# Springtail Culture exploded with worms



## mikestra (Oct 16, 2008)

Has anybody had this happen to them? I had my springtail culture set up in a 5QT sterilite container with some coco fiber and wood charcoal chunks setting on top. To feed I would usually take a chunk of the wood and place it in my viv. Usually the next day I would put the chunk back into the culture (prolly where I went wrong). I recently started feeding my springs mushrooms over the fish flakes I normally feed them, because I noticed much better production. Yesterday however, I opened my culture and There were literally thousands of tiny white/gray worms devouring the mushrooms. I'm pretty sure they were grindal worms, but I still didn't want them in my culture. Needless to say I threw the culture out and started a new one with the starter culture that I don't feed out of. Could these worms have hitchhiked in from the mushrooms I have been feeding? They are triple washed sliced mushrooms from the grocery store.


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## bobberly1 (Jul 16, 2008)

I've been meaning to start a thread on this. Mine look like smaller whiteworms (which I culture), they're likely grindal worms. As a killifish guy, I'm a bit of a nematode nerd. I originally thought min were whiteworms that somehow survived the drying, since the container I used originally held a whiteworm starter culture. They seem to be a different species though. Such food hogs, I'll be happy to get rid of them. Now that I think about it, I'll probably start a seperate culture for the fish though...


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## JLHayes13 (Feb 21, 2009)

A pic would help. They could have been nematodes. I have some in my leuc viv and they hang around the springtail tunnels but don't seem to affect the springtails at all; they could be complimentary to each other. They could also have been fruit fly larvae. I didn't know until recently but fruit flies will lay eggs on mushrooms and the larvae love them. 

If you want to make sure that you don't get any contaminants in the cultures, microwave the mushrooms for a couple of seconds and also make sure that they are grown pesticide free. The microwaving should kill almost anything hitching a ride on the mushrooms; just let them cool before you add them to your viv or culture.


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## bobberly1 (Jul 16, 2008)

JLHayes13 said:


> They could have been nematodes... They could also have been fruit fly larvae.


They're probably nematodes, which grindal worms are a member of, but they're clearly different from FF larvae, WAY longer and thinner. Of course, I don't necessarily have the same ones as the originator of this thread, but they sound alike.


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## mikestra (Oct 16, 2008)

Well I threw the contents of the culture out so no pics.  But they are surely not FF larva. They are a lot longer, maybe an inch long. I do suspect however that they came into the culture from my viv, because I normally leave the chunk of wood in overnight.


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## JLHayes13 (Feb 21, 2009)

I just googled grindal worm and that is what I have in my tank as well. They aren't harmful to the springtails just eat the same food. So I wouldn't worry about it again if you get them in your culture. Plus I have noticed that my frogs will eat the worms off of the glass every once in a while if the worms are moving enough. You threw away free food  lol


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## bobberly1 (Jul 16, 2008)

Just a funny bit of irony I thought I'd throw in here, I was searching how to culture grindal worms for my fish and atop the list of culture pests were springtails.  Makes you wonder whether the ideal way to culture the two is communally.


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## SLEDDER23 (Mar 17, 2005)

I've had the same problem in the past, would flooding the culture and starting a new one off the floating springtails be an option? I'm not sure if the nematodes float, but if not that is a pretty easy way to seperate and save your springs. I agree though, I would suggest just keeping the "free food".

Typically I just bang the heck out of the wood over the tank and replace it back in the culture, but I don't use any wood that I have not burned into charcoal myself, so I'm pretty sure of no hitchhikers in the start up either.

Of course if these came from your tank, the logical conclusion is that you have them in there as well, so you've already got a free food source.

re: feeding mushrooms, what are the rules there? I've never tried that. Would you just get organic mushrooms from the store? I would not feel comfortable picking my own out in the wild under the (maybe false?) assumption that any poison would be passed from shroom to springtail to frog, with possibly bad outcome for the frog.


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## JLHayes13 (Feb 21, 2009)

You definitely don't want to be getting any wild mushrooms. They could carry diseases that you are unaware of. I figure that if it is safe for human consumption, then it is safe for springtail assuming that it is pesticide free or clean.


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## mikestra (Oct 16, 2008)

I just buy the cheapest mushrooms I can find at the grocery store and toss a couple in the culture once a week or so. The production from them is amazing compared to anything else I have used.
Mike


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

There are a lot of different type of terrestrial nematodes and usually grindal worms refers to a specific species (Enchytraeus buchholzi) see Aquamaniacs :: View article - Grindal Worm Cultures - by Lisa Brown so these are probably a different nematode contaminent that has bloomed due to the conditions being optimal for the worms. 

Flooding the container is unlikely to resolve the problem as smaller worms are likely to either be in the surface film of the water or possibly on the springtails themselves. If you want to start new cultures with a lower risk of contamination flood the container and pour the springtails into a shallow container (depending on the substrate, doesn't work well if you are using peat or cocofiber). Tilt this over the new culture but without pouring the springtails into it and gently blow on the top of the water and blow the springtails into the new culture. This will give it enough to seed (don't inhale.... there is one record of springtails setting up residence in the sinus of a entomologist...)

Ed


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## mikestra (Oct 16, 2008)

> don't inhale.... there is one record of springtails setting up residence in the sinus of a entomologist...


Wow if thats not an uncomforting bit of info I don't know what is. 
Mike


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## SLEDDER23 (Mar 17, 2005)

so I could sneeze food to my frogs? Sweet!


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