Need something fast? Check out our "ready-made" Ready-To-Ship Fortress Page(link here)

Or

Use this page and the options to create your own design!

The Fortress formicarium from Tar Heel Ants is designed for founding queens and small colonies. What makes this formicarium special? This formicarium is designed to keep ant colonies in the founding stage from storing trash in expansion parts of the nest. This is done by positioning the founding chamber (water tower chamber) on the same level as the foraging area while keeping expansion areas above. This design is also incorporated into our Stronghold formicarium.

Watch the Tar Heel Ants Fortress Formicarium Video below:

What features come with the standard Fortress?

This formicarium comes with a nestmate (see nestmate video here ).

here Large Water Tower (15 ml capacity)

Magnetically Removable Glass

Detachable Foraging Area

Micro-fine stainless steel mesh vent

Professionally carved Ytong (Type I) or Professionally molded nest (Type III)

Type I Material is Ytong while Type III Material is a much harder material sand-coated for naturalistic feel and better for destructive species such as Pogonomyrmex spp.,Tetramorium spp., Solenopsis spp. is optional ($10 more).

What comes in the box?

Mini Liquid Feeder

Syringe for hydration (blunt tip)

Feeding Dish

Nest and Foraging Area

Stopper for connection port

Nestmate and stopper

Check out this new review of the Fortress by The Ant Network:

Options

Decor options - the 4" height limits decor options only slightly. The Great Tree option is available for $10 in this formicarium but please keep in mind this takes up a lot of space in the foraging area. We find it useful in creating additonal foraging surfaces.

Type I or Type III - This nest is for small colonies and therefore we feel either Type I (Ytong carved) or Type III (our proprietary sand-coated castings) are both good options for any species.

Type I vs Type III - Type I is a dryer nest than Type III all things being equal, but both are easily modified with additional nestmates for increased humidity control. Type I is a stone carved surface dyed with natural dyes while Type III has sand coated chambers. Both have naturalistic looks. Type III is significantly harder than Type I and aids in preventing destructive ant species from tunneling through the materials. Again this is not a problem for many species, but if you have questions about Type I versus Type III please contact us at tarheelants@gmail.com

Museum Glass - For $15, this is something to consider! You will notice the difference every time you visit with your ant colony. Museum glass looks invisible! 95% glare reduction.

Watch the following YouTube playlist for more information on Tar Heel Ants formicarium options:

Here are some links to the individual options videos:

***This formicarium takes a minimum of 10-14 days to complete upon ordered. All of our formicaria are made-to-order (other than the Immediate Shipping Page items) and are made based on the options you choose during the order process. During peak seasons this time may increase to 3-4 weeks completion time. If you have any questions or concerns about this process please let us know!***