# D. Hydei Culture issue



## tha3rdman (Nov 2, 2006)

I start a new culture about every 5-7 days, on 1-3-07 I started a culture and kept it under the terrarium (it gets cold there but never under 65) on 1-8, 1-10, 1-18, 1-22 cultures were started. the 3, 8 and 10 were all kept under the terrarium until th 18th when I moved them all to on top (more heat) 8 and 10 had larva before 3 and 10 pupated out before 8 and then 3. today I looked into 3 and see all the larvae that were alive yesterday are all dead, all of them no movement except the adults, which are alive, all of the other cultures 8-22 are fine, with movement. I tend to smell the cultures to take survey of health, 8-22 smell like fermenting wine, 3 smells like elmer's glue. 

The other issue the previous culture to 1-3 ran out of food before the pupa have hatched (they just started out a couple days ago). This is a running occurrence and happens nearly every culture, I have cut back the number of adults per culture, and will have to see if that cures that ail. Also when seeding a culture, I have been using FAT adults (assuming the big white abdomens are full of eggs.

Thanks,


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## nburns (May 3, 2005)

Good luck! I got such spotty production from mine that I just gave up trying. It wasn't worth all the space it took up not to mention the wasted materials and media for next to nothing.


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## Marty71 (Nov 9, 2006)

One of my first Hydei cultures I tried appeared dead and smelled. I looked at it closely and it looked like I had used two much moisture in the mix and the cover apepared saturated. I took the cover off (plastic with the covered holes) and replaced it and the culture came back. It may not apply, but i was sure that my culture was dead (there weren't even any living flies) but it came back and is still producing three weeks later.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Ok, that post was a little confusing to me... but I think if I got the order right, this is basically what happened... the newer cultures produced larvae and pupae before the older cultures due to being in a warmer area... think of the larvae in the cooler conditions not only as growing slower, but having to have a "catch up" period before they can really pupate. The cultures kept warm from day one would have no catch up period, the cultures with the shorter amount of time would have shorter catch up periods, and the culture in the cool temps the longest probably just failed out right due to the longer time at the temps. If there are still adults, then leave the culture alone in the warmer area and a new larval generation should appear. From now on, keep your cultures in the warmer area.

Usually when a culture "comes back to life" there is actually larvae in it, just really young impossible to see larvae. I've cooked cultures where the adults died but the larvae are fine... if you have shipping problems hold onto the cultures because the eggs and tiny larvae the adults had laid before they died might still be around.

As for the food problem, two things... first... are you actually running out of media, or is it just drying out and shrinking? When I don't have melanogaster in my hydei cultures, the media tends to dry out and shrink, needing moisture added... the melanogaster cultures don't have this issue as the larvae keep the media worked up very well (which is why I add melanogaster to my hydei cultures). Also, if you are running out, don't curb how many adults you put in, just add more media. Play with it a bit, it's not really an exact science... the larger hydei generally need more media in their culture than melanogaster because they are both larger, and the larvae (which are the ones actually eating the media) are in the culture longer, so the media goes faster.

Figuring out how to culture hydei is a bit tricky compared to melanogaster, but after doing it for so many years I've picked up a couple tricks... I don't really have the option of scrapping hydei for melanogaster as most of my frogs need the larger fly.


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## tha3rdman (Nov 2, 2006)

I moved all the cultures out together when the 1-18 was created. There where alot of larve in the 1-3 culture, I'm thinking that if i leave it be I'll end up trashing it because the larva will rot spoiling the mix (unless thats wrong).

It is running out of media, i try to keep them hydrated, with may account for the deaths in the 1-3 culture. The bags of media are premeasured, I forget where i got them from. Guess i could do a bag and a half. looks like next show i'll get some melanos I threw out my culture of them, maybe I'l just go back to them solely.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Or try adding them into your hydei cultures and see if that helps. Unless you really need it, might be worth just tossing the first culture. You've got enough other cultures that it probibly isn't worth keeping around. Unless you need hydei around, they usually aren't the best FF to keep soley, and you should keep a back up... if not melanogaster, keep some RFBs around or something similar.


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## tha3rdman (Nov 2, 2006)

I've been keeping the Hydei because any day now I'm expecting hatchling Uroplatus Phantasitcus.


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## lizardstowe (Sep 6, 2005)

Maybe invest some time into coming up with your own media. I use to have problems getting a good production out of my H cultures so I decided to come up with a better media. I have a few cultures that I started two months ago that are still producing!! I don't have a lot of large frogs so I don't make many cultures but the ones i do make I have to feed out of every day or they'll crash (too many flies). I'm working on a way to dehydrate this stuff to sell. All I can say is maybe cook up something that works better, something moist! 

Matt


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## tha3rdman (Nov 2, 2006)

I tripped across something, the other day I set my empties i use for dusting and what not on top of the culture which closed off about 6 of the 14 or so hole in the lids, the larvae are all over the walls, I'm wondering if this wouldn't cure my pupae in the media issue as well as the drying out thing.

Still doesn't explain the death of the culture, unless i drown them with the bit of extra water.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Do you excelsior or something similar to give the flies more places to pupate? this could help... reducing the ventilation holds in the moisture better, which will keep the media from drying out as much, but also can make the culture too wet... the larvae climbing up the walls is generally a sign of this (they usually hang out in the top level of the media otherwise).

Using different culture containers might help... I use the Ed's culture containers with the foam plugs which holds in more moisture than the toss away kinds (which just dry out too much for me).

Standard medias that are sold are for melanogaster... hydei have different nutritional needs... this is why I specifically use the Ed's hydei formula only for my cultures... otherwise the hydei tend to fail after a while... if using home made medias, look for media that has had specific success with hydei... most are used only with melanogaster...


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## lizardstowe (Sep 6, 2005)

If you are not using excelsior you should I agree!! I've tried a lot of inorganic materials (so as to not introduce mold spores) but the flies seem to "like" the coarsely shredded aspen wood the best. You can get this stuff at most craft or hobby shops. Before I put it in my cultures I boil it first, then let it dry, and what ever I don't use I freeze.


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## jejton (Sep 3, 2006)

KeroKero said:


> reducing the ventilation holds in the moisture better, which will keep the media from drying out as much, but also can make the culture too wet... the larvae climbing up the walls is generally a sign of this (they usually hang out in the top level of the media otherwise)....


Or they can just be climbing out to pupate.


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

There's a big difference between when they're climbing out to pupate and when they're climbing out because the media is too wet. When you pick up a culture and the side is completely covered with larvae, the media is too wet.


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