# Fruit Fly Cultures



## dubvstudent (Apr 4, 2011)

I have been doing more reading in preparation of purchasing a couple frogs and have discovered that it is best to figure out the fruit fly culture thing before purchasing. My question is... How many fruit fly cultures should I have going at once? I have seen alot of threads on how to culture them but the ppl writing them always have a dozen plus going at once. I am assuming this is because they have multiple setups and alot of frogs to feed. I am planning on having 2 frogs. How many cultures do I need to feed the frogs while ensuring the viability of producing cultures?


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## dubvstudent (Apr 4, 2011)

question 2:

I set up a vivarium months ago, before I even knew what I wanted to put in it, and gathered alot of mosses/plants that have since established in it. Along with these plants, apparently, I gathered a variety of small insect species that have themselves established. I know I have quite a few small flies (probably black flies or fruit flies but the flying variety) and even some moths and mosquitoes surfacing from time to time. Are these of any concern? 

I also have a colony of some small insect dominating a piece of driftwood that I have in the tank, they are not as small as mites, probably 2mm in diameter, but I am unaware of what they are (chiggers?). I know that dart frogs are not poisonous in captivity, but could a diet of some north american native insects allow them to produce toxins?


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## cryptokat (Mar 9, 2008)

For the fruit fly cultures I find it's best to always have two producing ones on hand and one or two more that are not producing yet. This is a minimum safety net so that you always have SOME flies. I make new ones every 1-2 weeks. Hope this helps!


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## PantMan (Dec 10, 2009)

I agree with kat.
2 to start then each week make 2 new cultures. you mat miss a week here or there but overall you should be allright.

Also remeber that after a month the old cultures should be moved away from new cultures (mites). You can still use them just dont keep them stored where the new cultures are stored.

Best of luck


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## DougP (Feb 9, 2010)

This will be over kill but FF cultures are so cheap compared to frogs that it's better to be safe than sorry. Make one culture every Sunday and get rid of a culture when it's four weeks old. You can easily make a culture for less than a dollar so 52 bucks a year is not a lot of money to feed the frogs.

Doug


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## BugsInCyberspace.com (Dec 26, 2010)

2mm mites are not uncommon.

In an absolute pinch, you can usually find a local chain pet store that carries fruit fly cultures. I mention it only because it is an option many "online" people don't consider and can be far cheaper than paying for overnight shipping in an emergency. Best to call around before heading out though.


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## PantMan (Dec 10, 2009)

DougP said:


> This will be over kill but FF cultures are so cheap compared to frogs that it's better to be safe than sorry. Make one culture every Sunday and get rid of a culture when it's four weeks old. You can easily make a culture for less than a dollar so 52 bucks a year is not a lot of money to feed the frogs.
> 
> Doug


Overkill for someone with experience. But for someone just starting this provides some insurance until they got all the bugs (no pun intended) worked out.


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## dubvstudent (Apr 4, 2011)

BugsInCyberspace.com said:


> 2mm mites are not uncommon..


I have seen pics of mites on this forum (the kind that infect ff cultures) and that is not what these are. 

As a kid we were always playing in the woods and getting bug bites and the like. You would occasionally see one crawling on you, they look like miniature beetles with brown/white shells. We called them chiggers (not a scientific name obviously lol) but I don't know what exactly they are. Can I assume that they are a quality food source, or at least not harmful?


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## BugsInCyberspace.com (Dec 26, 2010)

I'm not sure we can assume you have chiggers, but a quick look at Wikipedia suggests that toads are a possible host for chigger larvae and in this case, if your chiggers are able to reproduce in captivity, your frogs might be in jeopardy. I don't raise frogs though, so I'm just participating in the thinking out loud portion of this conversation...

Trombiculidae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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