Hi guys! I hope you’re doing well!
Today I’m going to make a little review of a really unusual and cool-looking ant nest made by the company WaKooshi, the Saturn nest!
Let’s see if it’s any good!
Discount!
General Info
I have to admit it! This is definitely one of the coolest ant nests I’ve ever tried so far! It perfectly merges the idea of a test tube-based ant nest, with a compact but fairly-sized outworld!
The concept behind this nest is pretty straightforward: Use an array of test tubes as the main living area, and a small acrylic cube as an outworld. You put those together, and you get a fantastic mix of features!
If you are new to the amazing hobby called ant keeping and don’t know what a test tube setup is, this short tutorial will solve all of your doubts! In this article, I explain in detail what a test tube setup is, why is so important, and even how to make one yourself!
The 3D Printing
Like most of the products made by WaKooshi, some parts of this nest are 3D printed. The corner fixings, the test tube holders, and some parts of the lid, are all created using a particular technique called 3D printing, which is recently become quite popular in the ant keeping space.
All the 3D-printed pieces come in matt white, a color that I personally really like! The quality of the printing is fantastic, and the pieces don’t have any signs of error! As always, great quality from WaKooshi!
If you, just like me, love the look and feel of 3D-printed products, you will definitely like this ant nest! This one is made by the same company, and it’s perfect if you have a smaller colony or just a newly mated queen!
The Test Tubes
Now let’s talk about the test tube setups! As said before, this is a test tube-based ant nest, which means that the main area where the queen and the colony will live is inside the test tubes.
As you can see, the test tubes are kept in place by a dedicated 3D-printed structure. This particular structure enables the ants to travel through it, going from the floor level, to one of the test tubes of the nest.
As you can see, adding and removing the test tubes is extremely easy! Just clip them in and the job is done!
If you want, you can initially insert only some of the test tubes, and then proceed to add the other ones once the colony has reached a certain size, and the space is starting to become a little too crowded.
There are currently two versions of this nest: a medium version, and a large version. The main difference between the two options is the size and the number of test tubes they can hold.
The version that I’m showing you right now is the medium one, and can hold up to 5 100mm test tubes. The large one, on the other hand, uses the larger 150mm test tubes, and can hold up to 7 of them!
If you need to house a small or a medium-sized ant colony, I would suggest you opt for the medium version of the nest. On the other hand, if you’re planning to move in a large colony, you should definitely choose the larger one!
The Outworld
The nest also offers a very decent fairly-sized outworld! The outworld is practically a cube, measuring approximately 15cm on each side for the medium version, and approximately 20cm for the larger one.
The transparent acrylic panels used in the nest are extremely clean! You can see with no problem everything that happens inside the outworld, and you can be sure that you will not miss any of the action!
The corner fixings are built in a way that makes it almost impossible for the ants to escape out of the nest! No matter what species you are planning to house, they will certainly have a hard time trying to escape!
If you’re currently searching for a new outworld for one of your beloved ant colonies, I would suggest you take a look at this other article! In this one, I make a detailed review of an outworld made by the very popular ant keeping company Esthetic Ants!
The Lid
The lid of the outworld is made of two main parts: a 3D printed piece, and a transparent acrylic panel. They are kept in place by some screws, and together they create the perfect entrance gate for the nest.
The top hole is big enough for a relatively large hand, and is perfect for using some of the most common ant keeping tools, like, for example, a long pair of tweezers or a paintbrush.
To make the nest even more secure and to make it a lot easier to clean the inside of the outworld without having any escapees, you can use the dedicated section of the top transparent panel to apply some escape prevention oil!
With this clever solution, no ants will be able to escape!
Expandability
But what if the colony has filled all the available space inside every test tube? Do I have to relocate the entire colony manually? Good questions!
Fortunately, with this nest you don’t have to do any of that! As you can see, on the side of the outworld there are two little holes.
These ports give you the option of expanding the nesting space by connecting another nest or another outworld to the Saturn! You can even connect another Saturn!
In the meantime, you can close the holes using the provided particular types of flexible caps!
The Building Process
To make the packaging a lot smaller in order to facilitate the shipping procedure, this nest comes disassembled. All the pieces needed to build the nest come inside a small plastic bag like this, ready to be assembled.
Don’t worry! The assembly process is super easy! You don’t need any particular type of tools or any technical knowledge! Every component is included in the kit!
To get the instruction, you just have to scan the QR code that you find inside the bag. The link will take you to the WaKooshi website, right on the assembly manual page.
If you prefer a video version, I would suggest you check out my assembly video guide! It’s an extremely easy-to-follow step-by-step guide on how to assemble this awesome and good-looking nest!
Conclusions
In conclusion, this is an amazing ant keeping product! It perfectly merges the nesting area of the test tubes with the outworld, creating a really cool all-in-one nest!
Rating
BRUMA Ants Rating
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Aesthetic
Summary
A really unusual and cool-looking test tube-based ant nest, very different from the other nests you can find on the market. A very beautifully designed acrylic cube, ideal to be placed on a shelf or on a desk! It perfectly merges the idea of a test tube-based ant nest, with a compact but fairly-sized outworld! In conclusion, this nest is a good-looking low-maintenance solution for your beloved colonies!
I hope you have found this guide helpful!
If you’re interested in the company and wanna check out some other products, you will definitely like this one! This one is perfect if you’re just starting out or if you have a smaller colony!
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