# Shipping Charcoal springtail cultures



## tfox799947 (Jun 4, 2012)

I just got some springtail cultures in charcoal, because I wanted to be able to use them as feeders for future potential froglets. My tanks are seeded with springtails, but I wanted cultures that I could remove the springtails easily.
My question is, it appears they did not arrive alive (dangerous to ship springs in charcoal I know). How would I get springs out of a substrate culture in order to seed the charcoal cultures?
Thanks for the help,
Christine


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## randommind (Sep 14, 2010)

Before you try harvesting the springtails from your viv or another culture, I would recommend feeding the culture that just arrived and wait a couple days...you might be surprised at what springs up! 

However, to answer your question, the easiest way I have found (I believe James67 made a post about it) to harvest springs from most non-charcoal cultures is to place a piece of tree fern panel on top of the substrate and sprinkle it with a little bit of yeast, wait a day pull the fern panel and tap it over container or into a viv.


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## tfox799947 (Jun 4, 2012)

...you might be surprised at what springs up! 

LOL
You have a way with words!
I hope you are right, and I remember reading about the tree fern too. Thanks for the reminder.
Have a nice weekend!


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## djone2 (Mar 8, 2012)

I have had multiple cultures that are "dead" only to be teeming with springs a couple days later. Definitely give them a couple of days


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## Steve88W (Jan 21, 2011)

My understanding is that the CO2 buildup can make them a bit sleepy.
Let them breathe a bit, make sure they're moist, a bit of food, and blammo! Springtail Spring Break going on....

I had a culture growing on soil. To seed a new culture, just put a piece of bait down on top of a large leaf, let it sit over night, then move the leaf to a new container. This is not sterile so if you had mites, they'll hitch a ride. A chunk of tree fern helps hold a lot more springs too.

Plan B: dig up some of the springtails, then gently blow on them into the new culture. They'll jump right in.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Jame's Tree fern method rocks. A yeast-baited, 4" x 4" piece can yield thousands of springtails the next morning.


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## tfox799947 (Jun 4, 2012)

If you do have those brownish mites in a culture. Is it ok to put the whole culture in the viv? Or will they over run the springtails or isopods that are already seeded in the viv.


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## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

tfox799947 said:


> I just got some springtail cultures in charcoal, because I wanted to be able to use them as feeders for future potential froglets. My tanks are seeded with springtails, but I wanted cultures that I could remove the springtails easily.
> My question is, it appears they did not arrive alive (dangerous to ship springs in charcoal I know). How would I get springs out of a substrate culture in order to seed the charcoal cultures?
> Thanks for the help,
> Christine


I bought some sprintails from Josh's once that looked like that when they arrived. It looked like just a tub of charcoal, couldn't find a springtail at all. Two weeks later they were everywhere.


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