# sphagetti sauce jars for FF's, a newbies formula



## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Just figured i would post that I've had great success with the following combo for culturing and dusting fruitflies. As a poor recent graduate, I was hesitant to buy additional culture cups. I'm happy to report this system has worked well. All this can be found at Target/Vons and can be subbed for similar stuff elsewhere.

Glass sphagetti jars(Ragu, or similar size brand) work well. However, these have metal lids, so then you need to eat...

applesauce or Prego sphagetti sauce. When you are done, punch out the middles of the lids and you now have a plastic lid for your glass jars. These can be screwed down over a coffee filter and fit the glass jars perfectly. 

Dusting jar...I use a jam jar-safeway select brand in this case. The jam jar has a slightly larger mouth than the sphagetti sauce jar so that they lock neatly together....which means no more escapees


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

A lot of use use glass canning jars. Then you can use the ring lid to hold down coffee filters for a lid. 

In all honesty, the plastic cups are cheap! Reusable, dishwasher safe, and do a good job. I still like my mason jars best, as I can use 0.2 micron filter discs for lids


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Frogparty: Yes, the ring lids you get off the applesauce or Prego plastic containers.

I have a few plastic cups but I think I will put bean beetles in them instead. Although I'm sure the latter could also be reared using canning jars(and you could cut sorting grid to fit a ring lid for no spill feeding).

Any advantages the cups provide? One disadvantage I've found is squishing flies when snapping these cups shut. If you are not paying attention and leave a small gap, the flies crawl up into the track that runs around the lid and either escape or get crushed the next time you feed. With the glass jars things have stayed a lot cleaner.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

I wouldn't say the plastic hold any advantage over glass, except for the fact that if you drop a plastic container it won't shatter


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## TheCoop (Oct 24, 2012)

I tried the glass mason jars for a bit and couldn't stand em, thats great it works out for you.. Went back to the standard 32oz cups after a month, bought a few thousand coffee filters for them, guess I have a lifetime supply of glass wipes now lol ..


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

I've played around w a few methods and have returned to this one. Metal ring tops did not provide a good seal over a coffee filter and I had a few filters start to tear. You really had to double check that the lids were all the way closed. 

I really challenge people to try this...this has been by far the best method. I can pop lids on and off these super fast too.

If you want smaller cultures I like jam jars now. For folk with smallish hands these are much eadier to handle

I wish I could find a place to buy the plastic rings...feel like I never have quite enough.


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## MWAInverts (Oct 7, 2014)

I've tried glass mason jars and also plastic 32oz cups for culturing flies. I found glass jars difficult to use because I like to flick/tap the sides of the containers to control the amount of flies I dump out; glass was simply too hard and stiff for my method of feeding. The 32oz cups were, in my opinion, too soft and often had poor sealing with the lids; the bottoms were actually too wide IMO and led to the media moving a bit too much when I pour. I finally landed on the 24oz mocha cups I get from Jack in the Box because they're built extremely well and their lids form very tight seals. All I do is cut the lid's center out and use a coffee filter, the lid clips on very tightly. Because of the conical shape, the excelsior packs tighter towards the bottom and really hold that media in and allows larvae to climb and pupate. The smaller bottom makes the larvae activity a bit tighter so there is little to no inactive spots for mold to take hold.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Wow-that's pretty neat! The conical shape should also make cleaning those a snap(but after radiata's idea of putting a coffee filter in before adding the media this may be irrelevant). I totally agree on the bottoms being too wide on the standards. Can you just walk in and grab those? I may start using those for cultures I make for people at the least-I hate giving away the ones I start in glass jars since that means I need to give them a ringtop. 

I don't have an issue controlling the amount of flies I pour out of glass jars. I smack the lid using the palm of my hand-no tapping or flicking here. You'd probably eventually bend the lids out of shape on a lot of plastic containers. Once that is done it is an easy matter to pop the lid off and start pouring out the flies. Alternately you can thump the bottom on the table. If you don't hit too hard sometimes flies will remain on the coffee filter and these can be popped into the dusting cup with a single whack(unlike with the plastic lids the flies won't be able to run around the coffee filter onto the top of it and then all over the table) and the lid put back on.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Anyone else try the mocha cups MWA posted above? I am tempted to try to track a few down.

I tried putting a coffee filter down before putting media in and found the larvae churn it to oblivion so it really does not look like it will make cleaning any faster.


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## BaysExotics (Dec 28, 2014)

great topic idea! had a question that i was going to post on another thread but will just post here, has anyone experimented with fruitfly recipes? im low on cash and superfly is pretty expensive, so has anyone made there own with success, ive tryed one recipe but it molded over..?


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Baysexotics: Their are tons of old threads on fruitfly recipes. My basic recipe is

Potato flakes
brewers yeast
sugar
fruitjuice or water and some white vinegar

You can look at old threads for exact ratios. I lately have just been eyeballing things. This does sometimes result in cultures that peter out well before they use up all the media. I do not get the same production as with superfly and without measuring things that makes life even less consistent. 



I also add paracoccus powder for astaxanthin and paprika/spirulina for additional carotenoids. Bakers yeast is nice to add as well.


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## slimninj4 (Dec 31, 2013)

frogparty said:


> A lot of use use glass canning jars. Then you can use the ring lid to hold down coffee filters for a lid.
> 
> In all honesty, the plastic cups are cheap! Reusable, dishwasher safe, and do a good job. I still like my mason jars best, as I can use 0.2 micron filter discs for lids




I have been hand washing the plastic ones. Can you wash the lids in the dish washer or have to hand wash those?


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## jimmy rustles (Mar 10, 2013)

BaysExotics said:


> great topic idea! had a question that i was going to post on another thread but will just post here, has anyone experimented with fruitfly recipes? im low on cash and superfly is pretty expensive, so has anyone made there own with success, ive tryed one recipe but it molded over..?



Fish groundbait and water. As easy as that.


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## BaysExotics (Dec 28, 2014)

jimmy rustles said:


> Fish groundbait and water. As easy as that.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


ive never heard of this before.. do you use this method?


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## jimmy rustles (Mar 10, 2013)

Yup im using it currently, and its easy, doesnt stink too much and inexpensive. Im using Carp zoom groundbait, but ive heard from others that every groundbait should do the Job. 




jimmy rustles said:


> I just use this: http://www.carpzoom.com/en/product/item/carp-fiesta-groundbaits-13
> Its working really good so far, plus its cheap and convenient. I just pour a little tap water over it and mix it until its a bit sticky, not too fluid.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk






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## BaysExotics (Dec 28, 2014)

Jimmy,
where did you first hear of this? do you add any yeast? if it smells bad you could probably just add in some cinnamon, can i use some old carp bait i have?


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## jimmy rustles (Mar 10, 2013)

No Need for Cinnamon, With it doesnt stink too much i meant it doesnt stink at all. At least right now, don't know How itll be in Summer when its getting warmer.
I did hear about it on a German frog forum. Works Great. Any Carp bait should work from what Ive heard, but i can just Talk about The Carp zoom Carp Fiesta honey flavored bait, as its The only one I've tried. If i were you, id just give it a try, nothing to lose.
First larvae come After about a week, and After 10-14 days flycount is Blooming for me. If you try it Report back, would be interested how other bait works.
Oh and i don't add anything, its just the bait and a Little water, just enough to make a firm pulp, but not to get it too wet and soggy. Then i put some Wood wool in The jar for The flies to sit on and done.

Excuse The spelling, my ipad is driving me nuts with The autocorrect and capitals 



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## BaysExotics (Dec 28, 2014)

jimmy rustles said:


> No Need for Cinnamon, With it doesnt stink too much i meant it doesnt stink at all. At least right now, don't know How itll be in Summer when its getting warmer.
> I did hear about it on a German frog forum. Works Great. Any Carp bait should work from what Ive heard, but i can just Talk about The Carp zoom Carp Fiesta honey flavored bait, as its The only one I've tried. If i were you, id just give it a try, nothing to lose.
> First larvae come After about a week, and After 10-14 days flycount is Blooming for me. If you try it Report back, would be interested how other bait works.
> Oh and i don't add anything, its just the bait and a Little water, just enough to make a firm pulp, but not to get it too wet and soggy. Then i put some Wood wool in The jar for The flies to sit on and done.
> ...


Perfect, ill give it a try with a few different baits and let you guys know how it turns out!


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

be nice to see the ingredients to the stuff. I'm sure it will work though.


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## DigitalPunk (Jan 1, 2014)

I know some of this thread is old now but wanted to add that for the last year I have switch to 32oz Wide Mouth Mason jars and love them! I use green scour pads cut to size to fit in the ring lid as my reusable washable filter. 

The one downside I had was that I used excelsior and it was a smell mess dumping that stuff into a plastic grocery bag to be thrown away, but have recently switched to using a nylon mesh in place of the excelsior. I am hoping the nylon mesh holds up through several uses and washes, but even it it doesn't I can rinse it some what clean and let all the left over media wash down the garbage disposal. 

To clean the mason jars I flood them with scalding hot water with the lid on for several hours (sometimes over night) to drown the last remaining flies. Then I rinse with hot water and run a cheap dish scrubber (the kind with the handles) around the inside of the jar. All the crud comes off with out needing to be scrubbed. I rinse with hot water and let dry.


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## jimmy rustles (Mar 10, 2013)

BaysExotics said:


> Perfect, ill give it a try with a few different baits and let you guys know how it turns out!


tried it yet? hows it goin so far?


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## Darrell S (Jan 9, 2011)

hey jimmy rustles.
are you in the U.S. ?
Please share where your finding the carp bait in U.S. dollars.
I googled it but cant find it priced in U.S. ??
Thanks.


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## jimmy rustles (Mar 10, 2013)

Sry not in the US, im in Europe.
It doesnt have to be the carp bait from Carp zoom. It can be any groundbait from what Ive heard. 





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