Hot Water or Room Temp water for FF culture media ?
To start your cultures, do you use hot water or is it not important, in your opinion, what temperature the water is when you mix in your dry fruit fly media ?
I use almost boiling water (i.e. was boiling, then cooled for a min) to get good saturation/consistency.
Me too. I like to think the hot water assists with the seperation / breakdown of sugars, protein ect and the FF larvae do a little better with it, that way.
I also use very hot water in hopes of killing any mites or eggs that May be camping out in my container of dry media. But I also microwave it for 20 seconds after adding water and getting it mixed well.
I boil mine in the microwave and then mix up the media. I then let the media cool to room temp before adding flies.
I boil water add coffee filters put lid on and microwave for 1:30 sec. This has worked great for me and never seen a culture with mites.
I know some supplements have beneficial bacteria in them. Do Any FF medias have them? If so, boiling water may not be cool.
I did not vote for any of the two, but I am leaning towards room temp. water... But I do follow idea of those who do!
- But if "sugars" are carbo hydrates, they will naturally occur as result of "metabolic waste" from bacteria and other "break down" processes...
Bacterias are everywhere as they are oportunistic, they occur on any media to their needs what ever their need might be!
- And most actually serve beneficial, or are not harmful...
Also I do not want to destroy useful vitamins and minerals by cooking... But of course, they could be added after! (!)
I usually heat the water and then let it cool down and then mix the media in it. I myself have not read what the benefits of hot water mixed with media are.
where is ed. he would give us an answer.
Why would you go to the bother of heating the water and then letting it cool ? That one baffles me Walt.
I think Rapashy's superfly is the only commercially made media that contains some amounts of vitamins and elements - although I'm not sure of what exactly.
Boiling water is what assuages fears of mites and mite eggs.
I believe that the hot (unknown what exact temperature) water allows for the more efficient combining and breakdown of the sugars and protein. I just think it gives the larvae a better opportunity. Same thing with using as finely powdered ingredients as possible. I'm going to get powdered potatoes instead of regular ole' potato flakes when I start back up again.
I was always under the impression that if you use Methyl Paraben for your mold inhibitor, hot water helps activate it. And if you use Vinegar as your mold inhibitor you can use room temp water
Proteins has different properties... Some are "water loving" others are hydro fobic!
- I would refer to the source protein from potatoes "water loving", and I don´t thin that powder from potatoes needs to be heated up to disolve its sugars...
Protein from flour, "gliadin" and "glutenin" needs to be heated to "burst" and coagulate... Like it happens with a bread, or a gravy. Both are result of coagulation!
So if its needs to be heated, or not is depending on source... Just take as an example on how difficult it is to give a "Yes", or a "No" about!
- That makes it individual...
Hot water is of course having some advantages when compared with the normal water. The main advantage is it makes the water bacteria free and kills all the germs present in water which is not possible in the room temperature water. So, my vote is for hot water as well.