Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I buy my fly media from Black Jungle and my last cultures ended up moldy. I made them by mixing equal parts of the media and water and then sprinkling yeast and fish flakes over the surface.

When I saw those were going moldy, I noticed there were new instructions on the package that said you should mix the yeast with warm water and then evenly disperse it over the surface. I did this for my next batch, and this morning it appears that there's a bit of mold in them, too.

What should I do? Has anybody else had problems with Black Jungle's media? I re-use my old deli cups (although not the ones from the moldy cultures) could that be a part of the problem? Is it the fish flakes? Should I mix a tad of vinegar to the media, even though it only specifies water?

Also, since my last few batches are ruined, I've really been skimping on the feedings and I'm worried about my frogs. Hopefully I'll get to a pet store today, but if it happens again, can I collect insects for them (ants and stuff)?

I'm sorry for the slow response, but I think a lot of us are only checking the main forum, since there has been a paucity of activity altogether.

You can certainly collect insects outdoors, using an entomology net, as long as you have a pesticide-herbicide free place to do this. If you collect ants, use only the small black pavement ants, and very few of these, at least until you see if your frogs will eat them. None of mine will eat ants, but I understand some people do feed them. They do love the various gnats, leaf hoppers, aphids and such that one can net. With aphids, you can just pluck off a leaf of them and introduce it into your vivarium. (The different aphids are very plant specific, so will no infest your tropicals.)

I don't think it matters whether you sprinkle the yeast on top of the newly wet media or mix it with a bit of water first, as long as the yeast is fresh and the packet isn't out-dated. I'm unfamiliar with the Black Jungle Media, but it should be good, since they raise some great frogs on whatever they feed them. Why don't you contact them and tell them you're having this problem. I use the Saurian media and have never had any particular mold problems. Once in awhile, there may be some black speckling on the top and sides in an old culture, which I think is just one of the bathroom molds that float around everywhere and grow opportunistically. I just toss these, but not before tapping out and feeding every fly in 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

I have yet to try this, but others have said that ants attracted to peanut butter will be eaten by frogs.

I was under the impression that heat killed active yeast...?
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Josh Willard
www.joshsfrogs.com

Excess heat does kill active yeast, but mixing it with warm water first tends to activate it. Have you ever baked yeast bread or rolls from scratch? You activate the yeast in warm water before adding it to the dough. It shortens the time it takes for raising.

I wonder if the fish flake is the problem--whether this was part of the instructions? I should think fish flake would be superfluous at best and might make a pretty stinky culture.

I'm afraid we're just talking to each other again, Josh. I wish they'd just delete the sub-topics since there's so little going on in the main forum now. I know I forget to look at them, and for awhile, they didn't even seem to show up on my computer.
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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

link at the top of the page. And you don't have to look at just today's posts, you get to choose what date you want to search from. You can also choose which forums you want to look at. If you click on the dart frog main forum, it checks all the subforums for you. Makes it easy to see if there are any new posts hidden in the subforums. Hope this helps.

Remember that even if it seems that you and josh are the only posters talking to each other, there are a whole lot of other people reading these. And the amount of info that you and josh share with us is INCREDIBLE! Thanks for helping.
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phflame

>>link at the top of the page.

I did not know you could do that. Sweet! What am I going to do with all this extra time now!?
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Josh Willard
www.joshsfrogs.com

Thanks for the response.

I think the fish flakes are to add a few vitamins and minerals to the gutload, and the directions do suggest using them, but I use herptevite anyway, so I guess they might be unnessesary. Maybe I'll leave them out next time and see what happens.

Do you re-use your deli cups (after washing them)?

I think a combination of Herptivite and Rep-Cal is recommended. I use T-Rex Tree Frog Dust, which seems to work well, and has low vitamin A. In any event, let us know how it works without the fish flake.

I do re-use some of the deli-cups and lids, provided I haven't let them get too old and stinky. Any cultures that have gone "bad," I toss still sealed.
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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

>> Have you ever baked yeast bread or rolls from scratch?

If you can't microwave it or cook it on the stove, it is too much time.

>>You activate the yeast in warm water before adding it to the dough. It shortens the time it takes for raising.

Did not know this. So the yeast only does it things when it warms up? But a culture with boiling water is too hot for the yeast right?

>>I should think fish flake would be superfluous at best and might make a pretty stinky culture.

I'm with you on this. I would think fish flakes that are wet for 3-4 weeks has got to just reak!

>>I'm afraid we're just talking to each other again, Josh.

And that's a bad thing?

>>I wish they'd just delete the sub-topics since there's so little going on in the main forum now.

Ditto that!
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Josh Willard
www.joshsfrogs.com

Right!
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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