FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

That's really cool! It would be cool to try the ant farm idea; do you know anybody who has tried it?

Hi Kbud,
A few months ago I heard of someone who wanted to do this same thing. I can't give his email without his permission, but I told him you were interested also. He has my email and the link to this thread so he may respond here or to me if he wants. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Kbud,

The guy I knew got back to me and this is what he wrote:

"I did try it. It went well for a while but they never fully recovered from their winter dormant period. I live in Louisiana and the humidity and temperature here were just too off. I tried crickets instead of ants and a 29 gallon tank was way way too big. I had 6 flytraps and there was too much room for the crickets to roam and not feed the Venus. It was just full of flaws. I'll see if I can put them into a list form for you

So..
1. 29 gallons is WAY too big.
2. The soil required for vft are completely different from other plants
3. The crickets destroyed the other plants before they even had a chance to die from malnutrition
4. Crickets are too big for vft
5. Don't buy vft during their dormant period
6. Lights are hard to get for them
7. Temperature is hard to maintain
8. Humidity is hard to get
9. Plants need something (not sure what) to keep moisture in the moss and not in the air. Also it's hard to keep the bottom of the tank wet without making the entire bottom of the tank sloshing wet

If I think of anymore, I'll get back to you.

Hope that helps! Tell your friend I wish him luck! It's a great idea, but it just didn't work out."

It was nice that he detailed his problems. Maybe you can learn from his errors and design a better version. He didn't have the input from the knowledgeable people on this forum to guide him. Let us know what you do. I'm eager to hear your story.

Thank you! Not totally sure if I will try it, but I will give it my best shot!