# FF Culturing cups



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Those of you who use ordered plastic cups - do you all use Superior Enterprises? If so - what is considered the "normal" size? The size that all the vendors deliver in?

And... if any of you know of alternatives to Superior Enterprises - I'd love to hear them.

thx.

s


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## jmcc000 (Apr 7, 2005)

Hey Scott, i get the Insect Cup and Poly Fabric Lid 32oz 240 Units for $73.76. Here is a link right to it.
http://superiorenterprise.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_34&products_id=134


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I've been doing 20 smaller ff cultures a week (and a couple larger ones).

Wonder what that will translate to these? Probably about 10.

Hopefully.

Thanks for the link!

Any other suppliers anyone (vendors who don't buy from Superior that is!)?

s


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## kleinhanz (Oct 18, 2004)

mine are from http://www.edsflymeatinc.com


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## mydumname (Dec 24, 2004)

I also use the superior enterprises cups. They work nice. I get the 32 ounce size cups. 

For the price, I think you may find it dificult to beat. 

Also, maybe I read your question wrong, but as far as size of your culture being half of these cups, I don't know if the size cup will affect the amount of flies being produced, assuming media, initial flies, and excelsior are constant. 

Oh, back to superior...the lids that they provide are stronger than some other lids I have used with a similar setup. They are clear plastic, but they have some play so as not to crack like the harder plastic white lids. I guess the same goes for the cups. I have pushed down a little too hard on a cup/lid from somewhere else and the cup split, but I never did that with superiors, which I have gone through many more of.

Sorry for rambling.


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## joshsfrogs (May 6, 2004)

I get my cups from...well, er...



> Also, maybe I read your question wrong, but as far as size of your culture being half of these cups, I don't know if the size cup will affect the amount of flies being produced, assuming media, initial flies, and excelsior are constant.


Surface area is a huge part of getting high yields. And I hate excelsior. Switch to coffee filters and you will never go back.


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## mydumname (Dec 24, 2004)

Surface area would help, but keep in mind that you get a lot more surface area from what you put in the cup (excelsior/filters) than some extra height. When you initially see larvae, they are on the bottom, so it is not like the extra height is making them lay more eggs. Besides the larva need the media. I think if you took an inch or two off the height of a 32 ounce cup, yuou will see no difference. Sometimes, larva don't even crawl to the top, other times they do. 

One good thing about excelsior or whatever though, if you don't use it, the hardened media turns to crumbs from all the tunnels made by the larva and they come out with your flies. Excelsior seems to prevent this.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Surface area is everything.

Try a pint mason jar, rather than a quart mason jar.

Then get back to me.

I hate excelsior too. But it works. I've been testing between it and a plastic netting material.

I've had problems with coffee filters collapsing and smothering cultures. No more coffee filters.

s


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## rmelancon (Apr 5, 2004)

I don't know about other folks but I really don't like the latest lids being used by Superior. They really don't fit very well and the larvae get under the lip and it's just not as good a fit as the ones they used to use. Like you Scott, I've been looking for other sources but have come up empty.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I've got a week to mull on it - then I've got to order *something*, or break out the Mason Jars again (no frickin' way).

s


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## joshsfrogs (May 6, 2004)

Add more coffee fliters (pie folded) and they won't collapse.



> One good thing about excelsior or whatever though, if you don't use it, the hardened media turns to crumbs from all the tunnels made by the larva and they come out with your flies. Excelsior seems to prevent this.


Crumbling media? Sounds like it dried out. Trying adding water or getting rid of the vinegar you use.

I hate how excelsior comes out with the flies and ends up in your tanks. Flies also come out quicker with coffee fliters, way quicker. I also think coffee filters give newbies some lee-way with how much water they use while they try to figure out their ideal mix ratio with their environment.


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## mydumname (Dec 24, 2004)

> Surface area is everything.
> 
> Try a pint mason jar, rather than a quart mason jar.
> 
> Then get back to me.


I never said surface area was "nothing." Also, a quart would add width in addition to height, so not a good comparison to what I said earlier. Surface area helps, but with all else equal, it can only go so much. If you keep everything the same and just keep adding height or even width, there will be a point that it doesn't help anymore. I am comparing the same amount of lies, same media, same excelsior, only difference is the container size, and with that I was referring to mainly height.

Oh, and I wouldn't even waste my time with mason jars so I don't think I will be trying your test. It is just my preference not to use them. 



> Crumbling media? Sounds like it dried out. Trying adding water or getting rid of the vinegar you use.


I don't use vinegar, but anyway... I set some cultures up to use just the larva out of them, so I use no excelsior. The media eventually, as you say, dries out in them, but not the cultures that I put more media in, along with excelsior, to feed flies (obviously). I don't think the ratios I am using for media to water are causing the crumbling. Not sure what it is, maybe having nothing to harden to (excelsior), which in turn, causes it to break down quicker. I only add a little bit of media to these larva cultures, so it goes fast, but all I want is the larva, so I don't care if these cultures don't have enough media for a ton of flies. 


And, on a side note, what is the difference in costs to filters versus excelsior? I am not a coffee drinker. I get the 4 ounce bags for a dollar at a local craft store, way cheaper than online.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I believe that is what my point was in the first place.

The containers I use now are not as "wide", more correctly - they have a smaller diameter.

So I'll be able to reduce the number of cultures I'll make while basically actually *using* the same amount of media.

s


mydumname said:


> ... Also, a quart would add width in addition to height, so not a good comparison to what I said earlier.


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

*choice*

I have been watching this thread hoping someone would be able to answer Scott's orginal request for another source of cups....as I need to place an order for some soon also.
Looks like Superior is still the way to go though.....

FYI I too dislike the excelsior pieces falling into my dusting containers or into the tanks and have thought about using folded coffee filters myself.

I wonder if it is recommended to use those brown 'natural' unbleached filters? instead of the white.

Anyway, If you decide on another source Scott, please let me (us) know. Like I said I need some soon also and would like to know if you found a 'better' option.

Shawn


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Looks like Superior at this point.

I know most of the other Vendors likely get them from Superior.

I'd just love to be able to order from the same source Superior does.

s


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## geckguy (Mar 8, 2004)

I think that the place Superior orders from requires you to buy a huge quantity at a time, thousands at a time not hundreds. I've looked into it in the past, but they never replied to me.


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## dmatychuk (Apr 20, 2005)

I got mine from Sysco and use ED's Fly Meat lids. I cant tell you where to order them because I got them through a friend who owns a deli. I do believe that they manufacture their own. below is a link for their product. go to take out containers.

http://foodservicesupplies.sysco.com/di ... oducts.htm


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## karag (May 12, 2005)

I found 32oz cups and lids at Smart and Final... I don't 
know if you guys have one in you area/state..

I end up using mason jars from OSH, I glued 100mesh screen for vent.


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2005)

I use the same deli cup. I take the plastic lid and cut the center out of it. Now I have a plastic ring like a mason jar ring. I put a coffee filter over the deli cut and let it crease along the lip of the cup and then snap the plastic deli ring over the filter, onto the cup. Nothing works better for me and it's cheap. I do recycle my own cups. I soak them in 20% bleach solution, dry very well, then seal in a plastic bag for future use.

Barb Yahoo IM waretrop 

http://community.webshots.com/user/waretrop


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## pa.walt (Feb 16, 2004)

i get my crickets in the plastic 32 oz. containers. the lids are from superior enterprise but the container comes from placon products, placon.com
maybe this info might be of some help. the only thing is the superior tops don't fit that well on the placon containers. they don't go down all the way. they seal but the lids from superior are just a tad bigger.
walt


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