# Gut-Loading Fruit Flies?



## trevorthetoad (Nov 5, 2012)

I make my fruit fly food by cooking oatmeal in orange juice. If I use orange juice with calcium and vitamin d added, or if I mix ReptoCal calcium supplement or ReptoLife nutrition supplement with the food, would the nutritional value of the fruit flies be increased?


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

trevorthetoad said:


> I make my fruit fly food by cooking oatmeal in orange juice. If I use orange juice with calcium and vitamin d added, or if I mix ReptoCal calcium supplement or ReptoLife nutrition supplement with the food, would the nutritional value of the fruit flies be increased?


Actually you can really get yourself into trouble that way. Some vitamins, like vitamin E/tocopherols, will be stored in the fly, possibly at levels hundreds of times beyond natural levels. You frogs eat them and then your frogs can have a very elevated vitamin E level. If the vitamin E level is too high in your frogs, it can block the intake of Vitamin A and Vitamin D. If vitamin D is blocked, then calcium cannot be utilized. Once the blood calcium level gets low enough, your frogs can go into muscle spasms and die.


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## trevorthetoad (Nov 5, 2012)

Thanks for the advice.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

trevorthetoad said:


> Thanks for the advice.


It technically isn't advise.. it's science... For some reviews of the science see http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/67766-repashy-superfly-26.html#post608267 

Calcium homeostasis in larval and adult Drosophila melanogaster. 2000 Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology
44: 27-39
Calcium homeostasis in Drosophila melanogaster was examined in response to the challenges imposed by growth, reproduction and variations in dietary calcium content. Turnover time for calcium, calculated as the time for Ca to accumulate to half the steady state value of 3.46 nmol/fly, was 3.3 days. Although larvae weighed 2X as much as adults, they contained 3–4X as much calcium. Anterior Malpighian tubules (MTs) contain much more calcium than posterior MTs, accounting for 25–30% of the calcium content of the whole fly. In response to a 6.2-fold increase in dietary calcium level, calcium content of whole flies increased only 10%. Hemolymph calcium concentration (~0.5 mM) was similar in males and females and in animals raised on diets differing in calcium content. Fluid secretion rate, secreted fluid calcium concentration, and transepithelial calcium flux in tubules isolated from flies raised on high and low calcium diets did not differ significantly. Malpighian tubules secrete calcium at rates sufficient to eliminate whole body calcium content in 0.5 and 3 days for tubules secreting fluid at basal and maximal rates, respectively. It is suggested that flies absorb high quantities of calcium from the diet and maintain homeostasis through the combined effects of elimination of calcium in fluid secreted by the Malpighian tubules and the sequestration of calcium in granules, especially within the distal segment of the anterior pair of Malpighian tubules.

This and many other discussions on gut loading frult flies have been on the forum for years.... 

Some comments 

Ed


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## andersonii85 (Feb 8, 2004)

Ed said:


> It technically isn't advise.. it's science... For some reviews of the science see http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/67766-repashy-superfly-26.html#post608267
> 
> Calcium homeostasis in larval and adult Drosophila melanogaster. 2000 Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology
> 44: 27-39
> ...


The link to the topic doesn't take me to the correct one, odd? Perhaps an error due to the new update.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

andersonii85 said:


> The link to the topic doesn't take me to the correct one, odd? Perhaps an error due to the new update.


Justin, 

both take me to the correct spots. I checked them both while I was logged in and not logged in... 

Ed


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## kthehun89 (Jul 23, 2009)

I love how Ed always comes through and mind-freaks everyone with straight KNOWLEDGE. This guy is no BS, scientific, and legit. Always a pleasure!


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## andersonii85 (Feb 8, 2004)

Ed said:


> Justin,
> 
> both take me to the correct spots. I checked them both while I was logged in and not logged in...
> 
> Ed


Strange. I just clicked on it again and it takes me to a post from 2004 about miniature bromeliads. I wonder if it's just an issue with tapatalk?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

andersonii85 said:


> Strange. I just clicked on it again and it takes me to a post from 2004 about miniature bromeliads. I wonder if it's just an issue with tapatalk?


I don't understand it either.... Try a google search using the following search phrase "Dendroboard Ed evaluating Repashy" Your looking to get a result that points you to "Repashy Superfly page 26. scroll down to to post 252. 

Hope that helps

Ed


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