My colony is still in its test tube. When should I connect an outworld or move it into a nest?
As soon as your colony has workers. That's why every colony we sell ships with a test tube and a small foraging area, and you can dock the tube into the TubeDock, which can be placed in the foraging area as soon as your colony arrives.
Once the nanitics arrive, founding is over and the workers will want somewhere to forage. Place the tube straight into a small Foraging Area using a TubeDock, and add a Fluon barrier to the rim to help prevent escapes. Their food goes in the foraging area, along with a liquid feeder of water at all times, and the tube stays their nest.
Don't rush them out of the test tube. A test tube is a good nest, and colonies do fine in one far longer than most Ant-Keepers realize. You'll know it's time to move them when the tube is heavily overcrowded. When they do move into a bigger nest, we generally recommend pairing it with a same-sized foraging area.
How To Move My Colony To A New Nest? has more information on when they're ready.