# How many feedings do you get out of each Fruit Fly Culture you make? I get more from



## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

How many feedings do you get out of each Fruit Fly Culture you make?

I definetly get more feedings from Hydei than from Meloganster but it seems like I do not get much.

Sometimes I only get 2 maybe 3 feedings from a Meloganster Culture.

Is this Normal?

How many Feedings do you get from each of your Fruit Fly Cultures?


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

How many frogs are you Feeding?

John


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## vachyner (Aug 10, 2013)

I use one culture at a time for my 4 group of leucs and they usually last a month or more feeding every day. I was making them every week but I was getting overrun with cultures. Maybe look at your media recipe or the temps your cultures are in. Try to keep them between 68-78.


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

Enlightened Rogue said:


> How many frogs are you Feeding?
> 
> John


Group of 4 Frogs


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

Has anybody else noticed that they get more feedings from a Hydei Culture than from a Meloganster Culture.

Or is it just me?


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

vachyner said:


> I use one culture at a time for my 4 group of leucs and they usually last a month or more feeding every day. I was making them every week but I was getting overrun with cultures. Maybe look at your media recipe or the temps your cultures are in. Try to keep them between 68-78.


Maybe I feed a lot.

How many Flies do you feed your group of four with each feeding?


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## vachyner (Aug 10, 2013)

I feed melos and I usually do about 75 ish for them every day vs feed a bunch and then skip days like others do. My cultures produce like crazy.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

I have 5 frogs that are serious eaters- 2 Leucs, 2 Orange Terribilis and 1 Azureus.
They`re adults and only get fed 2-3 times a week. 2 cultures a month is more than enough for me. Also my tanks have at least 3-4 different kinds of micro fauna at all times.
I also stopped using Melonagaster`s years ago. All they did was climb straight to the top of the tank and find a way out.

John


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## grendel88 (Oct 19, 2006)

Your media is likely a big reason your production varies. I use two different types. One for hydei and one for melos. I get more flies than I need from each and they last about a month (sometimes more). I am currently using 8 cultures for about 32 frogs. Maybe you can experiment with different media types and see what works best for you (temps/availability).


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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

grendel88 said:


> Your media is likely a big reason your production varies. I use two different types. One for hydei and one for melos. I get more flies than I need from each and they last about a month (sometimes more). I am currently using 8 cultures for about 32 frogs. Maybe you can experiment with different media types and see what works best for you (temps/availability).


Care to share what media you are using?


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

Enlightened Rogue said:


> I have 5 frogs that are serious eaters- 2 Leucs, 2 Orange Terribilis and 1 Azureus.
> They`re adults and only get fed 2-3 times a week. 2 cultures a month is more than enough for me. Also my tanks have at least 3-4 different kinds of micro fauna at all times.
> I also stopped using Melonagaster`s years ago. All they did was climb straight to the top of the tank and find a way out.
> 
> John


What Microfauna do you have in there?

What do you recommend most?


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

JonRich said:


> Care to share what media you are using?


I use Josh's Frogs.

It is not that I run out of Media it is I use them like twice and they are then out of Flies.

There is plenty of Media Food in there just no Flies.

It seems I get a ton of Flies with Hydei and they last a while.

It is the Melogansters that I am having tons of Problems with.

Has anybody else noticed this with their Cultures?


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

that Frog Guy said:


> What Microfauna do you have in there?
> 
> What do you recommend most?


Springtails, Dwarf Whites and Purples, Giant Orange. I recommend them all.

John


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

that Frog Guy said:


> I use Josh's Frogs.
> 
> It is not that I run out of Media it is I use them like twice and they are then out of Flies.
> 
> ...


Try adding a lot more flies at the start. have you tried Turkish Gliders?


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## dartsami (Oct 30, 2006)

that Frog Guy said:


> I use Josh's Frogs.
> 
> It is not that I run out of Media it is I use them like twice and they are then out of Flies.
> 
> ...



Have you checked your cultures for mites? This will cause a drop in production and cultures dying out very quickly.


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## ecichlid (Dec 26, 2012)

dartsami said:


> Have you checked your cultures for mites? This will cause a drop in production and cultures dying out very quickly.


 I was going to respond the same way before I even read your post. I would bet it's mites. 

Try this...

Next time you start a melanogaster culture, dust 50 flies real good. Let them sit in the calcium for at least a few minutes. Roll em a round in the dust a bit. Then tap them into your new culture. Avoid getting as much dust as you can in the new culture. Doing this should rid your culture of mites.


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

Enlightened Rogue said:


> Springtails, Dwarf Whites and Purples, Giant Orange. I recommend them all.
> 
> John


I have Springtails but I have never heard of the other stuff.

Are they Springtail Size or Bigger?

Do you just throw them into the Terrarium like you do Springtails or do you Raise them in Deli Cups like Fruit Flies and Feed them Daily?


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

frogfreak said:


> Try adding a lot more flies at the start. have you tried Turkish Gliders?


What are Turkish Gliders?

I have never heard of those.


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

dartsami said:


> Have you checked your cultures for mites? This will cause a drop in production and cultures dying out very quickly.


How do I know if I have Mites?


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

ecichlid said:


> I was going to respond the same way before I even read your post. I would bet it's mites.
> 
> Try this...
> 
> Next time you start a melanogaster culture, dust 50 flies real good. Let them sit in the calcium for at least a few minutes. Roll em a round in the dust a bit. Then tap them into your new culture. Avoid getting as much dust as you can in the new culture. Doing this should rid your culture of mites.


So does Calcium Kill the Mites?

I have never heard of this trick before.

How does it work?


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## Fantastica (May 5, 2013)

I tend to have too many melanos and make a culture every 1.5 weeks. 
Mites are small white dots that move around on the walls of the deli cup. Google images for fruit fly culture with mites. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

that Frog Guy said:


> What are Turkish Gliders?
> 
> I have never heard of those.


A type of Melanogaster that produce a lot.


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

frogfreak said:


> A type of Melanogaster that produce a lot.


So who sells these Turkish Glider Melogansters?

Josh's Frogs just sells Melo and Hydei and he is not specific as to which Melo he sells.


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## Puff (Jan 15, 2013)

I get about 2 weeks worth of feeding for my 4 leucs, but that's with 2 medias. Oh and I use the turkish gliders


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## ecichlid (Dec 26, 2012)

frogfreak said:


> A type of Melanogaster that produce a lot.


 And are a pain in the [email protected]@. They get everywhere. I have both gliders are the regular. The regulars that I have are larger and they don't get out of the cage as much.

I think recommending gliders to the OP is a mistake. This is not a minor yield issue. It's most likely mites.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

ecichlid said:


> And are a pain in the [email protected]@. They get everywhere. I have both gliders are the regular. The regulars that I have are larger and they don't get out of the cage as much.
> 
> I think recommending gliders to the OP is a mistake. This is not a minor yield issue. It's most likely mites.


Hmmm, I seem to be able to handle their speed okay and the amount of flies you get from a hatch is worth it IMO. I don't think you could call recommending them a "mistake" lol 

We don't have a clue why his yield's are low. Could be as simple as low humidity. There's no enough info here...


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Enlightened Rogue said:


> I have 5 frogs that are serious eaters- 2 Leucs, 2 Orange Terribilis and 1 Azureus.
> They`re adults and only get fed 2-3 times a week. 2 cultures a month is more than enough for me. Also my tanks have at least 3-4 different kinds of micro fauna at all times.
> I also stopped using Melonagaster`s years ago. All they did was climb straight to the top of the tank and find a way out.
> 
> John


Sorry, I just re-read my post it`s Hydei I was talking about not Melo`s.

John


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## ecichlid (Dec 26, 2012)

frogfreak said:


> Hmmm, I seem to be able to handle their speed okay and the amount of flies you get from a hatch is worth it IMO. I don't think you could call recommending them a "mistake" lol
> 
> 
> 
> We don't have a clue why his yield's are low. Could be as simple as low humidity. There's no enough info here...



Well, it's sending him down the wrong path or maybe confusing the real issue. His challenge will not be solved with gliders. Although I think you are correct, it could be his cultures are dry. I think you are also correct that we don't have enough info.

Every newbie in the hobby should have at least one mentor they can call. This topic really should be a conversation more than a post.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

ecichlid said:


> Well, it's sending him down the wrong path or maybe confusing the real issue. His challenge will not be solved with gliders.


It can't hurt to get some and give them a try...From my experiences, they're the easiest fly to culture. Wet, dry it doesn't seem to matter. They consistently produce results and are very hardy. However, I don't want to beat this to death. It was just a _suggestion_...



ecichlid said:


> Every newbie in the hobby should have at least one mentor they can call.


100% agreed.


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## clifford (Oct 17, 2008)

I also use gliders and would recommend them, but agree they tend to escape and travel around the room more than the other types of flies I've used. 

I haven't had the problems with mites that I see mentioned here so frequently-- I see mites on and in my older fly cultures all the time (at least three different types, sometimes in with my springs, too). The strange thing is I don't see them spread to my fresh cultures...they all head straight to the old ones that are wearing out. Once as an experiment I moved a culture with mites on it to a separate room and let it sit until it was literally covered in them (many thousands crawling all over the jar-- it almost looked like the entire surface was moving). The flies were still producing inside.

I opened it up and put the whole mess inside one of my imi tanks, and they freaked out with joy eating them. In a few days I couldn't see a single mite in or around the jar, yet the culture was still happily producing flies for weeks in the tank. To me they've always seemed more like earwigs in the garden. Yeah, they can chew on plants, but usually they only do if it's already sick.

My biggest culture problems seem to be mold related, but I rarely lose cultures to it inside the first 3-4 weeks. The biggest impact on my cultures has been to microwave them after making them for a few minutes, and then starting them off with a several hundred adults. I think the momentum of the culture helps prevent problems. Now I just have to be careful that I don't forget to feed a good number of the adults off around day 10, or the whole thing goes nuclear and they all die. I also don't feed off all/most of the adults, or you get a gap in production that seems to leave the culture more vulnerable to early failure.


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

So where can I buy the Turkish Gliders?

How do you keep the Cultures from drying out?

Do you spray them with water every day?


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