This founding formicarium is just like one of the big city apartments you would find for a human, small and cozy with tiny rooms minus the outrageous rent cost!
This formicarium is for founding queens, a colony with few workers, small species that do not need much space (for example, Temnothorax) or a colony with slow growth meaning they need very little for the first year or more.
The centre chamber has a low height; it is small and cozy; it also has a rugged substrate, making cocoon spinning easier, distributing humidity, and having a more "natural" texture to ants.
The two chambers can be used one after the other, providing a smaller starting space and, later, when needed, expanding gradually; keeping the formicarium space as small as required increases the growth rate.
The wall next to the water chamber has the most humidity, and the rest has a humidity gradient that lowers as you go further from the water chamber wall.
The entrance chamber is dryer as it does not have a substrate and does not receive water directly; this gradient is ideal for ants as they can use the areas according to their needs. For example, species that gather and bring grains into their nest may prefer to store them in the dry chamber while the brood or eggs are in the humid one.
The water chamber allows humidity control depending on the frequency and quantity of water added. This means the formicarium can fit dry to humid species. ** The unit is very efficient at retaining humidity and needs very little water on a planned schedule. (read the formicarium hydration guide).
For fully-claustral species: the unit includes a 4 cm vinyl tube with a polyester fibre plug, which allows ventilation into the unit; please see photos for reference, as it can be used in 3 different positions creating variations on how the chambers are used. The plug can be removed and substituted for cotton, or you can plug the entrance with the material of your choice.
Combined with a small foraging area, the apartment is a very compact, efficient way to care for a semi-claustral queen or a small ant colony in an easy-to-observe nest, a tiny ant habitat concept.
You can add on a pre-cut high light transmission red film or a black plastic film.
The Apartment Founding Formicarium
Dimensions: 25 x 75 x 16 mm +/- 3%
Tubing compatibility: The front tubing port is for 9.5 mm (3/8") vinyl tubing. The tubing portion can be inserted into the second chamber to temporarily block the first chamber.
Weight: 26 grams +/- 3%
With fully claustral species in the founding stages, the tubing port can be plugged with cotton or a small vinyl tubing with loose cotton on one end to allow air (oxygen) to pass.
Photos illustrate the three main ways the tubing ventilated plug can be used; for example, you can bypass the frontal chamber or create a small tiny chamber on the tubing itself.
Heating cables or heating mats are acceptable ways to add warmth to your colony; we recommend passing the heating cable on top of the glass towards the front plastic-only chamber; the side also works using a "U" shape against the wall. Similarly, if using a heat mat, place it only under the front chamber.
If the central chamber with the porous substrate is directly heated, humidity buildup will occur pretty quickly; we also recommend using a temperature probe to control the heating element temperature.
Avoid intense vibrations or impacts, which can crack the mineral substrate and glass.