Interfecus Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 I'm currently testing an idea for an improved culture medium for fruit flies or microworms. I rediscovered a pot of "Crystal Rain" produced by Watkins which is made of crystals which soak up water and release when drier than a certain level. These are mixed with potting soil to prevent plants from drying out. I'm trying using them in cultures to keep moisture levels right, absorbing excess moisture or releasing to keep culture moist. I first added them to a very wet culture and they soaked up all the water, allowing the culture to start production. I've just set up three more cultures made through this method: 1. Take 1tsp of water absorbing crystals and add to 400ml water (half capacity). Leave until all free water has been absorbed. 2. Take 1 piece of bread and cut to fit nicely in the bottom of the culture container. 2 litre milk cartons with removed top halves will fit a crustless piece of bread nicely. Tear up crusts and any left over bread from the piece into small chunks. 3. Place expanded crystals into bottom of container to a depth of 1 to 2 cm. 4. Place bread scraps on top of crystals. If very few scraps were left, add some flour or more torn-up bread. 5. Place container-sized piece of bread on top to form a reasonably flat surface. 6. Mix a few pinches of yeast with warm water (1/3 cup per piece of bread). Stir for a few moments to activate yeast, then pour over surface of medium. The water should soak through and any excess will be absorbed by the crystal layer. 7. When no free liquid is on the surface, add at least a dozen fruit flies to start culture. Please post any suggestions or experiences to do with this idea. I hope that this will form a cleaner medium that should also be easier to clean out. I will follow up with results from these test cultures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 I am afraid I have no suggestions or experience to add to your theory but will certainly be keen to hear if it works! Sounds like a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 Hi Microworms are OK. But if you culture Fruitflies here in Australia you would probably be arrested. Or sent to a nuthouse. Fruitflies here can wipe out orchards. Maybe the NZ fruitfly is different. Only eats in restaurants or cooks homemade food John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 These are wingless fruitflies and probably a better class of fruitflies than the Aussie ones :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 Hi Caryl Do you say that NZ fruitflies have no wings? Next, you'll tell me that NZ sheep have no wings either. I know of winged ants only. That shows you, one can learn new things everyday. John PS That 2227 is a marvel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 No. I said the fruitflies bred for aquarium use are wingless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 Hi Caryl Sorry, I didn't know that one can breed wingless fruitflies. By the way, did you know that if I write 1078 more posts I caught up to you John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 Well I am sure that won't take you too long! I assumed wingless fruit flies were available everywhere but obviously not. Am not too familiar with them myself but have read articles about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted January 1, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 I had forgotten about Australian problems with fruit flies. We have a large fruit industry here as well but fruit flies were around from the start. We only have certain species here though, there was a huge problem with some new accidentally imported species a while ago. Drosophilia Melanogaster fruit flies are here already though. Yesterday I found some of them on some strawberries and my uncle joked that he should take them back to Australia with him . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted January 2, 2003 Report Share Posted January 2, 2003 John - we definitely don't want any of those Aussie fruit flies over here - another reason the NZ border patrols are strict on food items coming into the country. Other countries have drug sniffing or bomb sniffing dogs at the airport - we have fruit sniffing beagles (no joke). Now what else don't we want from Aussie?.... Snakes, spiders, salt marsh mosquitos.....Aussies . Also the novelty value of possums has warn off - could you send someone to collect them. Since you'd be sending someone over anyway could you get them to bring some Empire and Peacock gudgeons with them, a few Ornate rainbows would be apprectiated as well. As for the wingless fruitflies - they're a result of some recessive gene (so you don't want them contaminated with winged variety, as pretty soon they'll all have proper wings) and they're not really wingless, stump winged would be a better description (still have wings they're just munted - so all the flies can do is jump/walk around the place - really should be called 'stump-winged fruitwalks' :lol: ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 2, 2003 Report Share Posted January 2, 2003 You can have the wallabies back too! :lol: You've hit on a good plan Rob. Let's exchange possums for fish (as long as they don't kill off the native flora and fauna)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 4, 2003 Report Share Posted January 4, 2003 Hi all aussie hating NZ ers So you should. The underarm incident was and still is unforgivable. At least I will not forgive. By the way, I am Austrian. Back to the fruitflies. We also have patrols for fruitflies. But not for NZ or any other one. From certain australian states only. Certain species of any variety can wreak havoc. Take the cane toad for instance. Un-outwipable. Someone introduced a hundred years ago a then beautyful flower. It is known as "Patterson's curse" and declared a noxious weed. A real pest. I've got it in my frontyard. Next, the carp, a delicacy and sought after fish in europe. But a pest in Australia. It eats all the roots from the riverbank. So subsequently creating havoc too. But, so do some NZ ers in Australia also Sometimes, customs rules can go overboard, but, one cannot be too careful. So, if any of you are interested in possums, I have a couple in my roof. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 4, 2003 Report Share Posted January 4, 2003 You aren't allowed to get rid of them either are you as they are protected in Aussie. Why anyone would want to protect a possum is beyond me! One country's prized flower/animal can be anothers pest. Broom is a noxious weed here but I understand it is a loved garden plant in other countries. We should all do everything we can to protect our own native flora and fauna. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted January 4, 2003 Report Share Posted January 4, 2003 Gorse is used as fences in England. Curse here. Foxgloves are garden delight in England - noxious weed here. Possums are declared outlaws here (they carry TB virus to livestock). Aussie New Zealand thing is just sibling rivalery isn't it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 4, 2003 Report Share Posted January 4, 2003 Hi Goldie You will be surprised to hear that the"sibling rivalry" between NZ and Australia is not as great as the VICTORIA v. NSW. Goes back to the time before NZ was settled by whites. Now you learned another useless bit of info from Einsteins grandson :lol: John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted January 5, 2003 Report Share Posted January 5, 2003 glad to be educated john1. Have you heard that the North Island of New Zealand has problems accepting that the South Island is the MAINLAND. How are the fish doing?? <-----thought I better keep it topical or is that tropical LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 5, 2003 Report Share Posted January 5, 2003 Hi Goldie My mollies are thriving. But, as Pegasus suggested, I should sell them. Believe it or not, I cannot even give them away. A LFS offered 20 cents per mollie. I would spend 3 times that amount on petrol. I said to a guy here in OZ he can have as many as he likes, he can even choose the best. Sailfins etc. He replied "can you deliver them to me?" There you go. If I were in the mollie breeding business, I would be bankrupt by now. Either you breed as a hobby, or you have to breed "Hard-to-breed-types". Which are easy to sell to any LFS. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted February 24, 2003 Report Share Posted February 24, 2003 A few messages back Caryl said about the Aussies taking their Wallabies back. Then today in the Herald I see the article how the Aussie government is actually paying for the Kawau wallabies to go back = of course it's only 2 of the 4 types on Kawau (the tammar - which is extinct in Aussie, and the brushtail - which is endangered), the article doesn't say what portion of the 8500 wallabies on Kawau these two types make up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayhi2steve Posted February 27, 2003 Report Share Posted February 27, 2003 Just wondering Caryl how you can call something without wings a fly do you not need wings to fly????? :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted February 27, 2003 Report Share Posted February 27, 2003 One of many unanswerable questions like a few related ones, how can you call a bird that can't fly a bird? And why is the NZ airforce logo a bird that can't fly?(Though, it's appropriate) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted February 27, 2003 Report Share Posted February 27, 2003 Hi Goldie fish are doing well. Had another lot of babies. but this time if they get eaten, I don't care. Good food for the adults. Should some survive, that's ok too. Hi Ira There are winged ants. Some animal are called wingless. But the NZ bird, among others for instance are called "flightless birds". John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Posted May 5, 2003 Report Share Posted May 5, 2003 Just wondering,.... how did the water crystals as a microworm growing media go??? It sounds like a great idea! Dianna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted May 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2003 It didn't work so well, although it could've been just bad luck. The cultures I set up with the crystals all got too wet and died off. I suspect that I should have put in dry crystals instead. I've found that its far easier just to use bread or rolled oats to soak up any excess moisture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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