# Feeding Station.. What's your fruit of choice?



## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

For those who use feeding stations in their tank(s), what fruit do you use?

I've used oranges, apples, and bananas. The oranges last the longest for me, but barely attract any fruit flies so I don't use them anymore. Every time I use an apple slice, the flies are all over it and it's full of maggots in a few days. Bananas worked well for me too, but get broken down too fast. So apples are my current choice. Potato slices gave me good results too, but only when freshly cut.

What works for you (for those who use feeding stations)?


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## MonarchzMan (Oct 23, 2006)

I stole my method from Zach. There are these tiny dixie cups (maybe a tablespoon in volume?) that I put the fruit into (banana works real well). The fruit liquifies as it breaks down and gets filled with maggots. They're perfect for feeding stations and help keep those juicy maggots in a central area.


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## adunne (Oct 7, 2008)

i am very new at this but ive been using bananas which seem to work great. every night i get home my 2 azureus are sitting next to the feeder. For a feeder im using the top of a 2 gallon milk jug... I simply cut off the top. just the little neck.. leave the cap on and flip it upside down.. fits a banana slice perfectly and is very easy to clean.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

I've got lemon slices going on right now...working well too.


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

Corpus Callosum said:


> Every time I use an apple slice, the flies are all over it and it's full of maggots in a few days.


Do the frogs then eat the maggots? Seems like an easy way to feed the maggots to the frogs.


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

Yeah, I've seem them pick at the maggots on the apple.

I'll try the banana in a cup.. thanks.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I think you should try lime, with a little salt around the edges.

Sol!

s


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## adunne (Oct 7, 2008)

dont forget the taquilla!!!!


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## srrrio (May 12, 2007)

I have found that bleu cheese stuffed olives work ...VERY well

for the frogs I have settled pretty much on bananas on the lids off gallon water jugs. 

Sally


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

I tend to use whatever I have on hand, but go with apple slices or bananas 5:1.


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## Jeremiah (Mar 1, 2008)

Marcus from SNDF told me about the banana in a cup idea and I now use it in all my tanks... When I make ff cultures, I just save an extra banana or two and chop them up, put them in condiment cups and disperse. As stated before, its an easy way to feed larvae to the frogs/fatten them up.


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## reggorf (Oct 24, 2006)

Ok, so I read this and thought I might try this and see how it works. So, I cut up a banana and put a piece in each tank on a film cup lid. Within a few hours, I have a couple tanks where the banana has a bunch of snails on it. So, I am taking out the film cup lid and scraping off the snails and putting it back in. I guess this can have a few purposes......feeding station and snail trap.


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

When you guys raise the FFs on say an apple to then feed out the maggots to the frogs how long does that take? How long will you let the FFs lay their eggs on the apple before you put the apple in the tank for the frogs to start feeding on the maggots?

Thanks.


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## Jeremiah (Mar 1, 2008)

gary1218 said:


> When you guys raise the FFs on say an apple to then feed out the maggots to the frogs how long does that take? How long will you let the FFs lay their eggs on the apple before you put the apple in the tank for the frogs to start feeding on the maggots?
> 
> Thanks.


I let the ff's breed on the fruit in the frogtank. I usually see small larva after about a week or so. They even wiggle out of the cups and onto the glass where they hatch...which got annoying, so now I put the banana cups in the middle of the tanks.
I have noticed I dont have to feed nearly as often as their is always food available via the cups.


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## MonarchzMan (Oct 23, 2006)

I start cups in a 190 ounce so that the flies get a chance to lay a whole lot of eggs, then after it goes soupy, I put them in tanks.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I tried bananas about 13-15 years ago (not sure exactly) and didn't like the soupyness of how they broke down in enclosures that were not flow throughs (extra nutrient input) if it was spilled or missed (plus cups fill with water if you aren't careful of the misting systems and overflow) which is when I started using oranges. Often the flies do not congregate on the orange the first day it is in the enclosure but after about 24 hours, I get a lot of them on the fruit. 

Ed


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

Ed said:


> Often the flies do not congregate on the orange the first day it is in the enclosure but after about 24 hours, I get a lot of them on the fruit.


Looks like I jumped to conclusions too fast on the oranges, it's just like you said, they didn't touch it the first day but once the orange started breaking down they were all over it.


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

I went to Cindys (Vivarium Concepts) house last week and she uses peach baby food and places it in a milk or water cap. Works great I just freeze it after I open it and pull it out scrape off some let it thaw in the cap then put in terrarium and then put it back in the freezer. Works great and is not messy.


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## Jeremiah (Mar 1, 2008)

I seem to remember there being a mold that grew quickly on the citrus slice, thats why i went to the banana method , anyone have similar experience?


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## reggorf (Oct 24, 2006)

Jeremiah said:


> I seem to remember there being a mold that grew quickly on the citrus slice, thats why i went to the banana method , anyone have similar experience?


Actually, I just had this problem with the banana slices. But it only molded in some of the tanks, not all of them, which I think is weird. I have collected a lot of snails out of three of the tanks I put them in. So the moldy ones, I put in a springtail culture. I am going to try apple next.


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## jmoose (Jun 21, 2006)

I use Fluker's Orange Cubes if I decide to set up a feeding station.

The reason I stopped using banana is when I got 3 imitators a couple years ago one was very skinny so the guy I brought them from gave me a banana feeding station tip. I tried it in a 190oz tub and the whole thing turned to a mold heaven within several days. It looked as if someone empty a vacuum bag in the tub.
I tried in a 5 gal tank in a different occasion and the same thing happened.
I don't know it happened because of the size of these small enclosures or I had a bad banana ... since then when I need a station, I've been using Orange Cubes successfully.


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## frogsanddogs (Jun 21, 2008)

I have read these recent feeding station threads and decided to give them a try to make things easier for new froglets & even for the older frogs who love the maggots & I am hoping it might reduce fruit fly escapees.... however, I am wondering...would this lead to the production of flying fruit flies if the babies made in the feeding station survive to adulthood? It seems likely that with feeding from different cultures different days & especially feeding both melos and hydei (and multiple types of hydei- golden, and black from 2 separate founder sources) that if the different fruit flies are able to breed that the result would likely be flying fruit flies? At least this is my memory regarding fruit flies breed for specific traits from genetics classes many years ago.... it has been a long time though and I never was personally familiar with the different types of fruit flies at that time, so not sure if this would apply here? ... Don't want to produce a bunch of stray flying flies, so any input would be appreciated...
If so, how do people prevent this from happening?


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## basshummper (Jan 13, 2008)

Firstly melanos and hyedi can not hybridize so no worries there. Also if you’re getting your flies from the same parent stock they will carry that recessive allele and won’t fly. Say all of your cultures came from a single culture once upon a time, well a year latter you can take two of your cultures and put them back together and they will still be flightless. Fliers come from wild flies, different bloodlines, or fluke mutations.
After rereading your post, Frogsanddogs, yes crossing your goldens and blacks will make fliers.


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