# Springtails



## trimtrig (Feb 15, 2004)

I just recieved my first culture of springtails. I had no idea that they were actually that small. How do others get them out to feed their small frogs? 
TQ


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## Guest (Feb 20, 2004)

I put in pieces of natural charcoal into the culture. When I want to find them I bang 2 pieces together inside the tanks, or I add a little water to the culture and scoop them out with a spoon.

Benjamin


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## trimtrig (Feb 15, 2004)

*springtails*

Thats what I thought. Now will the froglets find the springtails? I jsut beleve how small these things are.
Thank you,
TQ


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## jbeetle (Feb 8, 2004)

> *trimtrig wrote:*
> Now will the froglets find the springtails?


Yes they will. I have seen frogs eat things that I couldn't really see. I could only see these tiny bugs if I really watched the frogs eat and followed their movements. Believe it or not, my tincs & leucs seem to really like eating smaller insects (including springtails).


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## MarkJ (Feb 15, 2004)

I will either bang the charcoal together or I will add some water and turkey baster the area around the springtails out and just squirt it into the tank.


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## trimtrig (Feb 15, 2004)

*springtails*

So, pretty much however I can get the springtails in the tank, the frogs will know what to do and find them, right? I am not use to feeding tiny thing to my animals. I will try some on my larger darts and see what they do.
TQ


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## Guest (Feb 23, 2004)

*springtails*

In a larger vivarium, the frogs may have difficulty finding the springtails as they are quick to take cover. I find springtails only useful for smaller frogs such as the thumbnails, pumilio and froglets from some of the larger species. My froglets and juvenile thumbnails are temporarily housed in rather small vivaria ranging from 2-5 gallons. I try to keep a few of these empty of frogs but ready to go when the need arises. All of these are seeding sith springtails from the time they are put together. After a couple of months the substrate, which consists of a light layer of gravel covered with sphagnum moss then oak/magnolia leaf pieces, is loaded with them so the frogs have food right at hand for several weeks. After I feel they havbe picked the vivs pretty clean, I will start feeding them from my cultures. Some of my cultures that haven't been touched for a while are usually teeming with springtails to the point that if I look too close I end up inhaling a few or blowing them out just by gently breathing. I take large plastic bags with a little bit of vitamin powder and hold the culture own into the bag and blow the springtails out and into the bag. The dusting seems to slow these guys down like it does with fruitflies and when these are placed into dishes, my frogs usuallly get to them before they have had a chance to clean the powder off. If this method isn't possible, I will justy fill the dish with the charcoal from the culture let the frogs pick it clean. 

-Bill J.


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## Guest (Feb 27, 2004)

Joe's brand new springtail feeding technique, "sprintail pepper shaker".

I was banging some coal against the side of one of my vivariums when I had a wonderful idea. Since my culture is only made of large pieces of charcoal I simply covered the culture with my fingers, flipped it upside and shook it a few times. So many sprintail hit the ground it looked as if the moss was alive. My Patricias went nuts trying lick them up. Of course I don't keep my cultures flooded just damp so there was no water or mess, just sprintails, and there were still several hundred left in the culture to keep it going for next time. So, now I'm going to divide my larger cultures into small ones like this one and use them all as "springtail pepper shakers", a full meal in only three shakes.


Joe


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## jbeetle (Feb 8, 2004)

*"sprintail pepper shaker"*

*Thats a great idea!* I love it. How do you keep your cultures "just damp", but not wet?


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2004)

I keep mine in a very humid and cool greenhouse so there isn't much threat of them drying up quickly. If the charcoal looks like it has a couple of dry spots, I add a bit of water, otherwise I basically leave it alone. A little water on the bottom certainly wouldn't hurt this method.


Joe


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## JJuchems (Feb 16, 2004)

I have a culture in potting soil and add a few cypress mulch chips to the top. I then place mulch pieces in the tank with the springtails on it for feeding. I also have a 10 gallon tank that is only Cypress mulch that is a big culture that I use to fatten up frogglets. It work pretty good.
Later and Happy Frogging,
Jason Juchems


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

I also have a colony of springtails on natural carbon. I got the kit from Ed's Fly Meat and it's worked out pretty well. I keep a half an inch of water in the bottom of the plastic shoebox they're in, since my preferred method of serving them is to suck them up with a turkey baster and then sprinkle them on a few chunks of carbon I have in the tanks. Springtails float on water in big mats, so it's easy. I feed the springtails ordinary baker's yeast that I sprinkle on top of the carbon in the bin. About the only thing wrong is that you can't dust them.


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## Guest (Apr 8, 2004)

Since I already have some springtails that I got at IAD can I just take a container and add charcoal (I can get this at a health food shop?) some yeast and water and let them go? Am I missing anything? How long does it take for them to reproduce and get big enough to feed the frogs?
Thanks
Rhonda


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

FrogByte11 said:


> Since I already have some springtails that I got at IAD can I just take a container and add charcoal (I can get this at a health food shop?) some yeast and water and let them go? Am I missing anything? How long does it take for them to reproduce and get big enough to feed the frogs?
> Thanks
> Rhonda


You can get natural charcoal just about anywhere that sells barbeque supplies. It is generally referred to as 'lump charcoal' and popular with people who like to cook over coals but don't want to cook with briquettes (read the ingredients list for a bag of briquettes and you'll know why). I picked up a medium sized bag at Fred Meyer for about $7. Even Wally World carries it. Just look for bags that say lump charcoal or all wood charcoal.


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## Ed Martin (Mar 25, 2004)

Is the advantage of charcoal over peat just the ease of use? I get tons of springtail off my peat cultures but it is a pain sometimes getting just them and not the peat. 
Ed


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## mindcrash (Mar 3, 2004)

Ok, now this isn't a method i've used (in fact, i've never cultured springtails) but i read this on frognet and thought you guys might find it interesting:

Here is the trick to springtails.

It is actually very simple, but flys in the face of most of the techniques
you have heard of prior to this.

Use a plastic shoe box with lid.

Fill it with about 1 or 2 inches with damp peat moss. (approximation, work
with it 

Add a layer of LECA - again, play with it, but at least 1 inch or so.

Add water or dampen until peat is completely soaked and water level is close to or at LECA level.

Add some plant clipping if you want - also, springtail simply go nuts over
cucumber pealings!!!!

Add springtails - the more you add the quicker the culture will BOOM!

Now, here is the real trick;

Sprinkle white rice or crushed peices of pasta - not a ton, say a level
teaspoon at the most, I usually only sprinkle a couple of pinches.

Spray to moisten.

In a couple of weeks or less, you won't believe the results.

Our good friend Chad Mayer told us the secret of using the rice (we have
never tried the pasta, but I am sure it works just as good) and we have had
BOOOOMING springtail cultures ever since.

Maintenance;

About once a week I open the shoe box, spray all the springtails down and
tilt the end of the box.

I scoop up the springtails off the surface of the water, put them in a cup
with some water already in it, and then pour directly into tanks or use to
create new cultures.

Add a few more sprinkles of white rice, spray to moisten, and put away.

Give it a try, and I think you will be pleased with the results.

Now I can use this post to update our web-site. Been meaning to do that.

THANKS CHAD!!!!!!

Greg Sihler
http://www.azdr.com

P.S. - Don't tell anyone I told you. 

Again, thats from Frognet, not me


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