# Fruit Flies in small vial with Blue Media?



## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

So how are the cultures that use the blue media?

PetSmart sells these.

Drosophila melanogaster

They are 6.00 and have like 20 flies.

Nobody buys them and they do not seem to produce anything.

I get the 32 ounce with the traditional media for 4.00 and get thousands of flies.

One of these 6.00 vials would not feed one of my frogs for one day.

Has anyone ever tried these blue vials?


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## Blue_Pumilio (Feb 22, 2009)

These are from Timberline and I would only use to start cultures if needed. I used some of their stock in the past to start some cultures and they did well. I ordered from them and didn't get any mites.


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

Will they produce in those little vials or no?
Are you saying that they are definetly pointless if you do not put them in your own 32 ounce media?
What is the blue stuff?


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## frog dude (Nov 11, 2011)

the blue stuff is the media. petsmart is the worst place the buy fruit flies (petco's cultures are bigger, when they have flies, that is). I would recommend using some the cultures you have been buying to start culturing.


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## TheCoop (Oct 24, 2012)

That stuff is garbage avoid it all all cost! That media produces little to nothing. The blue media is a lab grade media. .


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

Why do they use the blue media then?


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

I wish PetSmart sold the 32 ounce traditional cultures like they do at reptile shows.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

The media used in those cultures is blue i think because it contains Methylene blue (i have not personally confirmed this), which would serve as an antifungal agent to prevent mold. Other than that I would guess that the media is pretty standard potato flake-based media. Here is a link to their website:
Flightless Fruit Flies

People commonly also use methylene blue in the hobby on developing eggs as a way of preventing the eggs from molding over.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

hypostatic said:


> The media used in those cultures is blue i think because it contains Methylene blue (i have not personally confirmed this), which would serve as an antifungal agent to prevent mold. Other than that I would guess that the media is pretty standard potato flake-based media. Here is a link to their website:
> Flightless Fruit Flies
> 
> People commonly also use methylene blue in the hobby on developing eggs as a way of preventing the eggs from molding over.



Actually it is added to the media to enhance the visibility of the larvae. See for example the description Formula 4-24 Instant Medium, Blue, 1 L | Carolina.com= 

The media is the standard potato flake media that is made at home and used by many hobbyists... 

Some comments 

Ed


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

TheCoop said:


> That stuff is garbage avoid it all all cost! That media produces little to nothing.


Based on what evidence? 




TheCoop said:


> The blue media is a lab grade media. .


This statement conflicts with your above statement... if it is a standard lab grade media then it is made to produce lots of flies to ensure the lab cultures continue onto the next generation... In addition, a lot of people either use it purchased from bio supply companies (like Carolina), or make it themselves at home. So it actually works just fine to produce lots of flies...and this is before we get into the other things that impact production of flies like husbandry, and genetics... (and evaluating media by production isn't the best benchmark since high production (and fast production) can actually produce flies that are less efficient in processing nutrients (meaning poorer uptake and decreased production overall through the life of the culture)... 

Some comments


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## jdooley195 (Oct 19, 2009)

All I can say about them is I laugh when I see them in the store  

But, if you really needed to start *a* culture, it looks like the vials have enough to do so (efficiently).


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## BUZZ1 (May 24, 2007)

Nothing wrong with blue. I dont think its meth. blue though as that is a anti fungal and would probably kill yeast. I put cooking food coloring in my cultures. I add it to the vinegar and water before I add it to my diy mix. that way you dont have to stir the mash forever to get a consistant color.

You can see the larvae a lot better.


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## jeeperrs (Jan 14, 2010)

Back when I started in the hobby all my media was blue (that I bought). It is just the chemical in the media that turns blue when water is added. As Ed said, it is just for visual effects than making larva. I used it and never had a problem with it. You could get enough flies to get a culture started from it. For those who say they don't get mites from it..just keep any culture for 30 days and you will see mites. "Mite free" is and advertisement to get you to buy


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## TheCoop (Oct 24, 2012)

Thid is based on my personal purchases.. Anyone can do a quick internet search via Carolina Biological supply to figure out why it is blue.. Not to mention the cost to value ratio is horrible..


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

jeeperrs said:


> Back when I started in the hobby all my media was blue (that I bought). It is just the chemical in the media that turns blue when water is added. As Ed said, it is just for visual effects than making larva. I used it and never had a problem with it. You could get enough flies to get a culture started from it. For those who say they don't get mites from it..just keep any culture for 30 days and you will see mites. "Mite free" is and advertisement to get you to buy


your welcome to come over and inspect my cultures with jewellers loupe if you like. you won't find a single mite. just a llittle mold sometimes. And........I regularly let my cultures go past 45 days.


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## Shinosuke (Aug 10, 2011)

I've used the petsmart hydei vials to make other cultures twice now. The first vial produced for a little while, the second time it petered out and crashed pretty soon after I brought it home. Both times I've had great results from those flies after putting them in a decent sized culture.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

My nearest PetSmart just started carrying these. Except they store them on their sides instead of upright. The media oozes over to the top and saturates it, thus suffocating the culture. So, they have a shelf full of ooky, sideways, suffocated cultures for 9 dollars a vial. 

I was going to mention it to them but it was so stupid I just couldn't find the words.


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## andersonii85 (Feb 8, 2004)

TheCoop said:


> That stuff is garbage avoid it all all cost! That media produces little to nothing. The blue media is a lab grade media. .


I've been using the stuff for about 15 years now. Works fine. I've tried many homemade recipes over the years and many have worked well. Many produce more flies than the standard lab grade stuff. Depends in what you like- cultures that boom and burn out quick or a more sustained hatch. I currently have a culture still going from October using this media. 

The cost/culture ratio is not that bad. Then again, I don't buy it as its part of my yearly lab budget.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

BUZZ1 said:


> Nothing wrong with blue. I dont think its meth. blue though as that is a anti fungal and would probably kill yeast. .


This is dependent on concentration... at lower concentrations yeast can actually deactivate the methylene blue.. It is used in this manner to check the viability of a yeast culture... see for example The Methylene Blue Staining Procedure and Yeast Viability - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com 

Some comments 

Ed


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## BUZZ1 (May 24, 2007)

Those blue commerical preparations probably arent using methy blue. Carolina's natural color offers mold inhibition just like the blue colored.

I dont think there is a known safe low dose to turn your culture blue an gain mold inhibition without sacrificing yeast production.

If there is let me know. Because I have a huge bottle in the garage


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