[Frogman8]

I had heard in the past people using fish flakes in their media .would the fish flakes add any value to the flies?

 

[DendroRachel]

not sure but that would be interesting and a pretty cheap advantage if that were the case...

 

[Ed]

I had heard in the past people using fish flakes in their media .would the fish flakes add any value to the flies?

Most fish flakes use a form of vitamin E called tocopherols as a method of preservation. Fruit flies are known to be able to uptake and store tocopherols to a significant enough level that it can disrupt the ability of the frogs to properly absorb vitamin A or vitamin D3.. so no it is not of value.

As a second issue, most fruit fly medias are already in the range of optimum protien content so the addition of extra protien can reduce the ability of the flies to survive in the media, and cause the cultures to smell.

Ed

 

[Frogman8]

Thanks for the feedback ! I had a feeling It was not much of a benefit, but wanted to see if anyone uses it .

 

[phender]

Fish flakes tend to mold pretty quickly in moist environments. That's good for springtails, not so good for fruit fly cultures.