# Fruit fly medium/mold



## Marc (Feb 3, 2008)

Which packaged fruit fly medium is the best and does not get moldy before the fruit fly culture starts producing? I am having horrible results now with mold killing my cultures. Is there a medium that is better than others? I'm asking for brand names or producers for the hobby. I've switched from cutout tops with foam inserts, as these containers were staying too wet. Now I'm using mesh/screened open tops and the mold is horrible. I get one feeding and then all the rest of the culture is dead. Help me, as I have lots of mouths to feed! What medium do you use or what do you add to the medium that works good?


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## divingne1 (Mar 21, 2008)

I use Joshfrogs mix and the containers and vented lids that he sells. This works well for me.
Candy


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## kristy55303 (Apr 27, 2008)

candy is right but really to prevent mold...i think josh puts in some methyl paraben( dont hold me to it cuz i'm not sure of his recipe but it is good, havent tried any other sponsors recipes but i'm sure they contain mold inhibitors too).....he has great media...but also you need to check where they are in your house. do you have a high mold issue in the house i wonder. I keep all my cultures in a room with the vents closed and covered as the airconditioning can spread mold easily. Have you tried that? What are u usuing as an excelsior? some hobbists use paper towels, some use coffe filters....both of which i found mold easier. i just use the excelsior you see on joshsfrogs and can also be bought at Michaels when in need( craft store) eventually you are likely to get mold no matter what when the cultures age, I just try to make new cultures once a week to stay up with production and make a few more than needed. I see you have quite the collection. nice. sorry if this was a boring post :wink: kristy


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## bruce (Feb 23, 2007)

If you add vinegar as a partial substitution for the water (1/2 h20 1/2 vin.) it works well for me to prevent mold. Melano's don't seem to mind the change,hyde's do.it seems. Methylp. even when doubled never worked for me and I had a hard time justifing using so many chemicals on frogs. I don't use the mixes though rather making the grape juice/ banana/mashed pot./etc mixture found here on dendroboard. Never a problem with mold again!


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## FrognWy (Apr 5, 2008)

Ive noticed mine to only mold at the end of the cups life cycle it seems. I went way cheap and low tech. Coffee filters, rubberbands, bananas, oatmeal, vinegar, and applesauce. Only problem I ever end up with is forgetting to release some of the millions of flies my cultures produce and having one of them crash due to explosion. I leave mine in a dark closet so I am not sure if that also helps keep the mold at bay.

Now if I could only get my springs to take off.... :?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Marc said:


> Which packaged fruit fly medium is the best and does not get moldy before the fruit fly culture starts producing? I am having horrible results now with mold killing my cultures. Is there a medium that is better than others? I'm asking for brand names or producers for the hobby. I've switched from cutout tops with foam inserts, as these containers were staying too wet. Now I'm using mesh/screened open tops and the mold is horrible. I get one feeding and then all the rest of the culture is dead. Help me, as I have lots of mouths to feed! What medium do you use or what do you add to the medium that works good?



If you are using flies from moldy cultures to start the new culture then you will have mold problems. I microwave my cultures and allow them to cool with the lid on it before I add the baker's yeast, wood wool and flies. Since I started microwaving them I haven't had a mold or mite problem in a number of years. I use a carolina mix to which I add some spirulina and if there is one laying around an old banana (mainly to use it up). 

Ed


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

I just sent this to someone else---it's an adjustment to a popular recipe. Generally, add more vinegar mixed with water sparingly to counteract the mold if you make cultures at home, or add it to premade cultures. 

I tried making this 'Power Mix' culture at home---the one with grape juice, bananas, potato flakes, apple cider vinegar, yeast. etc.---the original recipe doesn't work so well b/c it needs more moisture. After having mine mold within a few days and making it according to the original recipe, the second attempt involved eliminating the yeast and added two more TBS of water. Then I sprayed it a few times with a 50/50 mix of water and 9% acidity white vinegar. The first times I tried it with just the recipe they provided, yeast and all, it dried out so quick and molded that the maggots quickly ran out of moisture. I finally figured that the yeast was consuming the water, so with my previously-frozen leftover culture mixes, I nuked them to kill the yeast inside and added the extra ingredients above. Now my cultures are producing very well on this altered recipe---the extra vinegar does not bother them. Hope this helps.


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## Marc (Feb 3, 2008)

Thank you for all the helpful advice. Now I see some mistakes to correct in culturing. I forgot about added flies from moldy cultures contaminates the new culture. Stupid me. I had read about that before but did not add two and two. Looks like I need to buy new FF's for my cultures.


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