Acromyrmex octospinosus - aquarium set up

[graeme]

I have a longer journal on another forum,but will put the highlights up til now on here, and then update as I progress....

I got a 3x1x1 aquarium off a local fishkeeping group for £15 and then adapted it as follows:



Ok, next stage that I have completed.....

Lid still to come, still figuring a way to make it escape proof as it will not sit flush on the top due to the wires going into the tank.?

Then I will be fine tuning the settings for optomum heat and humidity

Just for those of you looking into this - here are a few thigns I have found out from others including Leafcutter

The tubs I have used I bought for 99p each from B&Ms - yes there are pods out there but at a much greater price
The nest box is half full of soil - the bottom of every container is driller for draining as with the lid on it will condense a lot and cause "rain" and could flood the containers - they all (except the empty round one) have clay balls in them to absorb excess water but hopefully help stop them drying out

They are very good at getting out of set ups!, however not sure if PTFE is waterproof? need to check that out. All the containers, walkway etc do not touch the side of the aquarium and they are all surrounded by the moat of water in the bottom.

Aim for an air temp of 25°C and a RH of 75% to 90% - both provided by adding a water (aquarium) heater to the tank - apparantly setting it at 30°C will give an sir temp of 25 - will test this before adding ants





Hmmm, so the acrylic roof came today, so I have turned on teh water heater and powerhead to circluate the water. Humidity over 99%!!!!!! and temp only at 22°C. So I need a bigger heater to raise the temp a little, but what to do with the humidity? I have bought a terramium fan , but its that small I can only place it to blow beside the nest box.....maybe a magnet aquarium cleaner to scrape the mositure off?

Oh, and I have had to remove the bamboo skewers as they started to go mouldy even before I added heat and water! Ordered some drinks stirrers as replacements - plastic




Having added the drop pipe for their run I've had to add an anti escape well. Also had t dismantle all the soil out as found out it has pesticides in it thankfully before I added the ants... will be cooking the next soil

[graeme]

Drum roll please...... they are here. I bought these from British ants as they were half price. Queen and lots of workers and some big buggers in there. I was advised not to dump them straight in as the sudden increase in temperature could kill them off; so they are in the box they arrived in with a small hole cut out the lid.

I have removed the aquarium lid and turned off the heater so the temp is sbout 20 degrees and I'll increase that over the next few days.

After a week or once the fungus fill the original box I will move it all the the soil nest box in my set up... by giving them time it allows them to throw out the rubbish and rebuild the fungus that was.

[graeme]

So it's been a bit of a worry over the last few days. The ants moved the fungus 3 times in total which is a worry and meant conditions in the tank were not good.

On buying the ants the seller said to turn the heater off as the condensation was a problem... water dripping into the fungus etc

So the temp was on 20/21 with a rh of 85% which is far from ideal. The ants would only come out once they found apple peel or liquid nectar.

Yesterday there was no feeding st all and now the ants have finally burried the fungus I decided to turn the heater on giving me a temp if 24.6 and s rh of 99% which according to nearly all the posts I found is what they need.

As the fungus is now underground I cannot see its progress but the ants have entrances to the nest so they can self regulate everything. A downside of an aquarium set up is the condensation and not being able to see anything.

Today though the ants are out munching on grapes, just got to try different leaves to see what they like.


They have closed an entrance up but lots of bits of cut leaves lying around so hopefully the fungus is growing.

New dug up soil on the surface as well but I am considering a pod fir the fungus if this does not work out

[Wood~Ant]

graeme, I did hear that one of our members who kept Acromyrmex that he used a small fan to allow air flow, as this kept the condensation down a lot. While an electric fan may not produce heat unless it over a certain size, used for short periods it might help. I found the same thing happens in enclosed glass or even acrylic nests, and only warmth and good air flow can reduce moisture build up on the tank walls.
This happens to most ant keepers who keep tropical species, though I have also had the same thing happen when keeping wood ants in an enclosed tank with a lid for observation and it was also a major problem when I kept Cataglyphis velox which is a desert dwelling ant, as the soil dried out but the tank walls were often wet; and opening the lid was impossible as many ants were under it.

Hope this helps?

[graeme]

Thanks wood, I do have a small fan in there around the nest, so I hope that does help them. As for the rest of the condensation, I'll just need to keep wiping it away with the magentic cleaner.

[Wood~Ant]

Kyle is a member who kept Acromyrmex, so you should find his journal may be helpful to you graeme ? I have posted the link here} Kyle's Journal. He also posted lots of photos too, which I think are in the ant photo board.
Yes, found them Acromyrmex photos.

[graeme]

thanks wood.

Still a little quiet with my ants, but some are foraging and cutting and there is a lot of new dug earth on top of the nest - still dreaming of that ant trail with hundreds coming and going with a leaf in the jaws!

[Wood~Ant]

I don't know if this is any help, but it may give you some tips you haven't already tried? Acromyrmex Care

[graeme]

Essential reading Wood - trouble is now the fungus is buried I have no idea on its size, condition, brood etc - sorely tempted to dig it up to check lol, but that would be a massive step backwards.

So, until I see them drag a dead queen out I'll leave them to it.

I tried today to look in hte nest box, but where the fungus was is now soil, no sign of it on any side so it must be in the middle somewhere. On a plus note lots of tunnels were visble with ants in them

They know best so hopefully in a few months I will see the fungus on one side or popping out the top!

[Wood~Ant]

Any luck reducing the condensation problem graeme? If you prefer to have comments on a separate thread, we do have a journals comments board, as some members do and some don't.

[Wood~Ant]

Is this colony still alive graeme as I was wondering if you are keeping them in the same set up?

[graeme]

Hi wood, unfortunately the aquarium set up was no good due to the condensation dripping into the soil nest.

If I keep them again I think I’ll go for the HT grow pods which allow a bare nest/fungus farm, but at £180? for a starter kit plus the ants it will be an expensive start.

To work the aquarium set up I think it would need to be an open top but that then would cause issues keeping the humidity up.

Great in theory, in practice it was a disaster lol

Poor access, as the nest was buried I could not see it’s progress on the fungus or brood etc plus I had any amount of ants die from drowning despite putting in climbing/escape ladders

Maybe one day in the future