Spend millions to buy an ant tank for fun
A few years ago, Kien Nguyen (Ninh Binh) started bringing ants home to raise them to the surprise of relatives because this is not a common pet, and there is nothing to see in such small creatures. small. Ignoring all comments, Kien continues to be passionate about exploring nature and gradually finds a way to “pamper” his pets.
Keen tinkering with the aquarium, designing the paths and nesting places for the ants to live, lay eggs and develop into a colony. Kien did not think that one day there would be an entire association of ant-keepers in Vietnam, and in that, Kien is an active member, even earning an income from this hobby.
Kien Nguyen and the hobby of raising ants. Photo: NVCC
From passion to business is a small thing
Kien is often called by ant owners on social networks with the nickname Kien Kien because he knows that Kien’s fortune is a lot of ants as well as his experience in playing ants accumulated over the years.
To be able to raise ants as a pet, players like Kien need to have a tank. Tanks can be made from a variety of materials such as glass, mica or autoclaved aerated concrete. Each type will have different advantages and disadvantages, mica is very beautiful but can only feed a limited number of ants, while autoclaved aerated concrete is very light, a material used to build villas that is currently popular among ants. .
Each tank usually consists of two main parts: One is the nest below and the simulation part, the hunting space of ants is covered by transparent glass or mica above. The breeding feature of ants is that it requires a humid environment, so a tank must be sufficiently humid. By using a humidifier or making a water cellar at the bottom of the tank, this cellar can store water for a week or two. No need to add but still enough evaporation for the ants to live.
 Ant tanks with nests below are regularly moistened. Photo: NVCC |
Tanks also need to be sealed to prevent pets or ants from entering from the outside. Ant tanks often have a mask on their face, when they want to see the ants, the player can take it off to watch the ants move around in the hunting space arranged in the form of a miniature. Ants are less tolerant of sunlight, so the ant nest below must have a sunshade. Without a cover, the ants are exposed to too much light, which can lead to stress and death.
According to Kien, the hobby of raising ants is not too expensive, but in return needs perseverance. Each ant tank is not too expensive and can be made at the request of the player, usually starting from 250,000 VND to unlimited. With small tanks, customers can display them on their desks or study tables while large tanks need more space. Kien’s average customer can spend 1-3 million VND per tank. The most expensive tank Kien ever made, worth 5.5 million VND, is quite large and sophisticated.
In the current market, according to Kien, there are not as many ant tank makers as Kien who sell seed ants.
 An elaborately made ant tank. Photo: NVCC |
Raising ants is not difficult
Kien’s hobby now is sometimes going to the mountains to find and catch ants. Kien said that the northern forest has many strange and rare ant species. Some people choose to sell ants after they finish, but Kien always spends time raising Ants to live in the tank (called pure tanks) and then selling, then buyers will be easier to raise and take care of.
An ant colony to maintain requires a queen and worker ants. Experienced ant players often catch queens to build their own, but this is quite difficult because it requires a lot of techniques, so Kien Nguyen advises new players to buy a ready-made and pure tank, then it will be easy to raise. than.
 Buying ants that are already tanked and have flocks will be easier to raise. Photo: NVCC |
There are two types of ants commonly kept, the sweets eater and the predatory ant. Predatory ants often require farmers to release crickets, rice worms or cockroaches into the tank for them to promote their instincts. Meanwhile, raising ants to eat sweets is easier and cleaner, just drop sugar or honey in a certain position in the nest to be able to raise ants.
The type of sweet-eating ant also has the advantage of fast reproduction, often referred to by the common name sugar ant. The players also change the color of the ants by adding food coloring to the sugar and then feeding the ants, at this time, the ant’s belly will be colored if taken close-up photos will be very beautiful.
Common varieties of ants can be mentioned as Harpegnathos venator, Campo Irri, Camposigula, Rufi (the largest predator in Vietnam)…
 Sugar ants are fed food coloring, so their bellies are colorful. Photo: NVCC |
at Blogtuan.info – Source: cafebiz.vn – Read the original article here
