I just bought a small vial of D. Hydei at the pet store, and wanted to give them a bigger home, so they’ll have more space.
Ive made the media for them, I followed Orin’s recipe (basic, potato recipe) and I’m wondering about the consistency. It looks exactly like mashed potatoes. Is this what I want, or does it need to be wetter? I can’t seem to find anything on the subject. Any help is appreciated!
If you tap it firmly on the table does the medium flatten out a little? If so, consistency is OK.
Even if you follow a culture recipe to the letter, it's not uncommon to have to add a little more liquid or more potato flakes to adjust the consistency.
I use a different recipe or Repashy Superfly but I make both to about the same consistency and I have found that it works. The media should form and hold a stiff peak when you pull a spoon up out of the media. If you tap the cup firmly on a hard surface the peak should settle into a rounded hill but not completely flatten out, it should just lose the "sharpness" of the peak. Most importantly it should not pour out of the cup if you tilt the cup downward and tap gently. You don't want to spill out media when you try to tap out flies. The medium is too dry if it stays exactly as it is when you pull a spoon out, especially if it leaves a hole where the spoon was.
Different ingredients may result in different consistencies so this may not work for all recipes and you may need to do some adjusting. The most important part is making sure it is firm enough to stay in the cup when you get flies out but is still wet enough that when you push the excelsior in (or whatever else you use for the flies to climb on) it sticks in the media but doesn't leave "trenches" on the sides of it the flies can get stuck in.
It's too dry then. Add small amounts of water to adjust. If you end up adding too much water just add a tiny amount of dry media. You might need to go back and forth a few times to get the consistency just right. Erring on the drier side is better because after the maggots hatch they moisten up the medium. If it's too wet to start with the maggots will make the medium soupy and it will pour out when you try to get flies. If this happens just move the excelsior to the side and stir in a bit more of the dry media. (If there are too many flies to control by tapping, place the whole cup in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes beforehand to slow them down.) If the medium dries out too much just spray it lightly with water.
Thanks @Predatorhousepet For the very detailed advice. I’m hoping to eventually move to a premade medium mix, but due to college starting soon, I’m a little pressed for funds right now. But I did take your advice, and added almost double the water amount. The medium is now more like what I thought it would be, the texture being more like extra thick apple butter or something.
