# Starting new, fungus gnat free springtail cultures...



## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

I seem to have unwanted guests in my springtails lately...
Anyone have any tricks to getting rid of them?
One thought would be to flood the existing culture, and suck up the springtails from the top of the water to start the new culture (in an area with no gnats around) or would gnat eggs float to the top also?
Any ideas?


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## Darryl (Dec 2, 2005)

Brian how are you currenty culturing your springtails(on what mediem)?


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

I have a few different ones going.
Some are in a large 12Q sweaterbox, with about 2 inches of leca on the bottom, with a layer of leaves on top, then 4x4 (ish) blocks of tree fern panel on top.
I have some that use ABG mix on the bottom, with natural charcoal on top, these seem to be the most infected.
Then I have some with peat on the bottom, and leca on the top, these were good performers at first, but didn't last long.


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## Darryl (Dec 2, 2005)

Brian,

Try this, take some charcoal (peices about the 1/2 the size of golf bals), rinse them well in boiling water and run under colder water until cool to the touch.
Place these in a plasic shoe box with dark sides and tight fiting lid.
Add a verry small amount of fish food, then spat a little water on the food and charcoal, close the lid and leave for two days.
Then float off your least affected culture using tap water, you can suck the springtails up or I use a small brine shimp net to pour the water trough.

Shake these out into the new culture container, then feed only a small amount (only enough that can be consumed in 2-3 days. Close the container and leave for 3 days.

Keep checking your cultures and let them air for a short time while lighty agitatingthe medium, this will caurse the gnats to fly off. Keep doing this every other day, this will get rid of adult gnats before theey have a chance the breed.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Thanks, I'll try that.


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## JL-Exotics (Nov 10, 2005)

Just wanted to revive this thread... did you have any luck ridding your springtails of the fungus gnats? I'm having a similar situation and would like to seem them gone!


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

JL-Exotics said:


> Just wanted to revive this thread... did you have any luck ridding your springtails of the fungus gnats? I'm having a similar situation and would like to seem them gone!


Not really...I tried starting new cultures as advised, and even went so far as to pressure cook the substrate, and I still have fungus gnats...the strange thing is that the new cultures have more gnats. I think the problem is that I have the gnats in my froglet containers, so when I try to feed springtails, the gnats fly out of the containers, and into the culture...


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## bluedart (Sep 5, 2005)

Dancing frogs said:


> [quote="JL-Exotics"bdjdwwz]Just wanted to revive this thread... did you have any luck ridding your springtails of the fungus gnats? I'm having a similar situation and would like to seem them gone!


Not really...I tried starting new cultures as advised, and even went so far as to pressure cook the substrate, and I still have fungus gnats...the strange thing is that the new cultures have more gnats. I think the problem is that I have the gnats in my froglet containers, so when I try to feed springtails, the gnats fly out of the containers, and into the culture...[/quotebdjdwwz]
Well, the gnats are eaten just as readily as the springs, so don't worry too much about it.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

They are something to worry about...
They are very detrimental to production of springtails, in temprerate springtail cultures, they can and often will make the culture totally crash.
Second, if they took over the culture of springtails, they are next to impossible to catch and release into a tank...would much rather have springtails.


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## JL-Exotics (Nov 10, 2005)

Actually, anything that is capable of flying around the house is mission critical. I don't have the luxury of a frog room, nor an understanding fiance'. Especially when a swarm of fungus gnats are circling her head at the diner table. 

The gnats must be terminated with exteme prejudice. It's them or me!

I broke off a small starter culture yesterday. Hopefully, I didn't transfer any gnats into it, and if I did I'm hoping the small container size will help me monitor and remove the offenders as they pop up. We'll see...


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

As a side note, even though some of the new cultures have the gnats, the culture I flooded and skimmed for starters now is producing well, and doesn't seem to have the gnats...


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## JL-Exotics (Nov 10, 2005)

Dancing frogs said:


> As a side note, even though some of the new cultures have the gnats, the culture I flooded and skimmed for starters now is producing well, and doesn't seem to have the gnats...


Hmmm... Do you think flooding the culture may have drown out the gnats??? 

How long did you flood the culture for?


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Could be, or floated the eggs out...
The culture was flooded for maybee a half hour or so...


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## aplatowski (May 6, 2004)

*gnat blocks*

Since the gnats are very hard to kill off, you can give your frogs a treat by putting a chunk of charcoal that is crawling with gnat larva into your viv. The frogs will eat them like candy and clean the block at the same time.


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## JL-Exotics (Nov 10, 2005)

And lo... a great flood swept across the land. For 3 days and for 3 nights the land was submerged. On the 4th day a siphon revealed a land without fungus gnats. There was much rejoicing and happiness! The devine springtails were blessed with a bounty from the heavens and an explosion was brought forth, and there was much rejoicing and happiness again.

And lo, the angry gnat hating fiance' looked and was pleased... From that day forward it was decreed that the frogs may stay, and there was much rejoicing and happiness!

Thanks Dancing Frogs, you saved my neck and my collection!


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## ambilobe (May 13, 2019)

I know this thread is old, but wanted to know if there were any updates to this peoblem?

I have 4 cultures in sterlite / horticultural charcoal and they were doing fine until recently.

First I noticed that when I open them, I am hit with a swarm of flies. 

The top layer of charcoal is covered in white larva that I thought was hydei fruit flies.

The underside of the top cover has larva casing of some sort, but dont know if it is hydei or fungus knat.

Is the flood and restart the best method?

There are minimal springtails in any of the cultures at this point.

I can send pics if that would help.

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## alsofaac (Aug 21, 2013)

My problem isn't fungus gnats, but midges. My springtail cultures are on charcoal and water. Midges get in and outcompete the springtails, destroying the cultures. I use an aspirator to collect midges, and feed them to my flies, but they still overpower the springtails!


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## ambilobe (May 13, 2019)

I ended up flooding the cultures, but they were pretty much crashed.

Going to order one from Josh's and start over 

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## ambilobe (May 13, 2019)

alsofaac said:


> My problem isn't fungus gnats, but midges. My springtail cultures are on charcoal and water. Midges get in and outcompete the springtails, destroying the cultures. I use an aspirator to collect midges, and feed them to my flies, but they still overpower the springtails!


What are midges? The red eyed flies that killed my cultures ?

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