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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2012 13:37:10 GMT 1
Hi all
I have got 2 blocks of Ytong, not huge, maybe 15 inch by 8 inch? And about 6 inch thick (which is a bit of a waste). I'm working on getting a piece of glass the same size, at the moment I intend to break apart an old snake tank (aquariam) and cut the panes to size with a cutter (I predict bloodshed will ensue as the glass shatters in my hands...).
My plan is to carve some tunnels and have a tupperware (airtight save for some pin prick air holes) box on the top, connected to the tunnels by a rubber tube. That way I can open the box and drop food in and close it before we have any escapees. I will have a chimney with cotton wool in it for air purposes. I will make a tunnel at the very bottom and fill it with cotton wool, then feed a tube in and pour water in to keep the cotton wool damp, hopefully hydrating the nest.
Any flaws in that? Hydration is my main concern at the moment.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2012 14:08:07 GMT 1
Sounds pretty cool to me, keep a photo journal of making it, ill look forward to seeing your design, i supose for hydration you could always drill a hole into the Ytong and fit a tube that you can pour water into that will slowly release into the Ytong, then you would just have to fill up the tube with water now and again.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2012 14:53:56 GMT 1
I've drawn up a little diagram of what i meant, I don't know if it would work though, the cotton wool is supposed to act like a wick and help to slowly release the water into the Ytong. Attachments:
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2012 15:53:00 GMT 1
I had the same problem with my ytong, and didn't think hydration through well enough. If, like me, you have a warm room, the ytong will suck water up very quickly and need a lot of attention. I had a hole running from the top to the middle of the block, and filling this hole up now and then wasn't enough. Here's what I did: I filled a test tube with water, stuck a short length of tubing into the cap and stuffed some cotton into the end of the tube. The water gets slowly released into the block (you will need to experiment with how much cotton, so that it doesn't just run out). Now I can fill the test tube up once or twice a day, pop it into the hole and the nest keeps hydrated.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2012 17:03:10 GMT 1
Thanks for the designs, and I'll take lots of pics so we can identify where I went wrong at least I have to admit I didn't realise the Ytong itself would be the medium from which the ants drank, I assumed I would have to have some cotton wool. But now I know I can just keep the whole thing moist I can adapt.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2012 6:35:16 GMT 1
Where do you source Ytong? Hardware store? Internet? How do you carve it? I've never done Ytong or anything like it before for ants.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2012 10:21:50 GMT 1
Every nice. Any chance we could see the whole formicarium?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2012 11:59:34 GMT 1
It's a real small setup (my space is limited) designed to be expanded with extra modules when required. The tube leads to a primitive foraging area where I regularly try out different liquid foods and scraps (at the moment there's a tiny bit of gammon, which they seem to like). I made the block in Finland, where it is named Siporex. It was about €10 for a sizeable slab. We cut it into smaller pieces with a large handsaw and carved the chambers with a dremel tool using a hard cylindrical tip ~6mm long (we also had a guide to attach to the dremel, as to keep the depth consistent). It was quite easy to carve when completely dry (be careful, it's rather brittle) though we had to replace the dremel tips now and then. We made the mistake of trying to carve it when slightly damp, and that made it significantly more difficult and wear the tips faster. Another tip is to have someone to vacuum the dust it produces while carving or have one set up somewhere (I think you can get small vacuums to attach to the dremel) - it makes a LOT!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2012 12:15:03 GMT 1
Where do you source Ytong? Hardware store? Internet? How do you carve it? I've never done Ytong or anything like it before for ants. Not sure for Australia, but in he UK I got it from a hardware store, in big bricks. Given the US members often comment they cant get any, I assume ut isnt availiable online. As I was looking at it a man came over to tell me it was for dissipating heat and was I building a house, I had to lie and say I was building my (imaginary) son an ants nest... Usually you carve with a drill to wear out tunnels, but if you're patient it can be worn away with a screwdriver or chisel (my approach). #edit# oops, didn't notice the above poster had discussed Ytong already.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2012 12:24:03 GMT 1
Very nice formicarium. Hopefully going to be trying out Y-tong soon.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2012 20:40:46 GMT 1
So just so I'm clear, the ants won't need direct water access, just keeping the Ytong itself damp (by effectively having water touching it at all times) will be enough? Do they lick the walls?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2012 12:15:44 GMT 1
Thanks Spike and Hawk for the Ytong info. That's really helped me out, I think I'm gonna give it a go for my next project. Looks like a fantastic, safe, customisable way to make a sustainable ant farm.
Also Hawk your nest looks great!
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