# So confused about what yeast to use



## Pugwinkleca (Sep 13, 2019)

I am finding fruit fly media recipes that call for nutritional yeast (the flakes that taste like cheese), or brewers yeast, or baking yeast (like the Fleischmann's active dry yeast). 

Which one of these yeasts is the one I am suppose to be using? Or do people use all three of these different yeasts with different recipes?


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## narnythegreat (Jul 29, 2019)

Following along as I need to make my own

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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

I don't use yeast at all for FFs.

Really, if you can buy prepackaged media, that is the way to go. Your frogs are going to be eating this, and they need the best nutrition they can get. Also, it is really cheap (like 50 cents a culture), and it is really easy.


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## Pugwinkleca (Sep 13, 2019)

Socratic Monologue said:


> I don't use yeast at all for FFs.
> 
> Really, if you can buy prepackaged media, that is the way to go. Your frogs are going to be eating this, and they need the best nutrition they can get. Also, it is really cheap (like 50 cents a culture), and it is really easy.


The prepackaged media is not that cheap here in Canada.


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

If you buy it in bulk, it is still cheap enough in Canada

I bought the 1.1lb container of repashy super fly media and it was only around $15, it'll make around 15 cultures if my math is right, so around a dollar a culture. It'll cost at least that much to buy the ingredients to make your own. 

https://www.mostlyjustgeckos.com/supplies also sell a different media for fruit flies. I haven't tried it yet but am thinking about doing so shortly to see how it works out cost wise


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## Pugwinkleca (Sep 13, 2019)

fishingguy12345 said:


> If you buy it in bulk, it is still cheap enough in Canada
> 
> I bought the 1.1lb container of repashy super fly media and it was only around $15, it'll make around 15 cultures if my math is right, so around a dollar a culture. It'll cost at least that much to buy the ingredients to make your own.
> 
> https://www.mostlyjustgeckos.com/supplies also sell a different media for fruit flies. I haven't tried it yet but am thinking about doing so shortly to see how it works out cost wise



Where are you located in Canada? Mostly Just Geckos is in BC so the shipping would probably be quite a bit to Ontario.  Let me know how it goes if you do try their fly media.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Pugwinkleca said:


> The prepackaged media is not that cheap here in Canada.


*Pokes around internet* Yikes, I see that now. Next time I drive north I'm doing so with a trunk full of Josh's media. 

The yeast that has been included with some prepackaged media (Josh's hydei mix) I've bought was apparently active baking yeast (i.e. Fleishmanns -- the stuff you'd use to make your own bread). Josh's mel mix doesn't use added yeast, so I am not currently adding yeast.

When yeast is called for in FF media, it is apparently intended to be a protein source to increase fly production. "Nutritional yeast" and "Brewers yeast" are very similar -- they're both dead yeast -- and so should be interchangeable for FF cultures. Baking yeast will grow in the cx, which I've found to be a disadvantage, or at least something that complicates my cxs (I tried another brand of media that included active yeast).

I've seen folks use "Brewing yeast" (i.e. beer/wine yeast -- the little packets that you put in wort to make beer, or in fruit juice to make wine). That's the same beast (_Saccharomyces cerevisiae_) used to make bread rise. Beer and wine yeast are selectively bred to produce distinct flavor profiles, and tolerate high alcohol levels, and are very, very expensive compared to baking yeast.


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## Pugwinkleca (Sep 13, 2019)

Socratic Monologue said:


> *Pokes around internet* Yikes, I see that now. Next time I drive north I'm doing so with a trunk full of Josh's media.


Let me know if you come to Ontario with that trunk full.


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Pugwinkleca said:


> Where are you located in Canada? Mostly Just Geckos is in BC so the shipping would probably be quite a bit to Ontario.  Let me know how it goes if you do try their fly media.


A month or so ago They had a deal on where they were shipping the media for free. You could always email them to ask about shipping prices


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

posted this a few weeks aggo: 

Ive been using this very good and easy, simpel recipe for a years now, since my older recipe gave to much smell and mite :

For D. Hydei (13cups/100gr ea) :

650ml water
500gr oatmeal
1/2 banana
100ml natural vinigar (this keeps the mite away)
50ml grenadine

Just mix it all together, consistancy of this mix will be on point.



For D.Melanogaster (10cups/80gr ea) :

450ml water
1/2 banana
50ml natural vinigar
50ml grenadine
mix this together while adding wholeweat (Brinta) until It become very solid and you can put your spoon straight up in the mix

The melanogaster mix gets more fluid over time, so you want it to be realy solid.





3 weeks later : https://youtu.be/Ar3RPSOAGTs



Enjoy your cooking


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## Pugwinkleca (Sep 13, 2019)

Tijl said:


> posted this a few weeks aggo:
> 
> Ive been using this very good and easy, simpel recipe for a years now, since my older recipe gave to much smell and mite :
> 
> ...


How many cultures is this recipe making? I'm only making one culture at a time. Maybe two at the most.


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

Stand next to Flies name, D. Hydei : 13 cups (or cultures) ea 100grams , Melanogaster 10 cups(cultures) each 80grams

So you can devide the amouts by 13 for hydei and by 10 for malanogaster if you only want one cup. 

greets


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

I forgot to mention that I use voile textile as lid on the cups. This gives good ventiation and flies don't get the chance to breed with flying ones fom ouside of the cups. I had a lot of problems with flying cultures before using this.


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## Cobalt123 (Feb 12, 2019)

I am very new to the hobby, just a cobalt Tinctorius pair (but expecting 15+ tads emerging soon).
I have been experimenting with FREE ingredients for fruit fly cultures with very good success.

All I do is every so often save a piece of fruit that has either gone bad or something like an apple core that would be tossed. I collect these in a container in my freezer.
Whenever I need to make media, I pull some out, boil it in a bit of water for 10-15 min, let it cool a little and mash it, add a tiny pinch of cinnamon (if I remember), some active yeast (I brew a lot so constantly have live sediment on hand I'd throw out otherwise, but you could just use instant yeast), and perhaps a thickener like cornmeal if needed. 99% of the ingredients are thus free.
Been working for me so far with no issues other than 1 or two cultures getting overrun with mites, and I do think it increases the risk for mold slightly.
But its super easy - anyone else do this? - haven't seen too much written online about it.


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## Lucano (Aug 21, 2017)

Tijl said:


> posted this a few weeks aggo:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm sorry, what's grenadine? I can't seem to translate it.


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

Lemonde sirop I think


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## Sheldon13 (Sep 20, 2019)

It’s a red pomegranate juice/lemon juice VERY sweet syrup 


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## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

> I'm sorry, what's grenadine? I can't seem to translate it.


It's a mixer for booze (e.g., it gives the red in a Tequila Sunrise). You can see recipes online to make your own. I think a lot of today's commercial versions are probably a combination of corn syrup, lemon juice, and red dye. But the original is pretty good!

saluti!


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