The Smart Generation
For an emerging industry such as ant keeping, borrowing ideas from other similar industries is expected and accepted. We wrote about using aquascaping as a means of inspiration when creating your outworlds. We've shown you a glass house used as an ant biosphere in Formicarium of the 3/4. Now we've found a product that's targeted at reptiles or amphibians but, with a little handy work, may just be the best formicarium you can buy.
Biopod, shown above and as described but it's creators, is a self contained ecosystem that replicates real environments. Essentially it's a smart vivarium designed to perfectly monitor and control everything from humidity, temperature, and lighting. For a planted formicarium it's perfect. They come in a range of sizes but it's the Biopod "One" that we're really excited about.
At a great compact size of 47.37 x 33.93 x 35.56 the "One" has all the equipment of the larger sizes.
With the ability to control humidity via the integrated misters fed by a built in reservoir, keeping your plants alive will be easy. Simply fill the reservoirs and the system does the rest using the built in sensors to determine when to mist and water.
Two separate heaters maintain the perfect temperature. One heating the air whilst another heats the substrate. Perfect for a heated nest area.
Lighting is via LEDs built into the hood at a daylight simulating temperature of 5000K. UVB is utilized to ensure any animals kept will be given the proper dosage of vitamin D they would receive in the wild. A smart controllable timer even lets you adjust the sunrise and sunset times.
A full HD 1080p camera is also built in along with wi-fi connectivity so you can keep an eye on your ants whilst your away.
Did we mention that all of this is controllable via your smartphone and the Biopod app. Everything from the lighting to the misters are adjustable.
All of this for just, wait for it, US$349.
Whilst we accept that most of this equipment is more than people need or even want, and that it would still likely involve some work to make it ant proof, it's a great demonstration of the products that could be available for the more experienced ant keepers.
In the time we've been involved in the industry we've seen a shift in desire towards a more professional and planted setup for experienced ant keepers when keeping ants. Systems like these with smart technology not only make it easier to maintain the ecosystem but also help your pets to thrive. Not to mention that they look great and can help bring ant keeping into the mainstream.
We'll be picking up a Biopod as soon as they become available and see how they translate to ant keeping.
In the meantime checkout the video above. And be sure to check them out here.
