Ant Farm Central

Sea Monkeys

johnpea — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 10:40:06 +0000

SEA MONKEYS KITS

Sea Monkeys? Whoever came up with that name knew what they were talking about. These fascinating creatures, which are actually brine shrimps. will perform all sort of acrobatics (or is it aquabatics?) as they feed and interact with each other. They’re easy to keep and fascinating to watch. The reason that they make good pets is that their eggs can remain viable even when completely dried out. It’s an evolutionary strategy that enables them to survive in areas when temporary pools exist, they feed and breed when the rains form pools and puddles and then survive as eggs when the pools dry out.

Magiquarium Kit

What a great starter kit!. Not only does it contain everything you need to hatch, grow and keep your sea monkeys. The tank actually glows in the dark, as you can see here. Just place the tank in strong light for a while and it will absorb enough energy to glow for many hours afterwards.

Check lowest price here

Classic Ocean Zoo

This is the original sea monkeys kit that started the sea monkeys craze, all those years ago. Inn this tank you can hatch your own pets and watch them grow and mature into adults. Watch their fascinating behavior and see how they interact with each other. Not just for kids either, anyone can become a sea monkey fan, just put one of these on your desk in the office and see how many new friends you suddenly get!

One particular behavioral feature you may see is commonly called ‘mate guarding’. When a male sea monkey finds a mature female that he wants to mate with. He will cling on to her back to ward off other males from coming near. However, in the sea monkey world, size is everything! If a bigger male decides to muscle in, the male will reluctantly relinquish his prize, so that the bigger male can mate with the female.

You might see lots of things like this going on in your Ocean Zoo!

Ocean Zoo Sea Monkey Kit

Sea Monkey Wall Projector

What a brilliant idea! A complete kit in which to raise your sea monkeys but with awall projector attached so you can see them in detail on your bedroom wall. Just turn down the lights, pop the popcorn and you’re ready to go for an evening of riveting entertainment! Who knows, one of them might win an Oscar!

Sea Monkey Wall Projector

Sea Monkey Magic Castle

This is the ideal kit for all you fantastists. Just like the others it contains all the equipment and supplies to grow your sea monkeys, with the added attraction of an under-sea wonderland for them to play in.

With towering spires and soaring arches, they’ll never be short of somewhere to play and/or hide. The tank has a magnifying lid so you can watch life of your little pets in detailed close up. And they really don’t mind being watched. sometimes you get the feeling that they’re just showing off!

Sea Monkey Magic Castle

The following snippet, from the estimable Wikipedia gives an idea of the evolutionary background of these fascinating creatures:

Artemia is a genus of aquatic crustaceans known as brine shrimp. Artemia, the only genus in the family Artemiidae, has changed little externally since the Triassic period. The historical record of the existence of Artemia dates back to 982 from Urmia Lake, Iran, although the first unambiguous record are the report and drawings made by Schlösser in 1756 of animals from Lymington, England.Artemia populations are found worldwide in inland saltwater lakes, but not in oceans. Artemia are able to avoid cohabitating with most types of predators, such as fish, by their ability to live in waters of very high salinity up to 250‰. The ability of the Artemia to produce dormant eggs, known as cysts, has led to extensive use of Artemia in aquaculture.

The cysts may be stored for long periods and hatched on demand to provide a convenient form of live feed for larval fish and crustaceans. Nauplii of the brine shrimp Artemia constitute the most widely used food item, and over 2000 tonnes of dry Artemia cysts are marketed worldwide annually. In addition, the resilience of Artemia makes them ideal animals for running biological toxicity assays and is now one of the standard organisms for testing the toxicity of chemicals. A breed of Artemia is sold as a novelty gift under the marketing name Sea-Monkeys.

Triops Kits

johnpea — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:47:59 +0000

TRIOPS KITS

What are triops? Are they insects? fish? No, triops are a small crustacean, sometimes called the tadpole shrimp. They are considered to be living fossils, some species having remained unchanged for over 180 million years. The reason that they make good pets is that their eggs can remain viable even when completely dried out. It’s an evolutionary strategy that enables them to survive in areas when temporary pools exist, they feed and breed when the rains form pools and puddles and then survive as eggs when the pools dry out.

Toyops Deluxe Triops

As you can see from the picture, this kit contains everything you need to get started with growing trips for yourself. They’re great for kids but equally good for adults too as they exhibit a whole range of biological traits that are useful to learn about, whatever your age. Take note of the tips from seasoned Triops keepers on the Amazon website to help your triops live longer and be healthier.

Check lowest price here

Triassic Triops Kit

Another comprehensive kit, containing Space Age Tank, 100 Triop Eggs, Triops Food, Conditioner/Nutrient, Magnifying Lens, Thermometer, Hatching Tray, Pipette, and Instructions. Good value as the large number of eggs means you’ll be able to rise generation after generation of Triops.

Triassic Triops Kit

Aquasaurs by Uncle Milton

We’re not quite sure why Uncle Milton (creator of the original Ant Farm) chose to call his Triops kit Aquasaurs. Perhaps he knows something that we don’t. Anyhow this is a good kit with plenty of positive reviews. One tip though – use bottle water, never tap water as this will kill them.

Uncle Milton Aquasaurs

Triops Hatchery

If you already have a triops tank then this is the ideal kit to hatch newborns and keep your stock replenished. This kit contains over eighty eggs so you’ll have plenty to keep you entertained. Kit includes: * Hatchery Dish * Baby Food * Adult Food * Dish of Eggs * Pipette * Directions for Ages 8 and up

Triops Hatchery

The following snippet, from the estimable Wikipedia gives an idea of the evolutionary background of these fascinating creatures:

The genus Triops can be distinguished from the only other genus of Notostraca, Lepidurus, by the form of the telson, which bears a pair of long, thin caudal extensions in Triops, while Lepidurus bears a central platelike process. Triops are sometimes called “living fossils”. Fossils attributable to this genus have been found in rocks of Carboniferous age, 300 million years ago, and one extant species, Triops cancriformis, has hardly changed since the Jurassic period (approximately 180 million years ago). [edit]Life cycle

Most species reproduce sexually, but some populations are dominated by hermaphrodites which produce internally fertilised eggs. Reproduction in T. cancriformis varies with latitude, with sexual reproduction dominating in the south of its range, and parthenogenesis dominating in the north. Triops eggs enter a state of extended diapause when dry, and will tolerate temperatures of up to 98 °C (208 °F) for 16 hours, whereas the adult cannot survive temperatures above 34°C (93°F) for 24 hours or 40 °C (104°F) for 2 hours. The diapause also prevents the eggs from hatching too soon after rain; the pool must fill with enough water for the dormancy to be broken.

Other Pets

johnpea — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:02:24 +0000

OTHER GREAT PET IDEAS

I guess we just have to accept it, there’s more to life than insects! It’s not easy to admit it, but there are lots of other interesting creastures out there that are easy to keep, fun to watch and educational too. So perhaps it’s about time we dipped into the world of amphibians, crustaceans, worms and plants to see what sort of gifts you can get for your kids.

Medium Butterfly Kit

Grow upto five Painted Lady butterflies in this one foot tall net cage with a zipper for easy access. Comes with all the equipment and food that you need to keep your adult butterflies happy: mister, butterfly feeder, sugar, dropper, cage and easy instructions. A great value kit with lots of interest for everyone.

Medium Painted Lady Butterfly Kit

Giant Butterfly Kit

Giant Butterfly rearing kit. Each kit contains everything you need to grow up to 10 Painted Lady butterflies. Cage is two feet high and can be hung up for easy viewing. Watch the caterpillars feed, grow then pupate and finally hatch as adult butterflies. You can even release the adult butterlies into the wild once they have fully developed!

Giant Painted Lady Butterfly Kit

Hermit Crab Kit

A wonderful way to teach children the responsibilities and fun of owning a pet. Have fun learning about hermit crabs as you take care of them. This is great for kids of all ages; plus classrooms, science classes, offices and homes.With mail-in voucher for ants. Sold as a pair because they don’t like to be on their own

Kit with two live hermit crabs

Wonderful Worm Farm

Even the great Charles Darwin himself was fascinated by worms. In fact it was he who realised their importance in keeping our soil in good condition. He noted how they drew dead leaves down into their burrows, so promoting decomposition. He recorded their activities in his garden over several decades so he really knew his worms. They’re also a lot more interesting to watch than you might imagine. With this colorful worm farm you can find out what interested the Great Man so much!

Worm farm complete with 20 live worms

School Size Butterfly Kit

Like the kits described above but this time with thirty caterpillars, each in its own individual cup, one for each student. Contains all the equipment you’ll need for a fascinating school project. You can run the project any time of the year if you keep them inside or release them into the wild if it’s over 50 deg.

School Painted Lady Butterfly Kit

Grow Your Own Frog Kit

Welcome to the world of amphibians! These animals evolved from the lungfishes and were the first to leave the water and walk upon the land. They’ve been around for millions and millions of years. You’ll learn why amphibians are so dependent on water for their reproduction and how the reptiles evolved from them. Amphibians make great pets because they’re so undemanding. Learn more about their fascinating life cycle as you grow your own tadpoles into full sized adult bullfrogs!

Live Frog Kit with tadpoles

Ant Life Cycle

johnpea — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:22:35 +0000

LEARN ABOUT THE ANT LIFE CYCLE

Without getting too technical we need to know that, as far as life history goes, insects come in two types. Those that produce larvae as young and those that produce nymphs as young. Your ants are of the type that produce larvae. Ok, if you really want to know, these are the Holometabolous insects. The other type, such as grasshoppers and cockroaches are called Hemimetabolous insects. You won’t need to know any of this to enjoy your ant farm!

Ant Life Cycle Figurines

Great for a school project or just to have on your nature table. The four stages of the ant life cycle. Eggs, larvae, cocoon and a very cute adult! You get the same life cycle in butterflies and moths but because they are so much larger, the familiar larval stage, the caterpillar is much more obvious to us. Ok, it might not be everyone’s idea of a gift but this year you can be confident that no-one’s bought the same gift as you!

Life Cycle Figurines

Real Ant Paperweight

A 2″ x 1.25″ block of crystal clear resin that encases three real ants of different species. Just like modern day amber! With their powerful jaws, these guys are seriously scary. You wouldn’t want to be bitten by one! The ants in question are the Big-Head Ant, Red-Head Bow Ant and the Black Carpenter Ant.

Real Ant Paperweight

Gian Ant Life Cycle Puzzle

Remember all that stuff I was talking about before? You know – eggs, larvae, pupae etc.? Well, it’s all here in a giant 20″ x 30″ foam puzzle that gives you the whole story! For ages 4+ (but you can always play with it after the kids have gone to bed!)

Life Cycle Puzzle

The Life & Times of the Ant

By Charles Micucci. Micucci’s cheerful account emphasizes the prolific insect’s history, industry, and sociability. Each busy spread introduces an aspect of the ant’s life cycle and its work in tunneling and maintaining the colony. Brief text is accompanied by an informative array of captioned watercolor sketches. Cartoon figures of ants in human guise are liberally sprinkled among the more factual drawings. Suitable for Age 5 and up.

Life & Times Book

Ant Life Cycle Stamps

Who on earth comes up with these ideas? Well, your guess is as good as our but they’re a great idea for kids aren’t they? These quality rubber hand stamps show all four life cycle stages of an Ant in a fresh new way.The durable block handles and rubber faces stand up to classroom use. Four stamps depict egg, larva, pupa and adult. Doesn’t come with an ink pad but you can get a nice three-color one here.

Ant Life Cycle Rubber Stamps

Wild Science Ant Mine

A little different from the usual sand-filled ant farm, the ant mine uses a plaster of paris template that you create yourself, using materials in the kit. It’s a bit of an unusual concept but it seems to work well, according to the positive reviews that thrilled users have left.

With mail-in voucher for ants

The life cycle of the ants nest

There are many thousands of species of ant and some of them have life cycles rather different from the one described here. But this one is one that is typical of the great majority. We have deliberately kept it simple, but there are many mechanisms operating within the nest that control just how and when different events occur. We’ll gloss over these for now. Because it’s a cycle, we can start anywhere in the loop, so let’s start with a newly-mated queen. She has recently left her nest, on the wing, along with many other would-be queens and males. She has mated with one or more males during her flight and now searches out a suitable nest site. Depending on what species she is it could vary, from open sandy areas to soil or trees in dense woodland.

She then installs herself in a sealed chamber and lays a small batch of eggs. These soon hatch into larvae and the queen looks after them and feeds them on small unfertilised eggs that she lays especially for the purpose. The larvae then pupate, and ultimately hatch as the first cohort of workers. They soon leave the nest and start finding food to bring back to the nest for themselves and the queen.

The queen continues to lay eggs but now the responsibility for caring for them lies with the workers. They make sure the eggs, larvae and pupae are well ventilated, cleaned and fed. From now on, the queen’s sole job is to lay eggs. Most of the time, all of these eggs develop into workers. The workers attend to her every need and she never leaves the nest again. The queen is the only ant in the nest that is capable of laying eggs, all the workers are sterile.

Depending on the size of the nest, the time of year, and the temperature among other things, the queen will now begin to lay a different type of egg. These eggs will develop into new queens and males. Once they have developed, they will wait in the nest until the right combination of temperature, wind and also pheromones from other nearby nests takes place. Then these new queens and males will leave their nest and begin the cycle that we started with.

Some nests can be very long lived, maybe ten years or more, and are always dependent on an individual queen. Typically the workers live between 45 and 60 days so the ants in your ant farm will ultimately have to be replenished because ant farms have no queen.

Gel Ant Farms

johnpea — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:40:50 +0000

GEL ANT FARM IDEAS

Gel ant arms are great for people who want to get started straight away and not have to load their ant farm up with sand and check moisture levels. They make a great gift and are especially interesting as you can see your ants from all sides as they tunnel through the gel. There’s a whole range of gel ant farms out there, as we show below. They come with a voucher to order your live ants but, if you don’t want to wait for your ants to arrive, why not order them with your kit, so you can be up and running in no time? And the kids won’t be disappointed at having to wait! You’ll see we show two options for each farm; with and without live ants.

Special! Uncle Milton Ant Farm with Live Ants for under $20!

Unlighted Gel Ant Farm

The Antworks Gel Ant Farm was just about the first on the market and is still a top seller. It requires no power, unlike many others shown here, and because the ants eat the gel as they tunnel, they don’t even need feeding. The gel contains all the nutirients that the ants need to keep them healthy and energetic. You’ll have hours of fun just watching them at work. The Antworks Gel Ant Farm is just about the last word in maintenance-free pet keeping!

Illuminated Gel Ant Farm

This is a great gift. And the green gel gives this ant farm a sort of eerie effect when it’s illuminated with its built-in L.E.D lights. This type of Ant Farm was devised by NASA scientists when they wanted to understand how ants responded to weightlessness in space! What they learned we still don’t know but we’ve got a lot to thank them for as the illuminated gel ant farm is just about one of the coolest things you can buy!

Ants On My Ceiling Ant Farm

This a great idea from the top brains in ant farm research! A circular gel ant farm, so you can see your ants from all angles, and more than this….a battery-powered lamp that shines up through the gel and projects moving shadows of your ants as they tunnel away, on your ceiling. Like other gel ant farms, no food or water is necessary, and the whole unit is completely self-contained. Lie in bed at night, shine this on your ceiling and give yourself a whole bunch of nightmares!

With mail-in voucher for ants

Colors of Life Ant Farm

WOW! NEW, continuously changing lighting system adds a whole new dimension to ant farming. Uses a unique multi color LED illuminator to bathe the clear gel in a rainbow of colors. And, if there’s one color you particularly like, you can hold the sequence wherever you want. How brilliant is that? The gel contains nutrients and water, so you don’t even need to feed them! This has to be the ultimate in maintenance-free pet keeping!

Antworks Sculpture Kit

Turn your ants’ tunnels into treasured pieces of art with this sculpture kit. AntWorks Sculpture is designed for use once your ants have completed their life’s work in your AntWorks habitat. The remaining channels and tunnels are complex and even beautiful. Create a permanent art piece from their tunnels by pouring clear resin into the habitat and wait for it to harden. Rinse away the loose gel and what remains is a stunning sculpture. An included illumination base adds another dimension to the beauty. AntWorks habitat not included with this sculpture kit.

AntWorks Sculpture Kit

AntWorks TVQuarium

If you have difficulty getting your kids away from the TV, perhaps this will persuade them! They might not know it’s not a real TV. Cool blue illumination and a comprehensive set of accessories such as a magnifying glass, extreme zoom lens and a tunnel starter tool, to give your ants a helping hand, make this one of the best value ant farms available today..

With mail-in voucher for ants

Best Ant Farms

johnpea — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:31:46 +0000

MORE GREAT ANT FARM IDEAS

Whichever one you choose you’ll be amazed at just how these tiny creatures perform feats of intricate and beautiful engineering right before your eyes! All the kits contain everything you need to set up your ant farm, and once it is set up, a voucher to obtain your live ants to populate it. But, if you don’t want to wait for your ants to arrive, why not order them with your kit, so you can be up and running in no time? And the kids won’t be disappointed at having to wait! You’ll see we show two options; with and without live ants.

Special! Uncle Milton Ant Farm with Live Ants for under $20!

Giant Ant Farm

This is just about the biggest ant farm you can get! It has a HUGE 15″ x 10″ viewing area. It’ll support upto 75 ants quite easily, making the GIANT ant farm one of the busiest places on your street! This great kit is excellent for those who want to get a bit more involved with their ants and contains everything you need: water dropper, feeder, special sand and an informative guide so you don’t go wrong!

Twin Ant Farms

This is a good idea. Two interconnected ant farms. Your pets will feel like they’re living in a parallel universe (or something like that!). It’ll also give your ants the opportunity to get to know the neighbours of they want to. Ants are, of course, highly social creatures and you’ll have hours of pleasure in watching the two groups communicate with each other!

Ant Hill Habitat Kit

Watch as your ant pets burrow underground to create an amazing network of subterranean tunnels, walkways and secret chambers. Features realistic double-sided viewing area, wide base for super stability, escape-proof locking lid, special AntHill fill sand, fun ant activities and complete maintenance instructions. Large 11″x5.5″x8.25″ size make this a great kit for younger children.

Rainbow Ant Farm

What a great idea! The rainbow Ant Farm comes with five different colored sands that you pour into the farm in any funky design you like. Watch your ants get to work building their tunnels and messing it all up for you! They might not win any prizes for their artwork but they’ll sure keep you and the kids entertained for hours! Includes curved acrylic habitat, magnifying glass, 5 colors of special sand and instruction booklet. This is a great starter kit for both children and adults.

Ant-O-Sphere Ant Farm

Someone’s really been thinking about how to keep our ant friends amused. With eight interconnecting pods your ant pets will have a great time finding their way around and visiting their friends in the other pods. It’s a little fiddly to set up, but once you’ve got it established it’s easy to keep and great fun to watch.

With mail-in voucher for ants

Wild Science Ant Mine

With mail-in voucher for ants