# Fruit flies escape



## Hyp81 (Oct 17, 2016)

I just got my first dart frogs today. I had their enclosures all set up-- a 15 gallon (24" x 12" footprint) for the adult leuc pair and 5 gallons for the juvenile auratus. I had standard aquarium glass lids on them. When I put the fruit flies in, they ran right up the side and most of them escaped. I've taped the gaps for now (the gaps are not big enough for the frogs-- just the flies) but I need a more permanent solution because this looks awful. Where does everyone get their lids for aquarium that are holding dart frogs, to keep the flies in??


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## Sktdvs14 (Oct 20, 2014)

Apply silicone to the edge of the trim, let dry, then place glass over. Acts as a seal if done correctly. 


For the 5 gallon, if its the kind with 2 small holes in the trim around center line, you can silicone the 2 holes ahead of time, or I found a broken toothpick works. Placing each half squeezed between the the glass lid and trim (temporary fix, but works well)


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## Hercrabit (Oct 6, 2016)

Might be obvious but be sure to remove the frogs first. The fumes from the silicone might be detrimental.


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## Lukehartung99 (Aug 27, 2016)

Are you dusting your flies? My vivarium is only 12" tall and I have had one fly walk up the side. 
If you are dusting them, give em a good shake and they will stay where you poor them, trying to clean the powder off of them. 
I just got my first frogs on Wednesday and the flies cooperate just fine. 

If you do not want to use silicon or spend time on an adjustment that will require moving your frogs, you can also put the fruit fly culture in the fridge for 10 minutes. The flies will be more dormant and you shouldn't have a problem with escapees. 


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## bsr8129 (Sep 23, 2010)

Depending on the amount of silicone using you may not need to remove frogs. I have silicone vents strips on the back side of my tank with the frogs in it. And have silicone top circular vents with frogs in the tank.


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## Hyp81 (Oct 17, 2016)

Lukehartung99 said:


> Are you dusting your flies? My vivarium is only 12" tall and I have had one fly walk up the side.
> If you are dusting them, give em a good shake and they will stay where you poor them, trying to clean the powder off of them.
> I just got my first frogs on Wednesday and the flies cooperate just fine.
> 
> ...


Okay, thank you. These are good tips. I am trying to get the hang of working with fruit flies. I have been feeding them dusted pinhead and 1/8" crickets several times per week. How do you all dust the fruit flies without them escaping and going everywhere??


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## RasecEsp (Jan 7, 2016)

I use 2 32oz cups and a 16oz. I cut a hole on the bottom of one of the 32oz and hot glued a piece of stainless steel mesh on it, this is the strainer/sifter 

I start by shaking a bit of supplements in the 16oz, get my flies and pour some in it and shake shake to cover them in dust, then pour them thru the sifter and finally throw them in the tank. I started using this method after the 1st feeding because I put too much dust in the viv and didn't like all the orange "tint".


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## Stryker (Nov 7, 2016)

Is it detrimental if supplements fall into the viv? I would image that if you had springtails and or isopods in the viv that they would eat the excess supplement and indirectly provide the supplement to the frogs. Am I wrong in my assumptions?


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## Lukehartung99 (Aug 27, 2016)

I haven't even had my frogs for a week so I am new too. 
For dusting I use an empty 32 of cup (the same kind I use for making new cultures) 
I put the supplements in, (very little is needed to cover fruit flies) and I poor the flies into the vivarium. I am not sure if you are using different types of fruit flies but the ones I use (melanogaster) do not climb out of the cups. I have enough time to close my culture and supplements and put them away, all while the flies are in sitting on the desk. 
Since I poor them in the supplements and shake it around immediately, they are pretty much stuck wiggling around and cannot walk very easily at all, let alone out of the container. 


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## Lukehartung99 (Aug 27, 2016)

Stryker said:


> Is it detrimental if supplements fall into the viv? I would image that if you had springtails and or isopods in the viv that they would eat the excess supplement and indirectly provide the supplement to the frogs. Am I wrong in my assumptions?



Good question, I don't leave very much excess powder but sometimes there will be enough to poor in the vivarium so I am curious what happens to it


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## RasecEsp (Jan 7, 2016)

Stryker said:


> Is it detrimental if supplements fall into the viv? I would image that if you had springtails and or isopods in the viv that they would eat the excess supplement and indirectly provide the supplement to the frogs. Am I wrong in my assumptions?


I don't know the answer to that, but the reason I avoid it is because of the orange color my supplements leave. 
I'd like to hear more about it to, hopefully someone more experienced can answer it.


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## Hyp81 (Oct 17, 2016)

I am allegedly using melanogaster (not that I would know the difference, but according to Josh's frogs I am!) and they run all over the place. I may try putting them in the fridge for a couple minutes. I just got two new cultures today and my kit to make my own cultures. I am going to wait for them to "boom" before I make my cultures.


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## knutiguti (Apr 2, 2012)

Stryker said:


> Is it detrimental if supplements fall into the viv? I would image that if you had springtails and or isopods in the viv that they would eat the excess supplement and indirectly provide the supplement to the frogs. Am I wrong in my assumptions?




I've never had an issue - supplements always fall into my tank when feeding flies and the flies or microfauna feed on it. Not sure if the frogs get any of the benefit but it hasn't caused any issues in my experience. Flies also love to eat superpig by repashy so I put some of that on a leaf so that they hang out there for my frogs to hunt down 


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## Trojan (Oct 15, 2014)

I gave up trying to keep the flies in. I just get 5 hour energy containers (small bottles like this seem to work)and fill them with apple vinegar and two drops of dish soap. I put them with the lid off next to the cages and that seems to collect almost all of the flies if you have one per cage. This cuts down on spiders for obvious reasons too.


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## David1 (May 27, 2013)

I also heard about people putting banana inside the enclosure and that keeps the flies in or some type of fruit to keep the flies in. eventually no matter what you do the fly still get out I believe this is part of the hobby lol.


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## TrumpetKing (Dec 15, 2016)

I generally get my glass tops from glass shops. It's really easy to measure out the size you'll need and go get a piece of tempered glass. It's relatively cheap as well. I think my local glass shop will sell an 18x18 sheet for like $20 or so.


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## ice19d (Jan 17, 2017)

nothing you can realt do. you will alway have escapees.


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## carnzayne (Jan 3, 2017)

I second that idea to capture the files with the apple vinegar and dish soap. I have not tried it with such a small container but it has worked wonders when I have have had actual fruit flies in my house before.


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## OrangeD (Oct 8, 2015)

The escapees also attract house spiders around the vivs. I am always killing spiders around my vivs.


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## AndrewSkoog1 (Jan 25, 2017)

If you dust your flies they shouldn't be able to climb up the glass. I have wingless flies and once I dust them they pretty much hang out on the leaf waiting to be eaten. I also only feed my frogs what they can eat and do my best not to overfeed. That also limits flies getting away.


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