# help with springtails!!!!



## Tadpole4 (Mar 16, 2006)

I just ordered another culture of springtails. I put them in a larger container with more charcoal etc and less than a week later they are all gone!!!
the temp is steady 79 continer is closed w/ water up to 1/4 depth of the CC flitered water. but I can't seem to keep them going.

HELP!!


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Charcoal works great for some - not so hot for others. I'm with the "not so hot" group.

My media for springtails: ground coco husk (i.e. "EcoEarth") as about 90% of the volume. The remaining 10% is shredded (blender) oak leaf litter. 

Keep the mix nice and fluffy and *do not* soak it!

My springtails have just gone nuts in this mix. I feed every, or every other, day with small amounts of food.

s


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Scott, how do you get the springtails out of this mixture, or do you just take a big spoonfull, and put it media and all into the viv?

Seems like everytime I get gung-ho on springtails (meaning every shoebox I have turns into a springtail culture) I get no-where...seems I am stuck having 1 or 2 cultures that work, the rest turn to crap.

At first, it was fungus gnats...now it is mites...

Charcoal cultures are fairly mite free (compared to other medias I've tried)...but the yeilds I get from the charcoal are still pretty low, even though I don't see many mites....

For the most part, I notice better yields in dirt-like cultures than charcoal ones, though these are quickly taken over by the mites...

Do I need to totally start over?

Could this be because my frog collection is growing, meaning having more cultures of various insects, therefore more places for mites to breed?

Would the anti mite-additive used for ff culture help, or would it also kill the springtails?


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I try to keep enough cultures so that when the inevitable mites hit, I just take that culture out of circulation. I often just dump the container into a tank and then clean the heck out of it and start a new culture. I use "Land of Lakes" margarine tubs for the containers.

I was feeding by spooning out media. I have also been using the "Tree Fern Root Chunk" method successfully. Put a small chunk of TFR root in the media and the springtails gravitate to it. Then just take it out and shake over/in the tank. This works well.

The key to me has been to use small amouts of food every, or every other, day. The second key is to not let it be dry, but a tad to dry is preferrable to too moist.

The springtails propogate all through the mix. The yield is pretty amazing.

s


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Ok, I'll give the oak leave/coco a shot...
In my cultures that are or have been booming, I totally agree, the tree-fern panel makes an excellent way to feed.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I have found the Ground Oak Leaf to be a really good material for about any use. Truly a pain in the butt to produce (not that easy to blender it) but it is worth the time to do it. I've been adding a bit of it to soil mixes as well. If I had more of it I would likely go back and add a layer to current tanks.

s


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Yeah, in some of my tanks with oak leaf-litter, there are more springtails in there than in some of my cultures!

I seen "oak leaf mould" for sale (once) that was in a small bag, and looked like ground up oak leaves.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

If you see it again - buy it.

I tried to order some this week and they informed me they no longer made the product.

They were the only ones to do so.

s


Dancing frogs said:


> ... I seen "oak leaf mould" for sale (once) that was in a small bag, and looked like ground up oak leaves.


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## Guest (Jul 16, 2006)

What about oak leaves that have practically decomposed to dirt, would that work? Would I need to figure out a way to sterilize it?


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I'd say you likely get quite a few nasties in there if decompisition is that far along.

It might make a good media (by itself) if it is not too dense. Heck - it's probably loaded with springtails already I'd bet.

You could try to place some in a container and just see what pops out of it.

If you were to culture *your* springtails though - I would nuke it first. Obviously let it cool down also. 

s


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Scott, I put together a few cultures with you're recommended blend, and so far, it looks like they like it...
I know it's too early to tell for sure how they will turn out, but I can tell they can crawl through the media with ease...


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## Guest (Jul 17, 2006)

:lol: I just have an abundance of oak leaves that I'm trying to find uses for. I'm just using charcoal right now.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Scott,
The recommended coco-oak leaf blend rocks!  

Can't say how it works for tropicals (seems my stock is doomed to live in a non-productive co-existence with mites), but with the temparates :shock: :shock: springtails a'boomin'!


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