Something to make my life easier

[awelcome]

Ok, so love NEHerp and all, but those FF containers.... ugh! So hard to pour from without all the flies coming out because of the wide top, not to mention over-pouring twice now. I had gotten used to the little jar type containers I was using from the pet store, and while I am sure with time I would get a routine and maybe struggle less I just didn't want to deal with it so I decided to give this a try. Works pretty well on my test run, but it's not without it's faults.

What I did was cut into the lid to make a tab I could pull up and pour out of. Trouble is that is allows the lid to spread out slightly, leaving the possibility of gaps, so I just took some painters tape and laid it on top without really pressing it down to not only reinforce the tab, but also to cover the sides where the cuts are so when it the tab is down there are no gaps possible. I also took a little more tape and just reinforced the parts of the lid beside the cut so they would stay down. It's not pretty, but I didn't take much time to make it and as long as it works I don't care how it looks. The real test will be whether or not the lid holds up now, but as long as I am not taking the actual lid off, and am just using the tab, it should be ok and I can just keep replacing the tape on tab to keep it covered if need be.

Just thought I'd share this little tip for the pouring challenged like myself.

[Mentat]

Might want to take a look at this: Frog Forum - Fruit Fly Culture Lid Modification.

Myself just pour the flies into a clean extra 32 oz. plastic container. You can return some to culture cup if accidentally pour too many and also add your supplement powder to it and dust the flies. A second 32 oz. container can help separate flies from supplement powder and then you pour the right amount of dusted flies to enclosure without pouring powder from dusting into it .

[deranged chipmunk]

I do the same Carlos. Tap so the flies drip, remove the lid, tap to pour replace lid. Easy peasy the second 32 oz container works like a charm.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[awelcome]

Thanks, that idea looks neat too, but much more involved. I already do pour them into a cup with the powder, shake them around, and then tap those into a separate cup to leave behind any extra powder before dumping them in. As for dumping some back in... that's easier said than done, at least for me. Once I take that lid off I have moments before they are spilling out the top, and that's even after I tap them all down first. At that point, trying to handle TWO containers with flies climbing the sides, and a lid is just too much for me lol. I would rather allow my frog to be a pig that day and eat more than trying to maneuver them back in.

[UncleChester]

As long as the lid holds up as you say, it looks like a good plan.

I do the same empty cup approach as Bill and Carlos. You have to constantly tap any culture with live flies in it to keep them from climbing out. My biggest concern for this approach is the flies that get up to the edge of the cup when I'm putting the lid back on. A few escapees isn't a huge concern, but the little guys that get crushed in the lip of the lid is. Having crushed flies stuck to the lid is bad for moral for the rest of the culture.

[awelcome]

yeah, that was happening to me too.... and tapping two cups at once while trying to get a lid on is beyond my skill set it seems lol.

[awelcome]

just a little update.... the modification works PERFECTLY! It's still early, so hard to say if it will for sure hold up long term, but I have a feeling it will as long as I don't get careless or something. I just tap the flies down like usual, open the pour tab, shake/tap a few out, and then sort of tap them back from the opening and close it up.... no losses either on outside or in lid, and no over-pouring. I have now modified all four lids to my cultures and it's so quick and easy to do.

[DigitalPunk]

I do the same as Carlos, Bill, and Brian.

I tap the culture until all flies have fallen to the bottom, Open culture and tap into a 320z cup with required supplement already in it, tap main culture to knock flies down and close the lid, swirl flies to coat, dump flies in another container to separate from excess supplements, and pour into Vivarium.

If you have a few flies that escape just put your finger behind them and nudge them, they will jump onto your finger then you can drop them into your feeding cup

[Mentat]

...A few escapees isn't a huge concern, but the little guys that get crushed in the lip of the lid is. Having crushed flies stuck to the lid is bad for moral for the rest of the culture.

FF moral... ... ... !

[deranged chipmunk]

Rotf!!!


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela