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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2011 18:27:56 GMT 1
I decided that in the summer I will make a nest out of cement, this is how i plan on doing it... Step 1 and 2 I will somehow find a strong glass box and get some cement (i don't quite know where from) . I will the pour the cement into the tank leaving a proportion of it with none in. I will do this by wrapping something with something which won't stick to cement, using it as a barrier to stop cement spreading to that section. I will then get somebody to hold the barrier in place whilst I carve out tunnels and chambers so that the ants will have a ready made nest. Step 3 and 4 I will then find a way of covering the cement with glass or plastic so that i can see the ants and it is escape-proff. Then I will try to make a sliding "door" for the area left un-cemented (this is where they will forage) so that I can easily put in food etc. Then I will put in the ants. Again this is more than likely to be impossible for me to make and their are a lot of problems which will probably come up. But I will try it, Please tell me any problems or anything I can do to make this better.
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Post by Myrm on Oct 22, 2011 18:31:18 GMT 1
I am not sure how successful you'll be with this as it's vary ambitious and will be heavy. If you do go ahead with it why wait for the cement to harden and then carve tunnels? Can't you make some tunnel and chambers moulds out of plasticine, pour in the cement and then once it is dry you can remove the plasticine revealing ready-made tunnels and chambers.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2011 18:35:41 GMT 1
hmm maybe, but i meant make the tunnels whilst the cemnt is still wet.. And yes it will be heavy.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2011 20:36:40 GMT 1
Cement hardens very quickly, and is very solid once it does harden. I think that you're much better off sculpting the chambers out of clay. What kind of cement are you planning to use? Most cements are quite water-resistant, and so don't tend to make good nest material. I've only ever used hydraulic cement to join formicaria pieces together, which does seem to have some absorbent qualities.
Some people have claimed that residual chemicals within the cement can be harmful to larvae, though I imagine most of these are destroyed during the curing process. It is common practice to bathe cured cement in diluted vinegar for a couple weeks before it is used in aquariums; I suggest you do the same.
Finally, I think it would be more sensible to leave the "whole tank" design to plaster, which is much, much lighter and a proven formicarium material.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2011 20:39:51 GMT 1
Well I don't know about the cement as I only thought of it today, but i'm sure it isn't harfull for larvea as loads of ant colonies live under by patio which underneath is solid cement. But clay I thought that "crumples" unless it goes in a "kiln"... and we don't have 1
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2011 20:42:35 GMT 1
The clay is only used to create cavities in the cement; it is removed once the cement hardens.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2011 20:44:15 GMT 1
Hmmm maybe I'll design another nest.....
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2011 3:05:40 GMT 1
I would highly recommend designing another nest. As previously stated hydrating the nest would be a major problem and honestly not worth the trouble it would take to sort it out.
Also you will find that colonies have chambers under cement slabs because they retain heat captured from the sun which create optimal temperatures for brook development. They still live in dirt and I am sure would still prefer to live in the dirt.
Flavus
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2011 18:25:37 GMT 1
I know cement is really bad for the environment because of certain chemicals, so doubt it will be healthy for the ants As for the weight, my messor nest has a base of cement with a layer of plaster above it. Even with such a small amount of cement it's already heavy to lift for me as an adult. Guess the best materials for making your own nest would be Ytong or clay.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2011 18:27:13 GMT 1
I guess, do you know how easy ytong is to carve?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2011 18:29:51 GMT 1
I guess, do you know how easy ytong is to carve? Much, much easier than cement!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2011 18:31:42 GMT 1
On antstore it has a wierd screwdriver thingy, are you ment to use them things, or is their anything else (tool-wise) i need to use?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2011 18:38:43 GMT 1
It's very soft, you can use a normal screwdriver really. Just start by removing tiny parts to get the feeling a bit. Must say I never tried it myself though as both my Ytong nests are bought, but read about plenty of people creating their own.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2011 18:47:53 GMT 1
I may give that ago, maybe for my Lasius Niger queen who has eggs (whoooooooo) but it would have to be quite small for such a small colony.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2011 18:53:12 GMT 1
My messor nest has plastic "gates" that block access to other chambers, I can pull it out and increase the nest size.
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