# Are my cultures ok-- too wet or dry?



## Steve25 (Jan 29, 2010)

Hello,

Do my cultures look okay. I believe they are either too wet or dry. 

Left one: Does it seem too wet and why do they take so long for the media to get hard?

Right one: I believe this looks better but the top of the culture seems white possibly mold and too wet?

It takes sometime for them to get hard. How long do yours get solid? Any advise please

*Note flies are in the bottom of the culture both have 50+


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## kinison (Jul 1, 2010)

Its hard to judge by the pictures. I could give you a better judgment if you just tell me your recipe. Basically I use a dry media that I make. The base of my recipe is potato flake. I have a 50/50 ratio. so if I put 1/2 cup of media in the jar then I put 1/2 cup of water. They consistency always seems perfect for me.


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## Steve25 (Jan 29, 2010)

I use 1/2 media and close to 3/4 hot distalled water. I'm using the directions exactly but it seems at times my recipe or it's not accurate all the time. 

Suggestions from other posts: 
to boil the water 3 mins
microwave the media 20 sec
Use less media and water and make more cultures...

any others?


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## kinison (Jul 1, 2010)

what media are you using? I would try the 50/50 thing. See how that works. I have never microwaved any of my cultures.


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## packer43064 (Nov 30, 2010)

I made some cultures recently and it was a clumpy mashed potato like media. I think it was a little too dry.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Hey Steve

What temps are you keeping them at? The one on the left is fine, but should be poping by now. It's been 15 days. I see some pupa there. The medium is changing colour as well. A good sign. They don't get hard, if anything they will get wetter from the larva waste. In the end they will dry up a lot.

The one on the left is a bit dry. Misting the lid will help. Once a day for a couple, three days.

Is the excelsior in the medium? You only need a lil. It makes it harder to get the flies out imo.


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## mcadoo (Oct 16, 2006)

way too much excelsior, save yourself some $$$ and use way less, and do you put it into the wet media or add the excelsior after the media dries a bit? i think your recipe is going to dictate how you prepare it. i use dry media and there is no reason to heat up anymore than just letting the faucet run a bit.


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## Steve25 (Jan 29, 2010)

@Frogfreak: I'm keeping my temps of my cultures at around 70* constantly. Oh okay so the medium never gets hard until the end. That clearifies some of my questions. I thought the one of the left was too weat according to the clumps and pockets.

@Mcadoo: After i mix my media and eveything I wait around 30mins then I put in the Excelsior. Is this method good? It seems as days go by the exlecsior falls into the media and looks wet.

Notes:
If i see little white dots or smudges, what are those? Those are sometimes on my older cultures around 20days. If you look closely on the left one towards the top you can see little white dot like smudges.

I heard people get mites but I dont believe I've had those before.

Thanks everyone..


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

They do look a little dry.....in the dry winter months, sometimes I add a little more water.

I would also cut back 1/2 of that excellsior. You don't need that much.


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## packer43064 (Nov 30, 2010)

I need to cut back on excelsior too then. I used even more than that.


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## Topete (Sep 27, 2009)

i like using a combination of coffee filters and Excelsior (bit bigger than a golf ball). Somehow i always end up using a bit more water than a 1:1 mix.

using coffee filters can help determine the state of your media.

1) they cannot be inserted or they bend to easily while doing it. (media is to dry)

2) they collapse.. media is to wet.


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

Steve, you still havent told us what mixture you are using...

At least in my experience, the finer I blend up my dry mixture, the more liquid I need to use for it to become consistent. In any case, I have best results when I let 95% of the dry mixture become saturated, and leave the last 5% dry in the bottom of the culture. Over the next few weeks it will absorb the extra moisture and the culture wont become a soppy mess.


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## Woodsman (Jan 3, 2008)

I use 1/3 cup water per 1 heaping tablespoon of media. I add a small ball of excelsior and microwave the complete cultures for 3 1/2 mintues.

If you use too much excelsior, it will pull all of the water out of the media. This is probably the problem.

Richard.


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## VenomR00 (Apr 23, 2010)

My mixture is 1/2 cup potatoe flakes and a tablespoon of sugar. Mix well then add 1/8 cup apple vinegar (prohibits mold) and then add 3/4 cup of water to help balance out the vinegars ability to dry out the media. Then coffee filters to help maintain moisture and bam good to go. =P

hope that helps.


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## Freeradical53 (Jan 25, 2008)

Somewhere I read that when you first add the water, the mixture should be the consistency of applesauce and by the time it cools it should be mashed potatoes. I think the only problem with consistency is that if it is too wet, the flies might drown and if it is too dry the larvae cannot escape to climb the walls. Either way, there is no "perfect" consistency.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I usually put 1 coffee filter along the side, then stuff the culture with excelsior. If my theory is correct, the coffee filter helps control the humidity and keeps the excelsior from getting too wet and falling into the media.


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## Dendrodaved (May 4, 2010)

I remember once recieving a couple of cultures that had just as much excelsior as yours,
and when i was tapping the flies out they were every where but where I wanted it to go,
what a mess lol


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