Water crystal/gel question

How often do you change out your water crystals/gel? I've had some in with the roaches for several days now and the stuff won't go away.

How often should I change this stuff before it goes bad or grows bacteria? It still looks great but when I used just water, I would have to clean and refill daily.

Thanks.

I change mine out every couple days but mine tend to go through it really quickly or it gets dirty from them wandering through it or pooping in it. So I've never had it go so long that I haven't had to change it

i have a small shallow dish that i fill once every 2 days or so..... its normally gone by the time i put more in. i dont like to put too much in beause like MADexotics said, they dirty it and it goes to waste. they also almost constantly have lettuce or oranges or carrots, etc etc so i dont even use that much of the gel.

Traditionally I have never used any of those products. I have always viewed them as a money making gimmick. I water my insects with fresh fruits and veggies. Every so often I may start seeing a few too many fruitflies and I would just cut back and the problem would resolve. This winter however the damn fruitflies are starting to take over the warm room so I am actually thinking about cutting out the fruit and veggies for a month and switching to one of these artificial water sources. In your collective experiences is any one brand superior?
Chip

They are pretty much the same. Just need to make sure there is no fertilizer in the crystals, because they are generally available for gardening. Also, I've learned that the large crystals work better and hold more moisture for longer periods of time.

I'm using the large crystals. They still look clean and I think it's been 5 or 6 days. They haven't shrunk much either. I think I'll play it safer than sorry on this one and change them every 3 days.

well as long as nothing is growing on them and they arent covered in roach crap id leave it in, but thats just me. but like i said i only put a small amount in at a time, prevents waste. how much are you putting in a once?

Quote :

I'm using the large crystals. They still look clean and I think it's been 5 or 6 days. They haven't shrunk much either. I think I'll play it safer than sorry on this one and change them every 3 days.

I think your using way too many if they still haven't shrunk after 5 or 6 days. I would put a very minimal amount in and see how long it takes to disappear and then just add more until you hit the right ratio of dubias to water crystals.

I'm going to try that. Thanks.