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Post by Joona on Aug 26, 2013 16:18:24 GMT
So I have been wiping the condensation from the set up all day as its getting a bit excessive and going no where no matter what I try but its finally going down a touch although the humidity is still on 99% RH on both digital meters the analogue one is showing 86% and the temps are set at 24-26'C I might drop these to 23.5-25.5'C so the average is 24.5'C so at the minute there is room for improvement so I'll keep working on this as I want it right. Sadly I'm some what of a OCD perfectionist and I cannot keep my eyes off it constantly jotting things down and tweaking here and there. I might take the substrate out of the spheres and just keep it in the main little tub that they will go in and the two foraging areas, depends how the condensation goes over the next few days. Here's the finished article (for now lol) Foraging Area's more Temp More Temp Humidity Sphere Substrate Set up complete Counting down the days now Really cannot wait. Mark
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Post by Zarbi on Aug 26, 2013 16:22:23 GMT
Wow, your set up is amazing Mark. I bet you find it hard waiting to get the ants in it, but it will all be worth it in the end if the colony thrives like Adam's Atta do on his journal.
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Post by Joona on Aug 26, 2013 17:12:25 GMT
Wow, your set up is amazing Mark. I bet you find it hard waiting to get the ants in it, but it will all be worth it in the end if the colony thrives like Adam's Atta do on his journal. Yeah it's a killer mate I won't lie. But I know they'll be here soon, and hopefully they'll be ok. I'm just so nervous that they'll die or I'll kill them some how as its kind of an expensive learning curve, and my wife won't say yes twice!
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Post by Wood~Ant on Aug 26, 2013 19:02:05 GMT
Wow, your set up is amazing Mark. I bet you find it hard waiting to get the ants in it, but it will all be worth it in the end if the colony thrives like Adam's Atta do on his journal. Yeah it's a killer mate I won't lie. But I know they'll be here soon, and hopefully they'll be ok. I'm just so nervous that they'll die or I'll kill them some how as its kind of an expensive learning curve, and my wife won't say yes twice! That's the frustrating part, as I know Jen and I cannot afford to replace the Cataglyphis velox we lost. With all the equipment you've provided for the Atta colony, and of course all the help and advice we hope to give you, I do wish you the very best of luck with them.
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Post by Joona on Aug 27, 2013 5:48:03 GMT
Yeah, I remember being gutted when I lost my first Messor colony. Had them from a single queen and they were well over 1000 strong. I honestly think I'd cry if these don't work. Although I have seen some German set ups that are quite frankly poor and the colony's are thriving! I'm inclined to believe its all about how quick they get to you and start cutting again. I suppose nature does the rest.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2013 17:54:16 GMT
You can buy a thermostat that pulses so there is no temperature fluctuation in the nest, rather than it turning on/off at set temperatures. link this one has the added benefit of having a day and night setting too.
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Post by Joona on Aug 27, 2013 18:59:55 GMT
Cheers for that, that's a lot better then the ones I used lol I don't think my heat mats use enough wattage to make it work though, I'll keep looking as I think this will be my next investment, especially as winter kicks in,
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Post by Wood~Ant on Aug 27, 2013 19:17:42 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2013 20:14:47 GMT
No worries, all too happy to help.
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Post by Joona on Aug 27, 2013 20:39:57 GMT
My mini stat will heat the incubator to 25.5 then switch off and re engage at 23.6, it's still in the acceptable range. I have the probe in the middle of the middle sphere. I think the pulse stat will be the way to go, all the mat stats I have looked at are just the basic on/off. On a plus note the humidity has started to finally drop from 99%RH and the condensation is clearing too Cheers for your help! If you read this Adam what is your thermostat or what was rather lol?
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Post by adamjames20 on Aug 28, 2013 13:26:38 GMT
Of course I read this mate ; ) , I use a normal reptile thermostate combined with a soil warming cable supported by a wooden frame, I then have four reptile fans that circulate the warm air giving a good spread. Usually this is set up in a acrylic box or vivarium and then place my nests in here. I find it works great as instead of the nests being heated up by contact they heat up by the warm air, tends to avoid any condensation problems. At moment my leaf cutters are not on heat but I have noticed some morings in my bungalow becoming a little too cool so will have to do some of my diy and construct a acrylic box with heating to sit over my domes. Here's a few pics , basic design of heating is the same , I just apply it to different boxes depending what nests they hold. Soil warming cable tacked to wood frame Cable fitted to my set up, you can just make out the four fans that sit just infront of the cable blowing the warm air around. Thats how I heat all my tropicals mate , hope it helps A
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Post by Joona on Aug 28, 2013 16:42:47 GMT
Damn that's smart, but sadly I haven't got the room for it! I can see e moving this to the conservatory soon lol. I think I'm going to raise the spheres directly of the heat mats by 10mm and see how that affects it then try 20mm. Id rather heat the incubator then the spheres if that makes sense. Also Adam do these things mind light too much? I was going to get a very dim strip light to put on the shelf above so it lights up the spheres kind of like a night light brightness so I can see them, well at night lol. Once again thanks for the help mate!
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Post by Joona on Aug 28, 2013 16:45:17 GMT
At moment my leaf cutters are not on heat When I read that a second time I cried lol I can just imagine them all trying to hump each other lol
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Post by Joona on Aug 29, 2013 9:32:04 GMT
Ok after much brain racking, and starting to doubt my set up will be adequate for the Atta's, I (in temper) took it all down last night and had a rethink.
TBC..........
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Post by Joona on Aug 29, 2013 11:52:54 GMT
The set up sitting on the heat mats wasn't great, the temperature at the bottom of the sphere was slightly higher then the top and it was always playing on my mind. This morning I had a good think and decided that the fan's blowing the heat around was a better idea, only problem the only fans I have were from old Xbox 360's and wasn't about to pay £50 for a fan when I could make the same thing. I sawed the Xbox fans in half and set about wiring them to a 5V USB plug. Measuring the wire's I soldered all the wires to run in series so when the heat mats come on so do the fans. Fans Soldered I did my final checks that they all came on and span the correct way and they did then put them in the incubator. And I'm glad to say that it works! hopefully this will be a much better heating solution, if not I'll have to put the build / buy on hold and have a total rethink of how I will house them. Although tests look good so far I broke a connecting pipe to the spheres so I have to repair that now
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