# How many FF cultures do you buy a month? Other Questions



## packer43064 (Nov 30, 2010)

I've been researching and I need fellow members help and opinions. I need honest and truthful opinions...don't sugar coat it. Unless you want to.  This all pertains to this thread (http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/61074-raising-fruit-flys-profit.html ) in case noone knows me in this part of the forum yet.

Questions:

1. How many FF cultures (Mel, Hydei, any kind) do you buy a month? Just on average, if you don't buy anymore how many did you used to buy a month? (poll)

2. How do you feel about buying the blue colored media FF cultures? Alot of big manufacturers sell their cultures with the media being blue. From what I understand it's just for effects. I would do this for ease of distinguishing from "normal" and "special" FF cultures. Of course you could order without the blue, but unless otherwise stated Mel(hoppers),Hydei(golden) and buzzati would have the blue colored media in the cultures.

3. I understand people buy from where they have always bought, but what would get you(the customer) to buy elsewhere? I don't want to disrespect the sponsors and the like who have been here for ages, so what would make you willing try somewhere else to buy your feeders in general.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

I only buy Fruit fly cultures once, and then make my own after that. The real money seems to be made with the pre-made media. I buy that stuff much more often and I'm sure many other members who do not make their own media do also. The only other times I buy fruit flies is for a crash, but I haven't had one yet. (knock on wood)


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## sktdvs (Nov 1, 2010)

Hey theres no option for "0"

Anyway it be 0 because I make my own.


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## packer43064 (Nov 30, 2010)

Mitch said:


> I only buy Fruit fly cultures once, and then make my own after that. The real money seems to be made with the pre-made media. I buy that stuff much more often and I'm sure many other members who do not make their own media do also. The only other times I buy fruit flies is for a crash, but I haven't had one yet. (knock on wood)


I'm still testing my FF media, but so far it's promising. It's been less than 5 days from when I made my last batch of cultures and there's already a decent amount of larva in the media. I just need to see how it all works out in the long run before I mass produce the media. I also need Methyl Paraben then the media will be set. Thanks.



sktdvs said:


> Hey theres no option for "0"
> 
> Anyway it be 0 because I make my own.


Thanks. Since your not technically buying just saying 0 in the post will suffice. Seems a decent amount of people make their own, but still lots who do not.


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## jig1 (Sep 7, 2008)

Yea I think that you will find most people make their own cultures themselves. People buy cultures starting out and in emergency situations like culture crashes I think.


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

Zero, after the 1st purchase.

Almost everyone here will have the same answer. And if someone doesnt, they most likely wont be winning the award for "best dart care" lol.


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## randommind (Sep 14, 2010)

Zero...However, if you find a way to produce smaller "runted" flies from the start, I would pay not to have to deal with smell of an old culture. 
**if anyone has any ideas on this feel free to PM me**


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## packer43064 (Nov 30, 2010)

randommind said:


> Zero...However, if you find a way to produce smaller "runted" flies from the start, I would pay not to have to deal with smell of an old culture.
> **if anyone has any ideas on this feel free to PM me**


I've thought about attempting this. Just not sure if they would stay small always. Over time I would think they would if bred back to back to back over and over.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I have purchased ffs 2 times since February 2010. The first time to get melanogasters and the second time to get hydei.


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## sktdvs (Nov 1, 2010)

id say if there was a way to get into making media and try and work a way to offer media packages for what they go for now might be a good means to get into.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Sorry, only once. If you don't make your own, you are at the mercy of someone else. Few of us are willing to take that chance. Plus, they are just too expensive to ship.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

I think you are getting these responses because you are asking some seriously dedicated hobbiest's.

What about the people that have a couple of frog's and don't feel like messing with flies... There are plenty out there. Probably the majority of PDF keeper's, would be my guess.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

frogfreak said:


> I think you are getting these responses because you are asking some seriously dedicated hobbiest's.
> 
> What about the people that have a couple of frog's and don't feel like messing with flies... There are plenty out there. Probably the majority of PDF keeper's, would be my guess.


I agree

To add, I think things that all hobbyists look for, from time to time, are woodlice and springs. The more variety the better.


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## packer43064 (Nov 30, 2010)

frogface said:


> I agree
> 
> To add, I think things that all hobbyists look for, from time to time, are woodlice and springs. The more variety the better.


Their on the works too. I need more racks, I'm running out of space. After the holidays I'm going to buy alot of different variety of cultures. To sell a variety than just FF's.


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

I never even bought FF's!!! so, the answer would be 0 aswell


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

GRIMM said:


> Zero, after the 1st purchase.
> 
> Almost everyone here will have the same answer. And if someone doesnt, they most likely wont be winning the award for "best dart care" lol.


So if someone doesn`t make their own cultures they`re not responsible pet owners?
Any chance you could explain this to the people that don`t make their own.

John


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## Jadenkisses (Jun 9, 2010)

Enlightened Rogue said:


> So if someone doesn`t make their own cultures they`re not responsible pet owners?
> Any chance you could explain this to the people that don`t make their own.
> 
> John


It's not really that those people are "irresponcible" per say, it's that they aren't as prepared as those who make their own cultures. 
It's always _best_ to be self sustained when it comes to your frogs food supply, rather than to depend on someone else.
Just my opinion though.
I personally culture my own flies, and sometimes every once in a while I'll buy a culture to add some 'new blood' in the mix.


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## salix (Mar 28, 2008)

Sorry, I didn't read the whole thread (the battery on my laptop is nearly drained).

My answer, I bought one three years ago. I make about 120-150 ff cultures per month. (See my signature line  )

Deb


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## heatfreakk3 (Oct 15, 2008)

I as well only buy cultures in an emergency if something happens to my others and they crash. But I usually have enough running so if one or two crashes I'll still be okay.


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## Chicago Frog Man (Mar 5, 2009)

I make my own as well, and I would second the thought that the $ to be made is in the medium, I hated making my own and buy that stuff a lot.  

I do buy ff's in emergencies, and if my ff cultures start to "fly" then I buy new blood to get new flightless cultures going. 

Someone out there is buying flies though, I check Josh's site occasionally, and have seen him sold out of ff's on a few times. I also see people in a pinch on dendroboard looking for flies "need ff's asap!"


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## alex111683 (Sep 11, 2010)

I have only purchased 2 times. Once for hydei and once for melanos. Like stated before the shipping is just too pricey. By making my own, I save tons because each culture turns out to be around 15 cents!


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## D3monic (Feb 8, 2010)

zero

.
.


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## packer43064 (Nov 30, 2010)

alex111683 said:


> I have only purchased 2 times. Once for hydei and once for melanos. Like stated before the shipping is just too pricey. By making my own, I save tons because each culture turns out to be around 15 cents!


Question: I don't see how it is possible to make it for 15 cents at all. I've been buying the ingredients in bulk one thing at a time and I can see how it comes to 15 cents or close to it depending on each ingredient per culture. But are you including the container cost. If so....where are you buying the containers. If your not including the container cost, then why not? I came up with very rough estimates with not even buying in bulk and it was around 60-90 cents a culture, with bulk ingredients even cheaper. But the containers/lids are 40 cents sometimes 30 cents if you know where to shop per container. I'm just not getting it. lol


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Enlightened Rogue said:


> So if someone doesn`t make their own cultures they`re not responsible pet owners?
> Any chance you could explain this to the people that don`t make their own.
> 
> John


 
Beat me to it John..... just to make a couple of additional points, 

If a person has a reliable supply of flies it does not reflect negatively regadless if they culture them or not. The supply is the key.. If this was the case, then to avoid hypocrisy, the same standard would have to be applied to everyone who purchases crickets, silkworms, wax worms, and so forth.... 

Ed


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

packer43064 said:


> Question: I don't see how it is possible to make it for 15 cents at all. I've been buying the ingredients in bulk one thing at a time and I can see how it comes to 15 cents or close to it depending on each ingredient per culture. But are you including the container cost. If so....where are you buying the containers. If your not including the container cost, then why not? I came up with very rough estimates with not even buying in bulk and it was around 60-90 cents a culture, with bulk ingredients even cheaper. But the containers/lids are 40 cents sometimes 30 cents if you know where to shop per container. I'm just not getting it. lol


I reuse my culture containers and I think my cultures come in somewhere around 24 cents each. 

Ed


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## andred82vert (Apr 8, 2008)

I bought a couple of cultures 7 months ago, along with some media; and i've been making my own since then. Sometimes, when a culture crashes, I buy culture from a LPS and pray that it will last till my next culture booms. Also, I have springtail culture in a sterlite container to seed my vivs now and then.

Right now, I only have 4 frogs, so feeding them is easier for me compared to the guys here with hundreds of frogs.


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## packer43064 (Nov 30, 2010)

Ed said:


> I reuse my culture containers and I think my cultures come in somewhere around 24 cents each.
> 
> Ed


Oh okay, I see now. Everyone is resuing their containers( I do also) so they don't add in the container cost, which makes obvious sense. I was thinking as a business standpoint and if I buy 500 container/lids that should easily be added into the per culture cost since I'm paying to use them once. Any that go beyond 4 weeks will be reused though. Thanks, that clears things up with people throwing these small numbers up per culture cost.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Actually the price of mine includes the price of the cups folded back into it as well as some more expensive additives however the cost of the cup for me is very minimal as I get about three years of reuse out of a single cup. 
If you want to get a good cost estimate of the media, you can always look at the recipes here Fruit Flies-Doyle's Dart Den 

My media is a modification of one that can cost as little as 8 cents a culture...(excluding cup..)

Ed


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I haven't calculated my cost. I use glass canning jars at about 10 bucks for 12 of them. They should last indefinitely, or, until I break them. 

Box of generic potato flakes is around 2 bucks. I'm on my 3rd box since last February. Jar of cinnamon, 4-5 bucks. About half way through that. I also use it for other things. Jar of yeast, 2 bucks. I go through this pretty fast since I use the yeast in my spring cultures. Powdered sugar, I think 80 cents for a largish bag of it. About 1/3 of the way through it. Oh, coffee filters. A buck for a hundred or so of those. 

Ok math isn't my thing. I'll probably need more potatoes before anything else. I have anywhere from 10 to 20 cultures at a time, in various stages of production. Many way past their "toss" date but I can't bear to throw out in case there's another fly that's about to hatch. 

In fact, while I'm whacking away on the jars with the dying cultures, trying to get out that last fly, I find myself singing "every fly is sacred" to the tune of "every sperm is sacred" a la Monty Python.


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