Compare
An ant farm shows workers. A formicarium keeps a queen.
| Gel or sand toy farm | A formicarium here | |
|---|---|---|
| Holds a queen | Not made for one | Yes. Starts on her test tube |
| Humidity | Gel or sand is the water | Cotton cup under the floor, re-wet from the top |
| Can grow | No. One box | Yes. Link on more rooms |
| Where food goes | In with the workers | In an outworld, out of the nest |
What a toy farm is
A toy farm is a thin box of gel or sand. You watch workers dig. It is a display, and the colony does not have a future in it.
Toy farms are not our product.
What a formicarium is
A formicarium is a nest for a colony that keeps going. It has a place for water, a place to live, and room to add more.
That means a queen. Queens are caught by the keeper, and we do not sell live ants. The catching guide shows how.
Water
A nest needs a damp place and a dry place. Ours use a cotton cup under a printed-hole floor. You re-wet it from the top. The watering guide shows how.
Growing
A toy farm is the size it was sold at. A formicarium here is a chain. The tube goes into a Scout, then the colony moves to a Founder or beyond. See the moving guide.
Food and trash
In a chain, food goes into an outworld like the Frontier S, $34. Trash stays out there too. The nest stays clean and dark. More on the outworld page.
Where to start
Start with the Scout, $24. It takes a 16 mm test tube. See the full formicarium range or go to Start here.