonies I begged my wife to let me have a colony of Atta and she said no, after much sucking up to her and lots of good deeds around the house she said I could have some if I could promise her they wouldn't escape and eat all her plants! I might add that at the moment I do not have the colony as the person who sells them is in Trinidad and will not return until the end of September.
The Build
I wanted something similar to Adams set up rather then the dirt in a tank with a water jacket as I feel you can't watch the colony or fungus grow and crowd control can be an issue when you can't access the fungus with out being bitten.
I ordered the spheres from eBay, I went for 120mm spheres, 5 to start off with and a small reptile breeding box for foraging until a bigger space is required.
The spheres
I then built a incubator around the shelf I want them on to avoid condensation from direct heat underneath this way I'm hoping it will be mostly equal. (although I know now that it doesn't)
My Small Messor colony enjoying the Incubator
When my humidity / temp gage arrived and 1mm and 4mm drill bits, I set to work on a few test to see how the heat mats will cope. I dampened some cotton wool and put the humidity checker in one sphere and the thermostat probe in another. I'm aiming for 83-90% humidity and 24-25'c temp.
Humidity / Temp Gauge
Ok so I finally got my hatchling box from eBay (last time I use that guy!) and with my impatience I ordered another and both came the same day, I did a bit of rethinking and used both of them in the end. I'll use one primarily for feeding until there ready for a big foraging arena and the other to help regulate humidity. Then hopefully they will be used for fungus.
I brought a third heat mat to keep the temps constant 25'c throughout the set up, I have noticed that as the temps rise the humidity drops but at 24'c I get around 74RH and that's just with leaves in there! All the spheres and boxes have seven 1mm holes drilled in them and tomorrow I'll block them all up with modelling clay for the ants to remove as they see fit, and attach the final two spheres and larger 'T' section for the fungus containers above and foraging arena below. I joined all the spheres together with 16mm ID tubing.
I have ordered some coco fibre substrate and will place a small piece in each of the spheres and foraging area, hopefully it will hold the water fairly well and stop puddles caused by condensation. I plan to put the fungus garden and queen in a smaller tub that I will place inside a sphere as I know too much space can stress the queen out and cause problems with fungus growth, as soon as it fills the smaller pot ill transfer it to a sphere.
Nest Area
Joined Spheres
Foraging Boxes
Smaller Tub
With Perspex Lid on
With the initial set up that the ants will have is now complete. I've yet to get there foraging area but I think there will be no initial rush hopefully not till next spring (I plan to add it when they have two fungus gardens). I'm unsure on size but I'm hoping in the region of 3ft x 2ft x 2ft with about 8 - 12ft of tube between the shelf and the foraging area. In the wild they can go up to 100meters away to forage and the slower the get the leaves back the slower they'll expand, we'll that's the plan anyway
I have added coco fiber to the spheres and foraging areas to help regulate humidity and catch any condensation. The set up is now giving 88%RH and has temps between 24'C and 25'C so hopefuly I am heading in the right direction.
And finaly the set up as it looks now.
Left Side
Middle
Right Side
I hope you all like it and I must give Adam James EVERY credit! If I hadn't of found him and his journal I would of never been inspired to even try to do anything like this and all the info he has given me has been invaluable and I cannot thank him enough. I will update when I make any changes and in October when I get the ants.
