[WendySHall]

First, a warning...
Always vent your isopods!!!

My isos were doing great unventilated with simply opening them once in a while. They had reproduced enough that I needed to split them, so I did into unventilated containers again and added more media. However, I must have added too much media with not enough air space at the top because I checked them one day to find an entire culture of white isos completely dead at the surface.

So...I took some out of each of my remaining cultures and made new cultures with more airspace at the top and drilled a hole in two sides of each culture.

Now...fruitflies are finding their way in!!! UGH!!!

I plan on covering the holes with something that will let air through, but my question is...
Will they breed in there?

If so, once the holes are covered so that no more can get in...
After they hatch and are removed, the cultures should be fine, right? I don't have to start over??? Please say I don't! I've got several largish cultures going right now with lots of babies!

 

[Eric Walker]

just lost a master culture myself due to lack of ventilation. Looks like a nucular disaster. Dead bugs covering the surface. I sealed them because of a fungus gnatt problem. I think you should be just fine with the fruit flys though. I dont think there is enough food for them to continualy breed in the cultures. I am pretty sure there is no fear of them crashing the culture either. You could try hot glueing coffee filters over the holes. I think that is next for me since my cultures are still sealed.

 

[WendySHall]

So, I'm not the only one.

The coffee filters seems to be a good idea. I think I'll try that. I was wracking my brain trying to think of something better than screen...I think the flies would probably find their way through that.

I honestly didn't think I had so many escapees, but sure enough...there's a fly or two in each culture. I thought all the ones that did get past me congregated at my desk trying to get a drink of my coffee.

 

[onefstsnake]

Ive been using "Glad" brand containers, they seem to be not so air tight. I have left my spring cultures sealed for 2 weeks between opening.

I also dont fill the cultures to the top with media. Ive been leaving 1/2-1" gap to the top of the container.

 

[WendySHall]

Glad is the exact brand of containers I have been using. Mine are the square 13 cup size and seem pretty airtight, maybe yours are different. They were fine for several months, then...poof! Wiped out! I think the number of isos simply got too large in this particular one when compared to the amount of air it had. The substrate was probably about a half inch from the top of the container.

Now, I have a good 1 1/2 - 2 inches of space between the substrate and the top along with the holes in the sides. Not taking any chances!