ANTSTORE World of Ants

[delete-3157]

hello
first i hope i have post this message in the right forums?
ok my first problem or maybe it be ok?
i order few antfarms from your site, the first one the standard one (10cm by 20 height) and the other one the ant appartment, also order the beginner ants lazius nigers.

tonight i got the equipments, and did what it says on the standard antfarms first i put the granules, then i mixed the sand and loam.
then i had the difficult task to get the ants from the test tube to the standart farms, my god!!! there are fast , but i am pleased to says, there was no escape and all was well, after 1 hours try to cacth one by one, and transfert them into the farm!
then i was thinking about the moisture, Jesus, i feel very stupid,but i just find out that you must FIRST put the tube 10mm at the bottom, i understand the description i reads and why, but a bit too late! !!
so what i have done i cut a piece of the tube and put some cotton wools and water inside and put one end to ant farm hole on top, not at the bottom, but the tube is half way through the farm, and as the tube is slightly bend, if i turn it upside down, 1 drop of water falls to the bottom of the standart antfarm.
but at the momment i put it the other round if you understand what i mean? so no water leaks and drowned my precious ants!
basically the tube is hanging from one of the socket hole and i was wondering if this would be ok, for the mositure?
i means they will drink from it no problem, but i am not sure, about the moisture?
i just can not imagine having to get the ants out of the farms again and start all over again?!!!!
but if this is really important, to have the tube, at the bottom, what do you suggest i do so i don`t harms my ants?

now , i might be going mad! but they have not being in there more then 2 hours and i can see already many little tiny white sand like balls, surely the queen is not already laying eegs?
i means she has not even digged inside the sand yet?
all i can says, the worker seems very interresting by the little sand white balls, and surround the queen at the momment, i would love to knows if this is eggs already?
from what i read i think it is...maybe i got a very excited queen, happy girl!

don`t take me wrong i did lot of reading on the net but even on the site when u click on ths standard antfarms, they don`t says or mention the tube for the moisture, maybe something you could adds to it, Martin?
i think, this will help, for peoples like me and stop them to make the same mistake?

now i would like to pointout something about the connection tubes, i am not being funny but this is very confusing!
i got the ant appartment, look great BUT there is 4 holes ok.
now 2 of them, are for the tube i already got which are the same one from the standart ants farm(10mm), but the 2 socket on the top of the ant appartment what tube do you used, i means, can you send me a links i guess you must be selling them on this side if you sell the ant appartment?
i looks and to be honest i am not sure which one to get?
again, i knows this is not the right forums, but i would strongly suggest when peoples click on the antfarms, to have more accurated informations specially about [highlight=red]the connections and tube [/highlight]they need and where to find them, i still don`t knows if i have to have some connector and then the tube attach to it or just tubes who fit them ?
if so please Martin help me, i knows you have been great and try to help, but i still cannot find the right tube, this connection buziness is a nightmare , as i was planning to get a small antpools too but then again the tube won`t fit so i will have to try to works out what i need, maybe i will try to call next time, before i make my order.

i means all this different tube size is good marketing, but for peoples like me who don`t leave in germany, this is a big problem,as i have already make 3 orders from you in the past 2 weeks ( i am good customer )
but it cost me a lot of money each time for the postage!
and this was supose to be for my final project at university, mixing life forms and digitals together...
and i find your site and really like it, so much that i knows already i be a big fan of keeping my ants after and before the project.

i have also order some very good books apparently on amazon about ants.
call "the ants" suposedly the best books about it??

apart from that tube/nightmares scenario i would says, this place is great, the peoples are very nice and the product looks very good!

by the way i just watch a worker running on top of the farms, and she was carry what definetly look like a tiny round white eggs, so i think, i have a very horny queen!!!
all the best,
Herve=crowpied

[Deanola]

Did you moisten the sand and loam in the antfarm before placing your ants into the farm?

The tube that is supposed to run to the bottom is mainly there for formicarium moisture and humidity, by running down into the clay, the clay holds moisture very well and acts like a conductor for the water to run through and into the sand/loam.

Did you compress the sand loam at all, before moistening?

I find compressing it a little stops a lot of cracking that can occur, because when the uncompressed sand/loam is moistened, the volume gets smaller and can leave gaps at the sides of the formicarium.

The white little balls are probably eggs/larvae which the queen has already laid in her tube. Her laying may stop for a few weeks at first while she settles into her new environment.

the workers will pay her and the eggs/larvae a lot of attention constantly cleaning them and her.

Is the tube that you have coming in through the side of the formicarium?
is it free hanging?
is it a tight fit through the socket. make sure it is, cos these ants will get through tiny holes.

when i last had a lasius niger colony i kept them in an ant farm deluxe, pretty similar to the standard.

Im gonna try and draw you a picture of how it was setup to help you understand easier...

I cannot really help with the ant apartment as i have never had one..

Hope all of this helps.

[Martin S.]

Dear crowpied,

can you not connecting the antfarm withe apartment ?
all antfarms had a 10 mm hole.
I know that sometime it's not easy to put in the hole.
But it is importent that the connecting can not go out.

Greetings Martin

[Deanola]

Hope this picture helps

[Martin S.]

Thanks Deanola,

Perhaps the photo from Stefan_K is a help for you:

You can't see the ant apartment, but you see the antfarm in connection with the ant island.

Greetings Martin

[delete-3157]

many thanks!
well i have not option but to redo the antfarm setup.
i did the loam+sand etc like the picture fine, but i basically did not put the tube at the bottom, where thet clay is, but just hanging loose at the top, i thought maybe it would be enought moisture, but after a long night i can see, this won`t works, now, i have to be extra careful to move the ants, god knows how i am going to do this?!!!
i guess, i am going to spend my night trying gently to get them out one by one.

Martin thank, but i don`t think you have understand my question, yes, there is 2 hole at the bottom which are the same size of the ant appartment, but what i need to knows, is what tube/socket you need for the 2 holes on top ?
the 10mm won`t get in or fit from the outside.
maybe i should explain better, there are not hole, but tube, please help with this
maybe you could have a look at one of the ant apartment to see which tube/socket fit them in?
if so please do send me the link on the site where i can buy them.

thank a lot for the picture, there are very good and helpful.
wish me luck, i hope it won`t harms, my ants or stress them too much by moving them again...
cheers,
herve

[delete-3157]

job done did what u told me to do and managed to get the ants!
i am off to bed, hard work!
thank U!!!!

[Deanola]

Glad to help...

Hope everything goes ok with your ants...

Good luck !!!