Posted by:
slaytonp
at Thu Aug 25 18:16:03 2005 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by slaytonp ]
That's not a dumb question. Besides agreeing with what Rich has said, you can also prevent excess dust from getting all over your vivarium by simply becoming an expert at a "tapping out" technique, as too much dust does seem to harm mosses and discolor plant leaves. I dust my flies in a plastic deli-cup by swirling them around in just a finger tip full of vitamin dust, then by tilting and shaking back and forth, you can separate the flies, which will try to climb upward, from the excess dust, which will fall downward. (It's rather like panning for gold, if you've ever tried doing this, with the dust being the heavier "gold" retained in the pan.) You can also shake them into a second deli-cup first, so virtually nothing but the dusted flies will go into the tank. You have more "specific" control over the amount of vitamins and calcium the frogs are actually getting. I also understand that some feeder insects, especially crickets don't fare well on constantly high calcium diets, although I don't know that this pertains to fruit flies as well. As Rich says, it's just more efficient to dust them.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho
4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
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RE: another dumb question.... - slaytonp, Thu Aug 25 18:16:03 2005