[kyle1745]

Anyone compared the difference between using mold inhibitor and not? Example: I have used the 50:50 water:vinegar method for over 2 years with great luck, but now with my collection growing and my hydei cultures not doing all that great I am trying mold inhibitor for the first time. From an early (1 week) observation it seems the water:vinegar mix is producing either much faster or at least double the amount of flies. I expected some drop in production, but this seems like it may be an extreme difference. Neither of these are my production cultures and I have a few setup as just testing.

Let me know,

 

[joshsfrogs]

I have gotten the opposite results with mine. The vinegar/water cultures dried out easier and even when they had enough water, they were not nearly as productive as my cultures with parabens.

What concentration of mold inhibitor are you using?

 

[kyle1745]

Methyl paraben, but so far from from the looks of it they seem to be about 1/2 of the others. Too soon to tell so I will see in another week or so.

 

[Guest]

I have good luck with Malachite Green, usually available at the better pet stores. Although it can stain fabrics with careless use, a few drops go a long way and will turn the solution a light green color. I've also tried malachite green and vinegar together, but can't tell if results are any different. The best way for me to increase production is to put the jars of media on the water heater, it really speeds up production in my cool basement.

Dave Willmore

 

[kyle1745]

I also have found keeping them in a cabinet helps a ton. I have a space heater in my basement so its a normal temp.

 

[Ryan]

Anyone else use malachite green? You used that for mold inhibitor correct?

 

[Darks!de]

It's a very common chemical used in tons of fish medication to treat anything from parasites to fungus. It is known to "cause cancer in the state of california" however, so i would be cautious using it...

Luke

 

[Arklier]

Half the things on this earth are known to cause cancer in California.

 

[kyle1745]

Thats because its just California that causes it.

 

[Ryan]

Thats because its just California that causes it.

LOL

 

[Blort]

Half the things on this earth are known to cause cancer in California.

I wouldn't take what California says too lightly. IHMO, they are just more agile and quick on the uptake for updating their regulations compared to OSHA, EPA, and FDA. Even so, here are some snippets from the FDA and EPA:

Malachite green (MG) is an effective topical fungicide used by the aquaculture industry. MG and the metabolite, leucomalachite green (LMG), are suspected mutagens. For this reason, MG is not approved as an aquaculture veterinary drug in many countries including the United States, Canada and the European Union. A liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of malachite green in salmon, catfish, and trout.

link

The 1987 notice categorized all inert ingredients into four lists,
according to toxicity, as follows: List 1 inert ingredients, described
as ``inerts of toxicological concern,'' were so categorized on the
basis of toxicological or adverse ecological effects which had been
documented in studies subject to peer review. List 2 inert ingredients,
``potentially toxic inerts/high priority for testing,'' are
structurally similar to chemicals known to be toxic and may have data
suggesting a basis for concern. List 3 inert ingredients, ``inerts of
unknown toxicity,'' do not have data supporting their inclusion on
Lists 1 or 2 (or 4; see below). List 4 inert ingredinets, ``minimal
hazard or risk inerts,'' consists of ingredients which are generally
regarded as innocuous.

List 1 Inert Ingredients No Longer Used In Pesticide Products
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAS Reg. No. Chemical Name
------------------------------------------------------------------------
<snip>
569-64-2............................. Malachite green

link

Also, OSHA recognizes only 26 or so known carcinogens. When I went through my OSHA authorized instructor certification, our instructor talked about this being a result of huge pressure from industry against adding items to the list and since it literaly takes an act of Congress to update that list draw your own conclusions about who is advocating for and against additions and who has the deepest pockets. I don't think California should be derided for being one of the few states to take an active role in at least labeling items that probably shouldn't be on the market anyway.

$0.02,

Marcos

 

[steelcube]

Thanks for the info Marcos.