# Success with Springtails - Finally!



## JimO (May 14, 2010)

I've been culturing springtails for only about eight months, but during that time I've tried every substrate and food combination that has been recommended. I've had reasonable success, but then I stumbled upon something very simple that is working great. I was putting some morphing froglets in a large plastic tub that was half water and half spagnum moss that emerges about an inch above the waterline. I added white tropical springs one time - probably equal to a couple of square inches floating on the surface of the water. 

It has been a couple of months and I haven't had to add any additional springs. I made a couple of interesting observations. First, they seemed just as at home on the surface of the water as on the land. I had some duckweed and other floating plants and they swarmed the water surface as thickly as the moss. I never saw any dead ones, so they apparently like the water. Second, hundreds of tiny - possibly hatchling size springs are present in many of the little pools of water among the sphagnum moss. I tried to "rescue" them a few times by sticking a small leaf in as a bridge and expected them to crawl out, but they stayed on the water.

I started adding a couple of mushrooms every week and the springs are keeping up with a dozen growing mantella froglets.

After seeing that, I took a half dozen 16 oz. glad containers, filled them halfway with wet sphagnum moss and made sure there was standing water about halfway up the moss. Then I added a few springs and a mushroom. They are booming!

It's cheap, it's simple, it's easy. And after losing two large shoe-box sized cultures to mites, I have found that many small cultures is better than a few large ones.

Just wanted to share this in case you wanted to give it a try.


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

I have to agree. I got my spring cultures from Ed's and keep three small ones going at all times in the same medium they came in.
I only feed mushrooms and occasionally some fishfood flakes. That's it. 
No mites, no crashes and to feed them out I just fill with water and pour them onto a leaf in the viv.


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## poison beauties (Mar 1, 2010)

Congrats Jim on the success. I still have many large mothertubs though and I found the key to keeping mites out now it spraying down the outside of the tubs and lids with provent a mite.



Michael


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

I should have mentioned that I got my first healthy cultures from you and that was the beginning of my spring culturing. Prior attempts to order spring cultures from a number of people resulted in sopping wet cultures with the springs DOA. Thanks again for the great cultures.


poison beauties said:


> Congrats Jim on the success. I still have many large mothertubs though and I found the key to keeping mites out now it spraying down the outside of the tubs and lids with provent a mite.
> 
> 
> 
> Michael


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## baita83 (Aug 29, 2009)

if you don't want to add the frogs directly to the culture I have been adding banana peels to my cultures the spring tails love them and since they don't get slimy and nasty it makes it extremely easy to harvest them into a separate container. Plus they last a long time before they break down completely.


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

That's a great idea. We go through a lot of bananas in our house.


baita83 said:


> if you don't want to add the frogs directly to the culture I have been adding banana peels to my cultures the spring tails love them and since they don't get slimy and nasty it makes it extremely easy to harvest them into a separate container. Plus they last a long time before they break down completely.


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

baita83 said:


> if you don't want to add the frogs directly to the culture I have been adding banana peels to my cultures the spring tails love them and since they don't get slimy and nasty it makes it extremely easy to harvest them into a separate container. Plus they last a long time before they break down completely.





JimO said:


> That's a great idea. We go through a lot of bananas in our house.


Just be advised that they use thiabendazole on bananas---try going organic. 

Pros---the chemical may help eliminate parasites in frogs. 
Cons---it's slightly toxic. 

EXTOXNET PIP - THIABENDAZOLE


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