What the hell?

[PA992]

I just loaded up the Armory, which I had installed, and waited for the initiation process to complete and when it was done, it said I had 0 bitcoins. I had to close Armory and open Bitcoin-Qt again to verify that I still actually had my coins. Armory makes the transition seem completely automated, even asking you to close Bitcoin-Qt before you initiate Armory. I wait out that initiation process, which slowed don'r my Internet connection, for it to tell me I have zero bitcoins!? Ridiculous.

[Coiner.de]

Just because Armory uses bitcoin-qt this does not say it cares about your bitcoin-qt wallet. In fact it takes great care not to touch your bitcoin-qt wallet at all.
An Armory wallet is its own wallet and has of course a zero balance at first.

[DobZombie]

it doesn't use the bitcoins in your bitcoinqt wallet.

send them to your new armory wallet (after you close amory, close bitcoinqt then reopen it)