Fruit flies are an excellent food for many surface feeding killifish, closely resembling their natural diets in the wild. They are easy to culture, quickly, cheaply and in large numbers. Fruit flys are rarely available in pet shops, but are widely available online, and very much worth trying, even if you don't bother culturing them on an ongoing basis.
What is a fruit fly?
Fruit flies are small flies that live on and around decaying fruit and vegetation. They occur worldwide, except the very coldest regions. The species most familiar to scientists, aquarists and herpetologists are in the genus Drosophila which literally means 'dew-lover' in Greek. Also known as 'bar fly' or 'vinegar fly', these little flies are commonly found around waste bins, bars, orchards etc, and they are widely used in laboratories as research animals. The species we feed to our fish however, have been bred to have shorter 'vestigial' wings, and as such can not fly. These are typically from two species Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila Hydei.
Why fruit flies?
Although dealing with highly mobile flies can be trickier than with worms, there are some great reasons to consider culturing them.
- Nutritious - all fish can be trained to eat flies, but surface feeders love them. Not only are they relished by the fish, but they also have a high fibre content, and are therefore a great contrast to the fattier foods such as worms and beef heart. They are also typically disease-free, unlike some aquatic livefoods.
- Prolific An adult fly can lay 20+ eggs in a day. Once you get the hang of it, fruit flies are easy to maintain, and at 25 deg. centigrade the development of Drosophila melanogaster takes just 9 days.
- Availability - unlike collected livefoods, cultured Drosophila are available all year round.
- Flightless flies available - fruit flies have been studied in laboratories for very many years, and a lot is known about the humble fruit fly. Over the course of these studies, geneticists line-bred many strains of fly, including vestigial-winged, and even wingless flies. These are the flies typically cultured by hobbiests.
Drosophila larvae in a typical culture
Drosophila larvae climb up the walls of their vials and chrysalise
Drosophila pupae
Drosophila life cycle
Adult flies lay a lot of eggs. A single female can lay over 20 eggs in a day, and can store sperm within her body for up to two weeks, to lay fertilized eggs at will.
Eggs take 23 hours to hatch at 25 deg C. Once they do hatch, the larvae bury into the media and grow. They will stay as larvae for five days, in which time they undergo three moults.
Eventually they will start to climb the sides of the vial, and when fully grown will settle near the top, and form a chrysalis. The change from maggot to fly takes around three days, but again, is temperature dependent.
The image to the right shows a newly formed chrysalis with the lava's segments still visible (1), an older chrysalis with the fly clearly visible. The red dots are its eyes (2) and an empty chrysalis from which a fly will have hatched (3).
Once the flies have emerged they must be moved to new vials, as there is now no food suitable for them in the old vials.
Fruit fly cultures for sale
Killi.co.uk is funded by its visitors. When you buy through links on our site we may earn an affiliate commission. For more info see
terms and conditions.
Gadsden, Alabama, 359**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$15
Currently all FRESH, but will provide plenty of flies to speed the process and provide some for feed.
Productive fruit fly culture. Great food resource for your small reptiles / amphibians.
If you would prefer a "fresh" or "producing" culture, please let us know and we will hand pick the best one for your needs. If you want "really fresh " , we'll whip up a brand new culture just for you and load it with flies before it goes in the mail. Be sure to contact us as soon as you order if...
more
Middletown, Pennsylvania, 170**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$8
Hydei is a larger fruit fly at 3 mm in size. This makes them the ideal live food choice to feed to the larger species of Dart Frogs
Fruit flies are an excellent feeder for particularly small or hatchling reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates such as:
Anoles (juvenile)
Carpet chameleons (juvenile)
Dart frogs
Day geckos
Electric blue geckos
Jumping spiders
Mantises
Mourning geckos
Pygmy chameleons (juvenile)
Tarantulas (juveniles / slings)
Care ...
more
Damascus, Maryland, 208**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$5
This Repashy Superfly Superfoods powder is a great addition to your fly culture setup. Specifically designed for Drosophila culture, this cinnamon-flavored powder comes in a 17 6oz jar, making it a great value for small breed breeders. It's easy to use and provides all the necessary nutrients for your fruit flies to thrive. Use it in conjunction with your current feeding regimen to give your flies a boost. Perfect for reptile and pet supply enthusiasts....
more
Saint Albans, New York, 114**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$15
This listing is for one 24oz container of flightless fruit flies (Drosophila hydei) complete with media and flies!
Just like wingless D. melanogaster, flightless D. hydei fruit flies are ideal feeder insects for small or young animals. They are about twice as large as D. melanogaster. Unlike crickets or other typical feeder insects, fruit flies cannot bite or harm your pet. They are easy to maintain and reproduce quickly (D. hydei reproduce slower than D. melanogaster). The life cycle of D. ...
more
Gadsden, Alabama, 359**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$20
You will receive one hydei 32 ounce culture and one melanogaster 32 ounce culture
Currently all FRESH, but will provide plenty of flies to speed the process and provide some for feed.
Productive fruit fly culture. Great food resource for your small reptiles / amphibians.
If you would prefer a "fresh" or "producing" culture, please let us know and we will hand pick the best one for your needs. If you want "really fresh " , we'll whip up a brand new culture just for you and load it...
more