# Flies!



## Aqua360 (9 Oct 2018)

Hi all,

I've got two small emersed set-ups, using 99p aldi soil and an assortment of aquatic plants grown emersed. I've recently noted the presence of small flies in the set-ups, which is a nightmare, I've got no idea what they are, maybe midgies or something?

No idea how they've originated, I use cling film on the set-ups and the windows aren't always open, but nevertheless they are there, and I need them gone.

Any suggestions? I'd hate to breakdown the two set-ups, but I will if there is no other option; I can't fill them either since its soil, I'd have to put sand on top, which would likely decimate my carpet. 

Will upload pics of set-ups shortly,

thanks guys!


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## Aqua360 (9 Oct 2018)




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## Aqua360 (9 Oct 2018)

(cling film removed for previous pics)


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## dw1305 (9 Oct 2018)

Hi all, 





Aqua360 said:


> maybe midgies or something?


<"Probably Sciarid flies">. They are really common in damp organic composts. 

Nematodes work, but they are "not cheap". 

cheers Darrel


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## Edvet (9 Oct 2018)

They will be gone once flooded i guess


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## Edvet (9 Oct 2018)

You could make them very wet ( spray them till soaked) and gently drip them till filled, then suck the water out again.


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## Aqua360 (9 Oct 2018)

Edvet said:


> You could make them very wet ( spray them till soaked) and gently drip them till filled, then suck the water out again.



something i considered, but its uncapped soil I have in there, so likely to be an utter riot if I fill it 

Need to consider my options, worst case I'm going to have to get rid of all the soil and replace with aquarium plant substrate


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## Aqua360 (9 Oct 2018)

hadn't actually wanted to fill these set-ups lol


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## sparkyweasel (9 Oct 2018)

Yellow sticky traps, as sold for greenhouse use. You might need to cut them to fit, or improvise ways of hanging them.
Or maybe a potted Sundew plant left in there for a few days.


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## Aqua360 (9 Oct 2018)

sparkyweasel said:


> Yellow sticky traps, as sold for greenhouse use. You might need to cut them to fit, or improvise ways of hanging them.
> Or maybe a potted Sundew plant left in there for a few days.



I think i'll just empty them, I liked the aesthetic minimal equipment look, but if adding stuff like that etc, game's a bogey for me. Good suggestion though, I'd actually half considered adding a carnivorous plant, but not sure it would flourish, plus anecdotally I've heard tapwater is bad for them long term,


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## dw1305 (9 Oct 2018)

Hi all, 





Aqua360 said:


> hadn't actually wanted to fill these set-ups lol


If you don't ever intend to fill the tanks you can use an insecticidal option. There isn't a systemic insecticide available to home gardeners that will control the larvae, but a pyrethrum based insecticide will kill the adults.

The other option is to dry the compost out a bit, I'm not sure you'll be able to get it dry enough to deter them without damaging the plants, I usually dry the Grindal worm cultures a bit when they get Sciarid flies in them, but that encourages the Cereal Mites, so it is swings and roundabouts.

If you have any small surface feeding fish (_Betta, _Pencilfish etc.) they really like them, in my experience even more so than vestigial winged Fruit-flies (_Drosphila melanogaster_). You can squash the Sciarid flies when they are mating and can't fly. 





Aqua360 said:


> actually half considered adding a carnivorous plant, but not sure it would flourish, plus anecdotally I've heard tapwater is bad for them long term


Most don't enjoy tap water, but <"_Pinguicula moranensis"> (_and hybrids_)_ (from <"this thread">) are fine watered with hard water (and easy to grow).

The leaves on these usually have a smattering of small flies.





cheers Darrel


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## Edvet (9 Oct 2018)

dw1305 said:


> Grindal worm cultures


Darrel, try this, i got my whiteworms and grindal worms on this (Seramis)


 
No more flies and mites, i rinse the cultures every few weeks if they start to smell.


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## dw1305 (9 Oct 2018)

Hi all, 





Edvet said:


> Darrel, try this, i got my whiteworms and grindal worms on this (Seramis)


Ed, I'll give it a go. I can never keep the cultures mite free for long.

cheers Darrel


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## Edvet (9 Oct 2018)

Just rinse a portion clean, soak the granulate so it's moist, poor the worms on top, add some food ( i used soaked dog kibble) and i put a creditcard on top of it.The worms will climb on top of the cc, and i brush them of with a paintbrush and rinse the brush in the tank. I have 5 cultures going like that.


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## sparkyweasel (9 Oct 2018)

You only need to leave the ugly traps in for a few days, till the flies are taken care of.


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## DeepMetropolis (9 Oct 2018)

If you dont want to fill it why not place some small funny amfibious kind thats loves flies?


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## Aqua360 (10 Oct 2018)

DeepMetropolis said:


> If you dont want to fill it why not place some small funny amfibious kind thats loves flies?



Someone mentioned that to me, I hadn't even considered it! I'd be out of my depth, any suggestions?


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## Aquahorti (10 Oct 2018)

How about using spiders, don't know much about spiders that are naturally present in your area, and if there are any there that would be suited for the kind of environment in the tanks, but it might work.


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## Edvet (10 Oct 2018)




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## Aqua360 (10 Oct 2018)

Edvet said:


>



can't tell if serious lol, that is actually a cute looking wee tarantula though!


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## Edvet (10 Oct 2018)

One of the most kept spider sp. It would fit your setup measure wise, sadly it feeds on cricket's babymice etc etc.


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## DeepMetropolis (10 Oct 2018)

I'm not an expert but I think that it must not be able to climb up the glass and you might have to think about feeding after the flies are all done for..  There has to be someone on this form that keeps terrariums that or have experience with this.


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## dw1305 (10 Oct 2018)

Hi all, 





Aquahorti said:


> and if there are any there that would be suited for the kind of environment in the tanks, but it might work


I'm not sure that hunting spiders (like jumping, bird-eating, wolf or house spiders) will go for Sciarid flies, I think  you would need a small specimen of orb-web forming type (you might be able to find one out-side and return it later).

There are a couple of  creatures that they use commercially for biological control





> _Hypoaspis miles_ or _Macrocheles robustulus_ (predatory mites) feed on sciarid fly larvae in the surface layer of soil or growing media. They can survive for several weeks in the absence of prey so are a good choice for a preventive treatment or where pest populations are at low levels. A minimum temperature of 15°C is needed for mites to be active and for eggs to hatch.


from <"Pest and disease management - Sciarid fly">

Seriously the _Pinguicula_ will work, and it doesn't matter if you run out of flies. I'm more than happy to post one for you, but they are commonly available at garden-centres etc. and it is likely to work out cheaper than the p&p.

cheers Darrel


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## Aqua360 (10 Oct 2018)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, I'm not sure that hunting spiders (like jumping, bird-eating, wolf or house spiders) will go for Sciarid flies, I think  you would need a small specimen of orb-web forming type (you might be able to find one out-side and return it later).
> 
> There are a couple of  creatures that they use commercially for biological controlfrom <"Pest and disease management - Sciarid fly">
> 
> ...



Thanks Darrell, I'll make a point of heading to B&Q this weekend for a look, I think I'm going to empty one set-up, and fill the other with water, but i'll still need to solve the fly problem on my emersed windowsill trays, so the thread is very much alive and relevant!


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## Aqua360 (16 Jan 2019)

Hi all,

Update below on the emersed growth, a big thanks to Darrell for kindly sending me some fly eating Pinguicula!

Noticed a considerable decrease in flies, and am finally enjoying some nice lush growth. The carpet at the front is very new, I'm hoping it fills in in the coming weeks!


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## TBRO (17 Jan 2019)

I’ve had some little black gnats in my emergant set up. Going to give sundews a go. Also noticed a small spider in there too! Nature knows best! Nice growth T. 


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## Aqua360 (18 Jan 2019)

TBRO said:


> I’ve had some little black gnats in my emergant set up. Going to give sundews a go. Also noticed a small spider in there too! Nature knows best! Nice growth T.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Any pics of your set up? 

I'm getting more into the emerged scapes, much easier without water lol. Can sundews take the humidity? I'm learning more about carnivorous plants recently , think that's another hobby lol


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## TBRO (18 Jan 2019)

Yes I’ve played with carnivores before. They seem to appreciate humidity. Will post up some pics on the journal when sundews arrive! Quick snap while running past: 






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## Mike Moran (1 Sep 2019)

I’ve made a


Aqua360 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I've got two small emersed set-ups, using 99p aldi soil and an assortment of aquatic plants grown emersed. I've recently noted the presence of small flies in the set-ups, which is a nightmare, I've got no idea what they are, maybe midgies or something?
> 
> ...


I make terrariums and have seen similar problems in jars/ glass vessels. I wonder if your flies might be ‘peat gnats’?  They’re very common and thrive in warm wet soils. Their eggs may have been present in the soil you bought from Aldi. I’ve read that sterilising the soil by soaking it and baking it in on an old baking tray in the oven to 180 degrees will help. Apparently the soil has to be wet for the baking to kill the eggs/larvae as otherwise the heat doesn’t spread through it evenly. Might be worth a try next time. I think the aquarium subsrates are sterilised already so I guess they’re much lower risk. But also more expensive. Im not at all an expert so this is only a thought! but I hope it helps.


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## Aqua360 (1 Sep 2019)

Mike Moran said:


> I’ve made a
> 
> I make terrariums and have seen similar problems in jars/ glass vessels. I wonder if your flies might be ‘peat gnats’?  They’re very common and thrive in warm wet soils. Their eggs may have been present in the soil you bought from Aldi. I’ve read that sterilising the soil by soaking it and baking it in on an old baking tray in the oven to 180 degrees will help. Apparently the soil has to be wet for the baking to kill the eggs/larvae as otherwise the heat doesn’t spread through it evenly. Might be worth a try next time. I think the aquarium subsrates are sterilised already so I guess they’re much lower risk. But also more expensive. Im not at all an expert so this is only a thought! but I hope it helps.



Intriguing! I also invested in carnivorous plants


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## zozo (1 Sep 2019)

Edvet said:


> Darrel, try this, i got my whiteworms and grindal worms on this (Seramis)
> 
> 
> 
> No more flies and mites, i rinse the cultures every few weeks if they start to smell.



Last time i asked the garden centre for it a few months back, because i couldn't find any.. They said it is out of production. And i would be lucky if i found some new old stock in shops. No idea if that was true, could be a little lie to make me buy something else..


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## zozo (1 Sep 2019)

By the way getting a spider aint that hard, but than you need to hurry a bit.. Put a few buckets of water in the garden, wait for mosquitos to find it, if mosquitos find the bucket spiders will find te mosquitos and build a net near it. Commonly i find loads of Cross spiders near the water in my garden. Catch a small one and release is in the tank.  They don't mind..

I have an open top tank indoor with 50% emersed and 50% water surface.. It atracted a few <Dictyna> on its own nesting in it. But these don't make realy decorative webs. In Germany they are commonly called Frizzle spider because of the spooky and disorderly net they create. But very effective build a net very close to the surface stretching over a few square inch.


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