Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi imm sure this has been asked more times than most of u want to answer but here it goes
1)what is the dif between hydie and melongaster and which would be better for luecs.
2)where is the best place to order them
3)are there ny mediums you guys can give me recpes to make so i dont have to buy it
4)how do you start up new cultures.
thanks alot for any responses

1)what is the dif between hydie and melongaster and which would be better for luecs.

Personally I try to do both for them. Hydie is a much longer fly but also takes allot longer to get going (I sit on mine for at least 3 weeks before I feed if not a month or more). melongaster are allot smaller but they reproduce allot faster

2)where is the best place to order them
http://edsflymeat.com
http://blackjungle.com

3)are there ny mediums you guys can give me recpes to make so I don't have to buy it

I buy mine for eds so I cant help you their

4)how do you start up new cultures
Get into the habit of making new cultures religiously so you wont run out off food. Alls you have to do is make the media in the jar and jump some fly's that are in an established cultures in the jar and shut it that's it!
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Brian Ferriera JR
Plympton, Ma

P. Terribilis (orange)
P.Bicolor (orange)
D. azureus
D. ventrimaculatus
D. tinctorius (Oyapok )
D. Fantasticus
D. leucomelas

If I were you I wouls start with a bought medium and then try your own. You can get cheap medium from www.carolina.com/
I used it for the first couple of months and now make my own.
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
D. leucomelas
D. azureus

Hello
The two main differences between melangaster and hydei is size and time it takes for them to go through the life cycle. melangaster are smaller reproduce quicker and either would be fine for leucs

i buy from eds fly meat it is alittle expensive but they have good service and there are other places too.

i dont use home made media because when ever i try it mold is a problem. ckec the archives for recipes ,there's lots.

to start a culture i take a deli cup, boil it to sterilize. Then i add the media to the cup and sprinkle with bakers yeast. after that i add some excelsior which is shaved wood, it adds some space for the flies to lay eggs and such. then add flys and presto! your done

Nate

I recently read a discussion on using Easter basket "grass" for the larvae to hatch on. That would provide a lot of extra space, like the excelsior.

Patrick Nabors at Saurian also has a nice media that I never have mold or problems with. A commercial media, as someone else suggested, gives you a steady start while you mess around with finding a good recipe of your own. I don't boil new delicups, just use them as is with no problem. However, anything you recycle should be sterilized, of course.

I start a new culture every couple of days. I don't think that attention to a regular schedule for doing this can be over-emphasized. It never ceases to astound me how much my guys eat--even the tiny imitators and new little leukomelas froglets scarf up an incredible amount.
Saurian

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Patty
Lost River, Idaho

D. auratus blue
D. galactonotus
D. imitator
D. leukomelas
D. pumilio Bastimentos (soon)

I have had very good results with the drosophila co. medium but the trick is to add some pinapple juice to their medium. the hydei larva grow sooner than the usual wait of about 3 weeks.