8 replies to this topic

[Vendayn]

The materials are high quality, and it looks really nice. The museum glass is awesome.

 

However, maybe its because I got the side attached foraging area (everything is attached with magnets). Except the foraging area ON TOP of the ant farm looked dumb to me with his formicarium, I'd never go that option. Drew's setup I have it on top and it looks fine, but Tarheel if it was on top it would look weird because its bigger than the formicarium. Drew's foraging area is exact same width/length of the formicarium. That would have annoyed me too much because the foraging area would have been bigger than what was underneath it.

 

However. There is in fact a huge gap between the formicarium and the foraging area. Enough that even Argentine ants and Solenopsis invicta can get through quite easily. My Pogonomyrmex rugosus could use it no issue, but I wanted to use Pheidole megacephala for it (there is a colony outside my garage of them that I've been wanting to dig up). But Pheidole megacephala are smaller than Argentine ants. And Solenopsis invicta are kinda big (compared to Argentine ants), and they didn't have an issue escaping either.

 

There IS a tube attached to the foraging area, except for some reason it doesn't go all the way through. It completely stops at the foraging area. I can't push it in any further because its glued in or the ytong keeps it in place or both. If the connecting tube went all the way through and PAST the foraging area (even just a bit) and attached to the actual formicarium, this wouldn't even be an issue. I could then have used the tube and connected it, and the entire issue would have never existed.

 

I won't be selling it, mostly because I tried using superglue to fix it and that just made it worse. Not even superglue could fix it. I pretty much broke it trying to fix that stupid design flaw. Now it looks even worse. So dunno what I'll do with it. I then tried removing the superglue, but hot water/soap/vinegar/hydrogen peroxide/rubbing alcohol and everything else I tried wasn't working at all. So I used a screwdriver, then a crack formed. And I'm screaming at myself the entire stupid time.

 

Quite a lot of money too, 155 dollars down the drain. And it was my fiance's money too, so I feel really bad. And feel worse because I tried fixing it myself and it made it even worse. And then I tried fixing the superglue and then it was even worse than before. And at this point its pretty much trash, because I just kept making it worse and worse. So 155 dollars just down the drain.

 

Won't ever buy a Tarheel product again.

Edited by Vendayn, August 27 2016 - 8:27 PM.

[Vendayn]

I'm gonna be pissed all night long. Both at the product and how much money was spent. And at myself because I tried fixing the stupid gap and made the problem go from bad, to worse, to even worse to total destruction.

[Vendayn]

That is pretty much what happens any time I try to make my own ant farm too.

 

A problem comes up. I try to fix it, then it gets worse. Then worse and worse as I try to fix each problem. That is why I always buy ant farms Any time I try to build anything, it looks like a volcano of disaster erupted lol. Not just ant farms, but anything. Even tried building a simple chair once that a friend in Europe sent me from Ikea. It looked like a mutated piece of furniture even though there were instructions and should have been easy to build

 

That and my hands always get super shaky when I handle tools of any kind, so I probably shouldn't even have used the screw to remove the super glue. And I should never have used the super glue. See, bad to worse to disaster. How everything I try to build goes. And I didn't even build this formicarium, was just trying to fix the huge gap the ants were getting out of. I couldn't even do that lol.

Edited by Vendayn, August 27 2016 - 9:37 PM.

[spider_creations]

Man I feel so bad for you. Send a email to tar heel ants to see if you can get your money back I heard he has good customer service

[Vendayn]

I thought of it briefly, but I'm not big on refunds. Especially if I make the product worse by trying to fix it myself. 

 

What I should have done, is to leave it as it was and email tarheel and ask him about it. Not try to fix it myself, and make things go from bad to complete disaster like anything else I try to fix/build lol.

 

I ended up giving the ant farm to my neighbor, maybe he can fix it up for himself.

 

I'll probably buy a tarheel product again to be honest. It was really nice, I'll just get a different foraging area setup. Maybe leave it on top instead, and no magnets (if that is an option). And maybe put in the notes that it will be for very small ants, and it needs to be escape proof for them.

Edited by Vendayn, August 27 2016 - 10:25 PM.

[Vendayn]

This is the worst week I've ever had.

 

Someone stole the formicarium. My neighbor left it out just for a couple minutes, as he had to use the bathroom. His door was still open. Literally in two minutes someone took it from his front door that was still wide open. He felt really dumb because he said he should have just took it inside, but didn't think to bring it in. And he fixed it up to brand new, but it had to dry so that is why he left it there. But in just two minutes it was gone.

 

Luckily my fiance is gonna get me the pinnacle. Looks a lot better for my ants. But never have I had such bad luck in my life.

Edited by Vendayn, August 28 2016 - 1:18 PM.

[Vendayn]

The rest of the week, I'm not gonna touch ANY of my ants or even look at them. If I'm having such bad luck, I can only imagine what I'd do to my Pogonomyrmex rugosus or worse, my Acromyrmex versicolor. I could trip and knock my Acromyrmex over, and they'd be all over the place knowing how this week is going. No idea why my luck is so bad, but I'm gonna completely avoid my ant colonies lol.

 

Dunno what I did to deserve such horrible bad luck But once this week is over it should be back to normal lol.

 

And then it doesn't help the formicarium actually got stolen. Like why would someone just walk by and steal it. Though my dad had cat grass stolen a few months ago from our front door, and cat grass is a cheap couple dollars lol. But its not like anyone around in the apartment complex is actually interested in ants, its a pretty niche hobby. Unless a kid came by and picked it up from my neighbor's front door. Still, my luck is going from bad to worse lol. Hopefully it doesn't end up a disaster like I did to my tarheel setup

Edited by Vendayn, August 28 2016 - 1:47 PM.

[dspdrew]

Where do you live, in a ghetto? I'm in the trashcan of Orange County (Santa Ana), and my stuff sits on my porch all day long sometimes without being stolen. Can't say much for the stuff in my truck that grew legs last month though.

[Vendayn]

No, I live in Irvine, in stupidely expensive apartments.

 

Our neighbor has had packages stolen, we had cat grass (cat grass is cheap as heck too, dunno why someone would steal that of all things) and now a formicarium. Oh and someone stole one of my mom's plants and stolen stuff from our porch.

 

I won't say how much dad pays, but a house would be vastly cheaper to rent lol. And I can't even do anything around here without people giving me dirty looks or getting into our business.

 

Living in a cheap place that is the ghetto is actually better, because people don't get into your business and leave you alone. When you live in a richy fancy area, people get rude and snobby. Dunno why dad doesn't want to move, oh well.

 

Dad thinks someone was angry I was digging for ants, and was following me around and then threw it out (but couldn't find it in the trash if so) when he saw the neighbor leave it at the front door. Or a kid came by and picked it up and walked off with it. 

Its pretty much a very expensive ghetto Except at least a ghetto people live you the heck alone and don't get in your business

Edited by Vendayn, August 28 2016 - 7:30 PM.