# Dorm fridge for storing fruit fly culture.



## Coqui (Jan 17, 2013)

After, responding to a member's post on keeping his cultures warmer during the winter, it started me thinking again about my problem during the summer. Too hot in the garage, I originally was looking in to a wine cooler with high temps around 75 degrees but all the ones I saw had a high in the range of mid 60s. Looking into the home brew threads I found out that a lot of people use old refrigerators with a temperture controller. They set the fridge to its lowest setting and plug the Fridge to the thermostat. You can use any size fridge or freezer depending on how many cultures you need to make. I plan on using the Zoo Med Hygro Therm because I have a couple, It keeps temps pretty accurate not so good for measuring humidity. I am on the hunt for a used dorm fridge once I find it I will give this a try. Also saw that some will also use the heating and cooling features of the thermostat by mounting a ceramic heat lamp inside the fridge for cold winter days.


----------



## bsr8129 (Sep 23, 2010)

I do this basic samething, I use a mini fridge in my garage to store all my bugs. In the winter i use a reheostat conencted to a heat bad to keep temps at around 73, and during the summer i take a frozen bottle of water and put it in the morning and it keeps temps in the 70s or so.


----------



## Coqui (Jan 17, 2013)

Frozen bottle might not be enough for me, I'll give it a try but my garage gets very hot usually mid to high 80's and on very hot days low 90's. 
Thanks for the idea


----------



## bsr8129 (Sep 23, 2010)

My garage on hot days will be over 120. it can reach 100+ for a week outside temps and by placing a large water bottle, im talking less then a gal, in there the temps will stay in the 70's, maybe lows 80s. I have been doing this for 2-3 years and never lost cultures due to heat.


----------



## Followgravity (Dec 31, 2012)

Do you have any kind of lighting in the fridge? Or do the cultures do fine in the dark?


----------



## Coqui (Jan 17, 2013)

If placing less than a gallon of frozen water in the fridge is able to maintain those temps when it is that hot where you live, then I'm sold and will be doing just that. Looking forward to a less stressful summer. 
Thanks for the info.


----------



## bsr8129 (Sep 23, 2010)

Followgravity said:


> Do you have any kind of lighting in the fridge? Or do the cultures do fine in the dark?


Mine stay in the dark except for the 10-15 min 2-3times a week i open the fridge to take flies out to feed frogs.


----------



## easternversant (Sep 4, 2012)

You can set up STC-1000s to run both a heating appliance and a cooling appliance. That might work well for keeping your insects in the garage, and I think they are pretty cheap.


----------

