OMG guys, our AC Antiverse, i.e. the Ant Room,
has entered a new era of sorts. It seems gone are the days when one of our
ant colonies lived completely on their own in an ant farm, devoid of any interaction
with other creatures or micro-organisms. In our past videos, I have shown you how putting
together small and big, vicious and friendly, prey and predatory creatures co-existing within
their mini world can create healthy and thriving vivariums. Easy to make, but awesome for observing nature! We've entered the Era of Vivariums! This week, you are yet again about to see
how I transform one of the most famous forest tanks on this channel into a beautiful, exotic
pineapple beach paludarium. Pineapples, you ask? Yes, I know, pretty random right, but just
watch until the end to see one of the most unique paludarium creations I've ever made
in my life, and perhaps you can create one, too! Plus, I got some other updates on other colonies
in the Ant Room whose symbiotic setups have proven to be quite the success. AC Family, sit back, relax and enjoy these
awesome scenes of nature in tanks, as we marvel at the beauty and wonders of the small, big
worlds we created and continue to create together in our AC Antiverse. Welcome to the AntsCanada Ant Channel! Please subscribe to my channel and hit the
bell icon. Welcome to the AC Family. Enjoy! A trap-jaw ant licks the juices of hemolymph
and guts oozing from the dying superworm. I had cut this superworm up and threw it into
their territories to provide the colony nourishment. She was lucky to stumble across it, and so
she now has the task of informing the colony of the bounty. There she goes to tell the gang. It isn't long before a few of her sisters
return to the site to join in on the feast. This whole superworm will be enough nourishment
for a colony of thousands for a whole day, which is why it's so important for them to
eat as much as they can now and finish it up before any other creatures come along to
steal it, because as you know, in nature, it's a dog-eat-dog world! I'll be getting into what other creatures
these trap-jaw ants compete with and need to worry about in a sec. But if you're new to the channel, these are
trap-jaw ants, known scientifically as Odonotmachus simillimus, whom we on the channel have named
the Jawbreakers. They have massive bear-trap jaws, capable
of opening 180 degrees and shutting with lightening speed and force. They use this special power for various things
like cutting this superworm up, as you can see her doing here, jumping into the air,
as we've seen in previous videos, and of course attacking. I had the misfortune of being bit by one of
these ants and I promise, it felt like I was electrocuted. It hurts so bad! Those jaws are one of the fastest moving appendages
in the animal kingdom! It kinda makes me nervous because these ants,
the Jawbreakers, are about to have an extreme renovation done to their territories, and
I have to do it with the colony still inside, which means if I want this to be as pain-free
as possible, I'm going to have to do it carefully. I also have given them extra food today, to
minimize the number of ants foraging at ground level, to make my job a bit easier. This here is a cricket which they've already
found and have been working on. I think this ant is going to attempt to bring
this entire carcass home. Good luck! Now before we go ahead and give these lands
a makeover, there's something important I need to address first that applies to each
and every single one of you, so hear me out. A lot of you AC Family have been saying you've
been subscribed to the channel but haven't been getting notifications of these new videos. Youtube isn't perfect and has glitches. If you know you're subscribed, could you guys
do me a favour and check to see if you're still subscribed, and if you want to be reminded
of these weekly, soon to be twice weekly videos, be sure to hit the bell icon, and choose "ALL". It breaks my heart every time I see comments
from you guys saying I haven't uploaded in so long, when in actuality I have been, every
week as normal, but Youtube hasn't been notifying you of my videos. I have tried to contact Youtube support but
they've told me it's up to you guys to check and make sure you're subscribed and part of
the notification squad. Whatever the case, let's move on! So, now for the great renovation! Here's why the lands of the Jawbreakers needed
to be changed up. The Hacienda del Dorado, a lush kingdom that
has witnessed tales of millions of ants and other organisms, has undergone the most changes
of any terrarium in the entire Antiverse. It was once the home of a huge supercolony
of yellow-crazy ants, an OG colony of this channel, called the Golden Empire. But out of nowhere, the Golden Empire was
crippled by a plague of blood-sucking mites, and had to be relocated to rehabilitate. They now live in an epic AC ant farm setup,
along with teams of beneficial creatures living with them in harmony. With the Hacienda Del Dorado now vacant, the
next ant colony in line for a larger space were the Jawbreakers, this colony of Trap-Jaw
Ants. They turned out to be the perfect colony for
this enormous glass structure because they don't like heights and don't climb glass so
keeping them contained was a breeze. And so today, four months later, this is what
the Hacienda Del Dorado looks like. Look! The plants had grossly overgrown. The leaves of this Green Nephthytis has totally
reached the mesh. Yup, this plant's gonna need a cutting or
it'll completely push against the mesh cover and grow out of this tank! Also, here, the swampy marsh near the waterfall
has grown a bit stagnant. Water from our waterfall has found a leak
hole in our plastic catcher, which is so exposed now. It used to be covered in moss. And so did the rocky wall of our waterfall. A lot of that moss had died out. Guess growing conditions weren't suitable
for the species. It has thrived on this beach plateau of the
pond, but as you can see the lands were in need of a serious makeover! All that exposed plastic were cringe! But despite how unattractive the Hacienda
Del Dorado had grown, animal life within it has continued to flourish quite well. Time to meet some of the creatures the Jawbreakers
live with. Check it out! In the pond are these cute little cherry shrimp and rasbora fish. They help keep the aquatic environment clean. Now remember the vampire crabs I introduced
to the AC Antiverse five months ago? As you saw in a precious video, I decided
to put some of them in the Hacienda del Dorado. Check out this one eating organic bits from
the top of the waterfall rocks. It's amazing how it managed to climb up here! By the way, our vampire crabs need a name
so pls take the time to vote for a name here, based on my top 5 picks from you, the AC Family
in a previous video. Thank you AC Council for your input. In case you might have seen a famous BBC video
where ants were wiping out a population of land crabs from Christmas island, don't worry. That doesn't happen all the time. In some cases, ants can get along with crabs. Case in point the vampire crab inhabitants of the Selva
de Fuego, the epic paludarium kingdom of one of the most meat-hungry and aggressive ants
I've ever owned - Fire Nation fire ants. See? A Fire Nation worker ant crawls on this crab
in search of anything organic it can eat trapped in spaces of its exoskeleton. Like a cowbird on a cow, this crab could offer
a hidden treasure on its body. It's an interesting symbiotic relationship
because the crab benefits from the ants cleaning areas it can't reach on its exoskeleton, and
the crab eats up any garbage or dead ant bodies the ants dump into the river, thereby keeping
the river cleaner. The crab also benefits from the protection
of a massive stinging colony of Amazonian ant warriors living all around. The crabs and the fire ants are friends in
a sweet biological partnership. Now speaking of biological relationships,
another territory is proving to benefit from this mixing of creatures, as well. The Canopy of Vortexia, our tree-top forest
home to our aggressive Weaver Ant Colony, The Emerald Empire has developed into a wild
jungle of a world. A month ago, I upped the bioactivity of these
territories, and introduced a colony of Dubia roaches and superworms to roam around the
land. Today, the creatures all live occupying their
particular niches. The superworms and roaches feed from the leaf
litter eating up decaying leaves from the trees. And every now and then, the weaver ants will
hunt the weakened individuals. Check out this cockroach nymph they've hulled
up into the trees and are consuming just under the nest. Talk about strong legs, these weaver ants
possess. Woops! If one ant let's go too early they could drop
this massive carcass. Thankfully, they take shifts holding the roach
so they can rest while the roach is being consumed. But, as the Creator of Worlds of the Antiverse, I had to make some edits to plans. Remember the Death Sprites, our microhylid
frogs last used to keep the population of the Jawbreakers in check? I've decided to move the final frogs out,
because I would like the Jawbreaker population to get much bigger. They're now living in this temporary holding
cell. Does this glass enclosure seem familiar to
you? Yup, this was the former home of my Gooty
Tarantula but marshed up. I can't decide though whether I should keep
these frogs or let these frogs go back into the wild where I got them seeing as they've
successfully completed what I needed them for. What do you guys say? Vote here, AC Council! Alright, and now the moment we've all been
waiting for. Pineapple Beach paludarium! Let’s begin the transformative process of
the Hacienda Del Dorado. This was going to be one of the coolest things
I've ever created on the channel. First on the agenda of business, was to chop
these overgrown Green Nephthytis plants. Here we go. For those who may be concerned about the plants,
don’t worry, because these leafy plants are resilient. Even if I clear cut them, they'll grow back,
plus I'll be replanting these cuttings into a pot and use them to decorate my home. See they have roots! All other clippings, I'll be using to feed
the creatures of the AC Nucleus, our composter and breeding chamber of bioactivating soil
creatures. Next, I wanted to remove some of these big
driftwood pieces... and carefully move this massive driftwood
piece closer to the back. I instantly saw that the Jawbreakers had been
disturbed and were now scrambling around. I had to be extra careful now not to get bitten
nor destroy their current nest tunnels too much. And after three careful hours of work, the
new Hacienda Del Droado was complete. AC Family, behold! The newly refurbished Hacienda del Dorado. Isn’t it just beautiful? It was an exotic and tropical paradise. Ooohhh I can't wait to show you around! OK, first and foremost, let's look at all
the new plants! AC Family, I want to address the pink pineapples
in the room! My favorite plants here of course are these
gorgeous and vibrant red pineapple plants, known scientifically as Ananas bracteatus. Its radiant colors gave energizing explosions
of reds and pinks to the lands, something I've never done before, but looks totally
amazing! I see them almost as plant pets now! Haha! I also installed a variety of epiphtic bromeliads,
also relatives of the pineapple. These are airplants called Tillandsias. I just love the look of them! I installed some vein plants, which add a
glorious complementary mix of dark greens and reds to the lands. And also some Peperomia growing in patches
all around. I planted some Calathea in the marshy swamp
to help keep this area cleaner. I also removed the plastic shelf, and filled
the marsh with java moss, so that more water could cascade into this marsh area, get filtered
naturally by the Calathea plants and moss, and spill into our pond. Doesn't it look just stunning? Ahhhh mossy swamp heaven! Speaking of waterfalls, I improved that area,
too. I planted little bits of java moss along the
rocky waterfall, which has proven to do well in our other paludarium, Pacmania of Jabba
the Hutt, our Surinam horned frog. My hope is it continues to thrive and cover
this rocky wall. I left the bird's nest fern inside, as well
as some of the old Green Nephthytis plant. But another of my top favourite things about
this new design, guys, is what I see as the icing on the cake. This white pebbly pathway completed the entire
pineapple beach look of this paludarium. Doesn't it all look pretty unique? Unlike any paludarium we've ever made before. It actually reminds me of a river beach I
once visited in Borneo. Habitats like this actually exist in the wild. And look, our inhabitants seem to enjoy the
newly rejuvenated lands. The shrimp, fish and snails are enjoying their waters, which they can
probably tell by now feel cleaner thanks to the secondary marsh filter they have now! And so are the crabs. Looks like this crab decided to take advantage
of the renovations happening and stole the Jawbreaker's superworm during all the commotion! What a sneaky fellow! Okay, maybe, that’s your house-warming gift
Mr. Crab. And of course, the stars of the show, the
Jaw breakers also showed signs of settling into these new lands. I could see most of them digging their tunnels
now and many individuals taking a stroll around exploring their new lands with wonder. As a house warming gift, I gave them another
superworm which they proceeded to feed from and rip, rip, rip chunks of flesh off to take
home into their underground chambers. So, I think it was safe to say this new renovation
project of the Hacienda Del Dorado and species mixing has been a great success! Wouldn't you say? Over time, I truly enjoyed watching all the
inhabitants going about their business in these great lands which offered various microhabitats
for the inhabitants. We have a canopy of wood and bromeliads above,
an undergrowth of plants and pineapples, a marshy swamp area, a rocky waterfall, and
a pond. I do feel like with all of these amazing niches,
we can still stock this vivarium with more creatures. What do you guys think? Leave your suggestions for other creatures
you think we can add to these lands and watch integrate into this amazing community of life. I was thinking possibly a species of frog
that won't eat our crabs nor our ants, and perhaps a species of lizard that won't eat
our ants, nor bother our crabs, but can eat crickets or roaches perhaps. Whatever the case, I'll definitely need to
do more research before deciding and can't wait to hear your ideas, AC Family. And so, once again, our projects have been
pretty eye-opening! We've built some pretty awesome biological
partnerships in these worlds within glass we created, and it is just so awesome to know
you guys are joining me on this never ending journey of discovery and creation. I also love that a lot of you watching are
getting into this hobby of keeping various ants and creatures. I know you guys are capable of creating amazing
worlds like this in your home. If you're wanting to start with an ant colony,
I suggest starting small and simple. My website AntsCanada.com offers some easy
to use homes in which you too can build complex communities of various creatures living with
ants. Just a reminder though that if you're going
to mix larger species together like crabs and frogs and such, you need to research every
species carefully and ensure every creature has their own space and needs met, so that
there isn't any overbearing competition for space or resources, as well as an imbalance
of sorts. I love this new Era of Vivariums we're entering,
AC Family. It's a new and hollistic mindset for the keeping
of the wildlife we care for. I've actually been doing a lot of research
lately on permaculture, of all things. I've recently become a farmer myself, and
no not just ant farms, but actual farming, farming. Hehe! And one of the things I've come to realize
based on permaculture principles, is that for an entire biological system to work, you
can't just isolate components of the system and expect it to thrive forever, but rather
you need to include all components of the system in order for it to be sustainable. This means, you can't have just ants in an ant farm and expect them to thrive
forever. Some strong ants might, but there would be
pieces missing. The ants need their posse of beneficial creatures
like sprintails, isopods, and beneficial mites to help them out in life. Imagine us being placed into a foreign world
where we need to survive ourselves, without stores that sell us food, garbage men who
deal with our garbage, doctors who help us heal, construction workers who build us homes,
internet and television to educate us on what's going on, etc? But if all of that was placed into the world,
we'd all thrive. I've learned Wildlife is kinda the same. There's a whole economy of relationships happening
out in Mother Nature, and we get to see evidence of it more and more in our Ant Room lately. It's funny, if you leave ants in a clean ant
farm long enough, beneficial creatures just end up finding their way in and populating
the ant farm, anyway. That's how strong the bond between these creatures
that naturally share a space is, and that bond to me is such a beautiful thing to witness. As was said in one of my favourite movies
of all time: Life finds a way. Thank you for finding your way to this video
and channel, guys! I hope to see you again next week. It's ant love forever! AC Family, did you enjoy today's episode? Man, I love the new Hacienda Del Dorado and
it's now one of my favourite paludariums of all time, cue Kanye West interruption! Guys, also please hit the SUBSCRIBE button
and BELL ICON for notifications now to keep updated on all my videos of the true stories
of the lives in our Ant Room. And don't forget to also hit the LIKE button
every single time, including now! It would really help a lot! Also, I wanted to let everyone know that AntsCanada.com
is having its big AC annual holidays Promo: the 20-20-20 sale. That's 20% off all Hybrid Series ant farms
and gear packs from now until January 2020, plus a free copy of our newly updated "Ultimate
Ant Keeping Handbook," right now at AntsCanada.com. Click the link in the description to get your
AC ant farm today! I would love for you all to enjoy keeping
ants with me! It's truly such an educational and fulfilling
experience! AC Inner Colony, I have left a hidden cookie
for you here, if you'd like to see what creature I discovered in our Nucleus when I placed
some clippings inside! You may be quite shocked just as I was so
go check it out! And now it's time for the AC Question of the
Week! Last week we asked: What helps a Gooty Tarantula stick to glass? Congratulations to BrunoVentura22 who correctly
answered: The setules, microscopic hairs in the paw
tuffs. Congratulations Bruno, you just won a free
e-book handbook from our shop! In this week's AC Question of the Week, we
ask: What is your favourite thing about the new
Hacienda Del Dorado's design? Leave your answer in the comments section
and you could also win a free e-book handbook from our shop! Hope you can subscribe to the channel as we
upload every Saturday at 8AM EST. Please remember to LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE, and
SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed this video to help us keep making more. It's ant love forever!
