# Do I have this right?



## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

Ok, I am getting my frogs in a couple of weeks, and want to make sure I fully understand this whole fly thing, as I am going to be getting the flies in one week.
So, from what I have read, you have a culture of fruit flies, and you put them in a container with medium at the bottom. You wait until they lay the eggs (how many days does this take?), and then start to use them to feed the frogs. Then, once the eggs hatch, and turn into flies, you put them in a new container with new medium, and let them lay eggs for however many days, and then use them to feed the frogs.
Do I have this right?
I am going to be getting 2 melanogaster cultures, 2 hydei, and a springtail culture for my five frogs, I don't want to run out of flies, especially in the beginning.
So, do I understand this correctly?
Thanks
-Beeswaxx


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## mydumname (Dec 24, 2004)

When you get the cultures, hopefully they have larvae on the side. If so, soon you will have a lot of flies. Make a new culture with media and excelsior (or similar substance). I put 50 plus melanogasters in that culture (don't count them though, just dump a bunch in). I let mine sit for aboput two weeks before feeding. Shortly after the flies are in there (about a week, maybe a day or two less), you will see larvae crawling, then they cocoon (or whatever the brown shells are). Then they turn to fly. Don't feed all of these flies out right away, you want some to lay some more eggs so your production continues. That's why I wait two weeks, because flies come out a little sooner, but I let them lay eggs for those couple extra days. Oh, use the newest group of flies to make more cultures because you will notice after the culture has been in use for a while, you will start to see some very small melanogasters.

As far as hydei, they take longer to produce. I have had mixed results with them. This summer, I am not even using hydei, but I had them all winter and spring and they did well. They also use a different media.


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

Ok, so...
I get a culture, with larvae, and then they turn into flies. I take the flies, and put them in a new culture, and leave them for 2 weeks. Then use those flies to feed, and then when the new ones are born, take the first ones to make a new culture, and leave the rest in the old culture to lay more eggs? and then feed them?
I think I understand, but I am not quite clear on everything yet....
Thanks
-beeswaxx


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## mydumname (Dec 24, 2004)

When you start a culture it takes about two weeks until you can feed out of the culture. You probably will not touch the flies that you put in there, they will probably die by the end of two weeks. At that time, there will be new flies to subculture and feed out of. You just need to cycle the cultures properly and you won't have any problems. Try and make X number of cultures per week. Amount varies on number of frogs.


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

> You probably will not touch the flies that you put in there, they will probably die by the end of two weeks.


Couldn't you wait x amount of days for them to do their thing, and lay the eggs, and then use them to feed?
-Beeswaxx


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## MJ (Jun 16, 2005)

it really is best to wait the 2 weeks for things to get pumping in there. 
it's alife cycle and takes time to develop. patients is the main thing to have when keeping PDF's even with food. (I'm not to patient my self and have learned the hard way0


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

Ok, I think I got this....

Get a new culture.
Put the flies in a container with medium.
Wait 2 weeks.
Take flies from this container, and make new culture.
Feed from old culture.
From new culture, wait 2 weeks, and start over?

How long will a culture that has the initial flies keep producing? (Without taking the flies out and putting them in a fresh container?)

Thanks
-Beeswaxx


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## mydumname (Dec 24, 2004)

Buy a culture (called #1), make a new culture (#2). In the meantime, feed from #1 if you have frogs. After two weeks #2 will have flies so make another culture (#3) and feed from #1 and #2. When #1 runs out, throw it out. 2 weeks after #3, you will have flies again. Make #4.

Now a word of advice, try and get a cycle so you can make flies every week in case you run into a problem. Just make #2 right away and make another one from #1 one week later. This will now be #3, but I am sure you can figure out the rest from here. I also would suggest making more than one a week, but if you only purchase one culture, you may want to do that after your next culture produces. I also would buy more than one just to be safe and to help you learn. Buy the cultures before the frogs so you know how to culture. Don't keep the flies too long or mites may come. You don't want to deal with them especially if you do not have culturing down pat. Culturing will get easy and become a routine. You will shortly learn the life cycle and do's and don'ts. Just try it out.


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

Alrighty, I think I got it.
I am going to be getting 4 cultures to start, 2 hydei, and 2 melanogaster.
Thanks
-beeswaxx


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

Just remembered a question....
Once I take 50 or so flies out of culture number 1, and put them in culture number 2, approx. how long with culture 1 keep producing flies?
I know they will get smaller and smaller, but how long will this go on for?
Thanks
-Beeswaxx


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## mydumname (Dec 24, 2004)

It depends how often and how much you feed from them. Also, the older the culture, the more attractive they become to mites. When the media turns gross, throw it out. Have enough new ones available so you don't have to sit there for 10 minutes trying to get every last fly out. It isn't worth the time. Just make extras.


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2006)

*Have I got this right!?*

It was hard to find a thread like this! I hate starting new ones unnecessarily :twisted:
I really wanted to see the mechanical part of culturing spelled out for us newbees  

Now lemme see if I've got this right:
It sounds like I should start new cultures w/the 1st "bloom" of flys from a previous culture & feed the frogs from the successive generations? Then I need to keep a culture or 2 ahead of the frogs? So potentially-excluding crashes, mishaps, etc-I'd never have to buy flys again? 

I'm getting a beginners fly kit in the mail to practice culturing & springtails as a backup food source. I don't have frogs yet.
Any feedback/advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2006)

If your getting the frogs in two weeks it would be helpful to start culturing flys now. 
Start with one or two cultures and make about 3 from them. Keep the ones you bought as they will still be productive. 
After one week use one of the cultures you bought to make more cultures. 
After 2 weeks you'll have the cultures you bought and the first cultures you made. 
You can feed from the 2 week old cultures and make new cultures from the older ones you bought giving that there still productive. 
You have the one week old cultures for next week and the new cultures for two weeks from then.


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## Jordan B (Oct 8, 2004)

mydumname said:


> you will see larvae crawling, then they cocoon (or whatever the brown shells are).


I call them sesame seeds.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Jordan B said:


> mydumname said:
> 
> 
> > you will see larvae crawling, then they cocoon (or whatever the brown shells are).
> ...


Too funny... :lol:


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## JoshKaptur (Feb 17, 2004)

Um, pupae.

We had a discussion at the last MAD meeting over whether maggot or pupae was a grosser word.


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2006)

titus said:


> If your getting the frogs in two weeks it would be helpful to start culturing flys now.
> Start with one or two cultures and make about 3 from them. Keep the ones you bought as they will still be productive.
> After one week use one of the cultures you bought to make more cultures.
> After 2 weeks you'll have the cultures you bought and the first cultures you made.
> ...


Thanks for your help, titus. 
Can I continue to breed the offspring of my original flys indefinitely? Can I buy flys once & if all goes perfectly, start new cultures from them for the lifetimes of my frogs?
After much searching-I'm surprised that there's hardly any step-by-step instructions on the perpetuation & timing of ff cultures. I think this would be a great inclusion to the Beginners forum Stickies. 
Any responses to the topic of this thread are much appreciated.


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