Hi guys! I hope you’re doing well!
Today I’m going to make a little review of this really cool ant nest made by the company Antstore. You can find the nest here!
Let’s see if it’s any good!
General Info
The nest that I am going to review is called ANTCUBE Starter Kit Combi.
This is an extremely cool and good-looking starter kit! In a nutshell, It’s a cube made of glass that includes a sandwich nest and an outworld.
The nest is made of two main parts: The lid, and the nest/outworld structure.
The largest part, the one which includes the nest and the outworld, is a cube of 20 cm on each side. It is made of super clear glass, which makes watching the ants wandering around in the outworld and working in the nest incredibly enjoyable.
The glass is so clear that sometimes It seems that the ants are actually outside of the enclosure! Yeah, I’m not joking, it’s that clear!
The glass is very easy to clean. A cloth, some water, and the job is done! No more spots on the surface!
The 4 Sizes System
The nests of this company come in various sizes, in order to house most species of ants. There are 4 main sizes: size S, M, L, and XL.
The overall dimensions of the nest are the same for every size. The only thing that changes is the distance between the two glass panels, the area in which the ants will live and will build their actual nest.
For example for the size S, the distance between the panels is 6 mm. For the size M is 10 mm, 20 mm for the size L, and 54 mm for the largest one, the size XL.
The company suggests choosing the nest size based on the size of the species you are planning to keep inside it. By choosing a size too small, the ants would not be able to move properly inside the nest, causing them a lot of stress.
On the other hand, if you choose a size too big you will not be able to see the ants working inside the nest. So before you buy the nest, make sure to check if it is suitable for the ant species you wanna keep.
The Outworld
The outworld has two holes, placed at both ends of the structure. They measure 27 mm in diameter, and are used to connect other nests or other outworlds, in case the colony fills all the available space inside the included nest.
To expand the nesting space of this nest, I decided to opt for a very creative solution: a long tube spiral! Instead of using a standard piece of tubing that simply goes from the nest to the outworld, the tower creates a long route on which the ants can travel!
If you like the idea, you should definitely check out this short guide! In this one, I explain in detail how I made this extremely cool ant spiral, the perfect way to connect two ant keeping products together! Much better than a normal straight tube!
In the very likely case you don’t need any additional expansions, you can close the little holes with these types of caps.
Nesting Materials
To accommodate most of the ant species usually kept by ant keepers all over the world, this company also offers different types of nesting materials.
If you choose the size L, the one with a distance between the glass panels of 2 cm, you can choose between a cork nest, a gypsum nest, and the standard sand nest. The cork and gypsum nests this company offers are two of the best-looking nests I’ve ever seen!
They fit perfectly between the two glass panels, and look truly amazing even if the outworld is not decorated. As you can imagine, the cork nest is made for species that like living in wood and don’t need a high level of humidity, like, for example, Crematogaster scutellaris.
On the other hand, if your species likes a more humid climate, like Pheidole pallidula or Laius niger, you can opt for the gypsum one, which is notorious for its moisture retention properties.
As you can see I went for the standard option, a more classic sand-based nest. For some species it is the best and easiest option, like for Lasius Niger, which is the species I currently have in this nest.
The Lid
The lid is really well made. It is made of the same super clear glass of the outworld, and it enables you to see what happens inside the nest from above.
It is very easy to remove, and it is also very easy to put back in place. Thanks to the 4 rubber pads attached to the bottom of the lid, It’s almost impossible to accidentally make it fall off of the outworld!
The lid has two holes, each one of 5 cm in diameter. The holes are made for creating soft but constant air ventilation, which prevents the risk of mold outbreaks from forming inside the nest.
Depending on the ant species and the amount of humidity they need, you can choose whether to use the metal mesh or the flexible plastic cap.
You can use the metal mesh if the ants you are planning to keep don’t need a lot of moisture, as the humidity and the air inside the nest will exit from the tiny spaces between the metal wires.
On the other hand, if you wanna house a tropical species that needs a constant amount of high humidity, you can close the top holes, preventing the humidity from exiting the nest.
As you can see I’ve opted for a hybrid solution: one hole open and one closed.
Rating
BRUMA Ants Rating
Overall
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Pricing
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Build quality
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Features
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Aesthetic
Summary
An extremely good ant keeping product that sweetly merges a classic sandwich nest and an outworld, creating an amazing-looking glass ant nest! The only negative aspect is probably the price, but I think that the overall quality of the product easily justifies the high price!
As always, Antstore strongly defends its role as one of the best players in the ant keeping landscape!
I hope you have found this guide helpful!
If you’re planning to buy some ant nests, I would suggest you check out this review! They are very good liquid feeders made by Anthouse, another ant keeping company!
Real-world impact!
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