# Round White Bugs



## Imatreewaterme (May 19, 2021)

Hi everyone,

I've had my vivarium setup for about 2 weeks now and seeded it with springtails and dwarf white isopods. 

I noticed some strange round white bugs on my spider wood.

I am hopeful that they are not slugs, have you guys seen these before?


















Thanks,
Ricky


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## Broseph (Dec 5, 2011)

Detritivore mites. They are ubiquitous, harmless, beneficial and the population may boom and bust several times over the life of the viv. Small frogs will eat them, large frogs may ignore them.


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## Imatreewaterme (May 19, 2021)

Broseph said:


> Detritivore mites. They are ubiquitous, harmless, beneficial and the population may boom and bust several times over the life of the viv. Small frogs will eat them, large frogs may ignore them.


Thanks for the response. I was just getting worried over nothing then.  

Very good to hear, it looks like they are working together with the springtails to clean up the vivarium.

The springtails are all centered in a specific area. Will they start to branch out into the rest of the vivarium as their numbers grow?


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## Broseph (Dec 5, 2011)

Imatreewaterme said:


> Very good to hear, it looks like they are working together with the springtails to clean up the vivarium.


Exactly.



> The springtails are all centered in a specific area. Will they start to branch out into the rest of the vivarium as their numbers grow?


They tend to be gregarious- I don't know if this is accidental as they find foodstuffs and favorable environments, or pheromone-mediated. Probably both.

Either way, they'll start to become more sparse over time, especially as frogs eat them. Soon you'll be wondering if there are any springtails in the vivarium at all.  there are


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## Imatreewaterme (May 19, 2021)

Broseph said:


> Exactly.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have read is it is helpful to seed with springtails about every week or two at night so the springtails keep their numbers up. It seems like it would be a good idea to keep the tank clean and add a little bit of extra food for the frogs. 

I have a few springtail cultures running, is there a reason to avoid having an abundance of springs in the tank?


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## 2 tincs bakhuis (Jul 8, 2021)

Too many springs are generally not a problem as long as there aren't a super large number of them. Other than that Your frogs will be happy.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Some (many? nearly all?) darts will ignore fruit flies to eat springtails. Since only the FFs are dusted, the frogs should be coerced into eating mostly FFs, which often means not adding springs to their viv. In an established viv, if there is cleaning to be done, the springs (and isopods, and fungus/bacteria/slime molds) living in the substrate and hardscape will do it. 

It has also been suggested that a radical overabundance of springs might stress frogs. A reasonable enough concern, I think.

I only reseed springs in vivs where thumbs are raising kids, who need them when they're fresh out of the brom -- in those vivs I add springs every week or two.


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