Dusting tips needed

[Philsuma]

She'll come around. One day she'll even keep drinking the Orange Juice with the dead FF in it.

[fishguyturnedfrog]

lol Phil. If that happened, I think the frogs would either go hungry or they'd be gone. I might possibly be out with them. So, to keep the bugs out of the house, it's for the best to do it my way.

[Lots2Learn]

Hey guys I know this is a topic is a little old but I'd love some advice. I was recently told that I don't have to dust FFs which does not sit well with me-especially since its was a petstore that sold PDFs told me and they didn't dust. But I'd love to know what type of dust/supplement you use. I was told the Repashy Calcium plus is a great one. Any links to other threads or advice appreciated.

[Rusty_Shackleford]

You absolutely need to supplement the frogs diet by dusting ff's. The Repashy Calcium Plus is a good place to start. Add to that a rotation of Dendrocare, MinerAll, Nekton Rep, and you'll have a good rotation of top quality supplements.

[tufy801]

Thats what i do. Get a small cup with lid. Get a straw cut off the end for the powder.
tap the flys. Throw some in the cup shake it up a bit. Throw them in your tanks!
Had too learn from someone cause i had alot of problems at first too.

[GreenMundo]

Hi! Im new to this site, started keeping darts a few months ago. Love it. This is my first post here, funny!

I have a sorta unusual method of dusting my flies that I will share with you, it works so well.

First, the usual; the little bit of supplement in a small deli container. I work over the sink in my spare bathroom.

Second, tap tap tap the culture till the flies are stunned/knocked down. Quickly open the container, turn at an angle and tap the flies into the deli container. Swirl the flies around to get them covered in the supplement (not able to get away). During this I turn on the water, and push the escaped flies into the flow of water so they go down the drain.

Next, I dump the dusted flies into a urine strainer. Yes, a urine strainer: its a device, a sieve, that you might get from a medical professional, if you were trying to "catch" kidney stones while urinating (they can be analyzed to see what is causing them-- its usually excess calcium). The strainer is like a plastic funnel, with a fine mesh screen at the bottom, if that makes sense. Its small and easy to hold.

The excess supplement goes down the drain as I tap/gently shake the flies around in the strainer. The fine mesh keeps the flies in but lets the dust through. Once strained, I just turn the strainer over and dump the flies onto a large leaf in the vivarium.

I know you might not have access to a urine strainer but you could easily make something similar. You just need a funnel and some fine mesh.

I like this method because: by sifting out the excess supplement, you avoid getting it all over the place and all over the vivarium. Also, doing everything over running water, you can just flush away the excess supplement and flies.

-Matthew

[Philsuma]

Remember the word "Tap"

Take the Fruit fly culture and tap the side of it...pretty vigorously.This will knock down the flies from the sides and lid of the culture cup.

Take a clean 32oz cup - same size as a culture cup...and shake a little superfine dust / supplement into it. This will be your "dusting cup".

open the lid of the FF culture and keep tapping and tilt....and tap....and literally "pour" the flies into the dusting cup - tapping all the while to keep the flies down and off balance.

SWIRL the FF that are now inside the dusting cup - vigorously. They can take it. Powder will coat them and they cannot climb up the dusting cup. You have plenty of time now.

NOW, open the viv and TILT the dusting cup with the dusted flies inside. Tilt to again, "pour" and tap the flat bottom of the cup while tilting, while "pouring"......KEEP tapping hard like you are spanking the flat bottom of the dusting cup and tilting.

NOTICE how the sharp tapping causes the FF to SEPERATE from any excess powder. In fact, excess powder is Ok - it will stay in the bottom of the tilted dusting cup and the FF will actually RISE to the lip of the tilted cup and will be VERY easy to pour out.

Tap..Tap....swirl....tap some more...tilt..tap..pour..tap...tilt....tap.

Some day I'll try to make a youtube viddy on this - it would be easier seen than described, I'm thinking. heh

[dam630]

Thanks for this post Philsuma.
Until I read this I had been trying to catch each fly individually and hold it down while I put some dust on it.

[Philsuma]

When catching them with chopsticks becomes easy, then elevation on the path, you will have begun...

[dam630]

When catching them with chopsticks becomes easy, then elevation on the path, you will have begun...

Curse you!
I have gotten nothing accomplished for the last few days... nothing but practicing with these darn chopsticks.
When this Flyhopper snatches the fly from the master's hand then he becomes the Master.

[Philsuma]

Remember the word "Tap"

Take the Fruit fly culture and tap the side of it...pretty vigorously.This will knock down the flies from the sides and lid of the culture cup.

Take a clean 32oz cup - same size as a culture cup...and shake a little superfine dust / supplement into it. This will be your "dusting cup".

open the lid of the FF culture and keep tapping and tilt....and tap....and literally "pour" the flies into the dusting cup - tapping all the while to keep the flies down and off balance.

SWIRL the FF that are now inside the dusting cup - vigorously. They can take it. Powder will coat them and they cannot climb up the dusting cup. You have plenty of time now.

NOW, open the viv and TILT the dusting cup with the dusted flies inside. Tilt to again, "pour" and tap the flat bottom of the cup while tilting, while "pouring"......KEEP tapping hard like you are spanking the flat bottom of the dusting cup and tilting.

NOTICE how the sharp tapping causes the FF to SEPERATE from any excess powder. In fact, excess powder is Ok - it will stay in the bottom of the tilted dusting cup and the FF will actually RISE to the lip of the tilted cup and will be VERY easy to pour out.

Tap..Tap....swirl....tap some more...tilt..tap..pour..tap...tilt....tap.

Some day I'll try to make a youtube viddy on this - it would be easier seen than described, I'm thinking. heh

[Philsuma]

There is the 'gut load' crowd which is convinced that you can easily and successfully gut load most of our hobby feeders.

This comes at the expense of dusting, which is essential - no other word for it.

for some reason there is an aversion to dusting and it may be that people don't want to 'touch' the flies or that some escape and they are not confident in tapping and dusting.

dunno, honestly.

[pet_tree_gnat]

Wow I've never heard of someone not dusting their fruit flies. I don't think I would risk it.