# are my spring dead.



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

I just recieved my first springtales. I bought 32 oz Tropical Springtail Culture
and i put them in a 6 qt container. i put in uncooked pasta. I was waiting for a few days before putting in my tank because i wanted a culture as well. i checked them and they are not moving and im curious if the whole culture is dead? or is there any way they are just sleeping maybe from the CO2 gases or what?


----------



## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Were they moving when you first got them? I'd try taking the lid off for a bit to see if it is CO2.


----------



## PeanutbuttER (Jan 1, 2011)

Are springs prone to CO2 related failure?


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

frogface said:


> Were they moving when you first got them? I'd try taking the lid off for a bit to see if it is CO2.


barley. i heard to leave the lid of becasue of co2 . but i dont think i did it long enough


----------



## mcaiger53 (Jan 3, 2011)

I have heard of springs having issues with CO2. I personally have all my springs in sealed containers, and they usually sit unopened for a week or more at a time with no ill effects. I am not telling anyone to put them in sealed containers, just how I have luck with it. 
if your springs aren't moving, try misting them. mine go crazy and jump all over the place when I blow/mist into the cultures.


----------



## Hoodsquirrel (Jul 28, 2011)

Woah that's weird. :O I've never heard of this before. Are you sure they're dead?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

mcaiger53 said:


> I have heard of springs having issues with CO2. I personally have all my springs in sealed containers, and they usually sit unopened for a week or more at a time with no ill effects. I am not telling anyone to put them in sealed containers, just how I have luck with it.
> if your springs aren't moving, try misting them. mine go crazy and jump all over the place when I blow/mist into the cultures.


The susceptiability of springtails to CO2 depends on the species/type. The temperate whites are very resistent but if you feed them heavily, you can get enough of a build up to eventually wipe them out if you don't ventilate the culture(s). Keep in mind that CO2 is heavier than air so simply opening the lid doesn't guarantee that you are going to remove a lot of the CO2. As noted above, I either blow gently into the culture (becareful about inhaling as there is one case of them colonizing a guys sinuses) or gently fan them with the lid. I try to do this every time I feed them. 

Ed


----------



## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Ed said:


> As noted above, I either blow gently into the culture (becareful about inhaling as there is one case of them colonizing a guys sinuses) or gently fan them with the lid.
> Ed


Oh my ....


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

Hoodsquirrel said:


> Woah that's weird. :O I've never heard of this before. Are you sure they're dead?


im not sure , this is the first time every getting them


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

Ed said:


> The susceptiability of springtails to CO2 depends on the species/type. The temperate whites are very resistent but if you feed them heavily, you can get enough of a build up to eventually wipe them out if you don't ventilate the culture(s). Keep in mind that CO2 is heavier than air so simply opening the lid doesn't guarantee that you are going to remove a lot of the CO2. As noted above, I either blow gently into the culture (becareful about inhaling as there is one case of them colonizing a guys sinuses) or gently fan them with the lid. I try to do this every time I feed them.
> 
> Ed


thats something to keep in mind


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

can someone mind sharing a picture of what there culture looks like to help me


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Here's a video showing how to put a springtail culture together, and what it should look like:






Give it time. Whenever I make a new culture, it looks pretty much empty for a bit. A few weeks later, I have more springs than I know what to do with.


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

zBrinks said:


> Here's a video showing how to put a springtail culture together, and what it should look like:
> 
> How to culture springtails - YouTube
> 
> Give it time. Whenever I make a new culture, it looks pretty much empty for a bit. A few weeks later, I have more springs than I know what to do with.


i seen this vidoe very helpful and thats what im hoping in a few weeks ill have alot


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

so it has been a while since i first posted this post and today i went to check on my spring tails to see hows it looking and i notice some small clear almost looking worm. and wanted to know if that larve ot what?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Youngherp420 said:


> so it has been a while since i first posted this post and today i went to check on my spring tails to see hows it looking and i notice some small clear almost looking worm. and wanted to know if that larve ot what?


No, juvenile springtails look very similar to the adults. It is probably some form of free living nematode or other worm. 

Ed


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

well today i check my culture and there is nothing . Im not sure what i did wrong im just going to have to buy a thriving culture from someone


----------



## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

a few things i have noticed with the white springs, what ever size container you have them in-find the smallest drill bit you can. i used an 1/8th inch bit and drill 5-10 holes in it then you don't have to worry about CO2 buildup. also mushrooms work great as a food source and an egg laying site for new springs. I got a magnifying glass to see this more close up-where they were laying and breeding. also less water in the culture the better and don't move the culture around looking for new springs. if you use shrooms for food you will see tons of micro white dots on the shrooms and these are the new arrivals. hope this makes sense.


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Live shrooms are a good source for mites and nematodes. If you want to use mushrooms and avoid those issues use dried mushrooms and rehydrate them before placing them into the culture. 

Ed


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

Ed said:


> Live shrooms are a good source for mites and nematodes. If you want to use mushrooms and avoid those issues use dried mushrooms and rehydrate them before placing them into the culture.
> 
> Ed


thankyou about that .


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

WONTON SALLY said:


> a few things i have noticed with the white springs, what ever size container you have them in-find the smallest drill bit you can. i used an 1/8th inch bit and drill 5-10 holes in it then you don't have to worry about CO2 buildup. also mushrooms work great as a food source and an egg laying site for new springs. I got a magnifying glass to see this more close up-where they were laying and breeding. also less water in the culture the better and don't move the culture around looking for new springs. if you use shrooms for food you will see tons of micro white dots on the shrooms and these are the new arrivals. hope this makes sense.


yeah. i just bought some new springs and hoping they will start producung after i make a new culture


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

So i opened the container and mites! i think they werent spring. how to get rid of them out of the carcoal. also is there any other substrates i can use?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Substrates are less likely a source of mites (unless you are using soil or other collected materials that are still relatively damp) as opposed to the mites coming in on the food sources. Grain based foods are a prime source of mites. 

Ed


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

Ed said:


> . Grain based foods are a prime source of mites.
> 
> Ed


ahh i used uncooked pasta. thats where they came from.


----------



## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

i haven't had any issues with mites and mushrooms, but i also don't feed the cultures all from one mushroom either. here are pics with and without flash-less than 8hours of being in the culture. these are just a couple pieces out of the 12 i added this morning in this culture.


----------



## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

what do the mites look like ED, are they the brown ones like in the FF's cultures?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

white, tan or brown but this doesn't serve as a identification as to species. 

Keep in mind that springtails tend to not chew food items, they mainly feed on the microbial film as the materials are broken down by the microbes so your picture of the mushroom parts can't be used to demonstrate that it is from the springtails as that could be liquifaction from microbial action. 

Ed


----------



## Youngherp420 (May 3, 2011)

WONTON SALLY said:


> i haven't had any issues with mites and mushrooms, but i also don't feed the cultures all from one mushroom either. here are pics with and without flash-less than 8hours of being in the culture. these are just a couple pieces out of the 12 i added this morning in this culture.


i see what your saying . how do you keep your springs


----------



## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

i was showing the pics for the amount of young on it, i haven't been able to get that with any other food source, where would the nematodes be present if you had them/how hard are they to see?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

In and on the medium and on the sides. 

Ed


----------



## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

Ed said:


> In and on the medium and on the sides.
> 
> Ed


 
when can you start to see them as far as size? do they stickout compaired to the adult springtails?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

WONTON SALLY said:


> when can you start to see them as far as size? do they stickout compaired to the adult springtails?


Shine a flashlight through the side of the culture. If they are present you will see tiny clear threadlike worms moving around. In a heave infestations the water around the culture actually moves with them. 

Ed


----------



## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

Ed said:


> Shine a flashlight through the side of the culture. If they are present you will see tiny clear threadlike worms moving around. In a heave infestations the water around the culture actually moves with them.
> 
> Ed


awesome info, now i know what to keep an eye out for. if this nematodes show up in the culture--should you just trash the whole thing?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

WONTON SALLY said:


> awesome info, now i know what to keep an eye out for. if this nematodes show up in the culture--should you just trash the whole thing?


It's up to personal preference. They can get dense enough to affect production by competing with the springtails. At that point you can simply set up a new culture by blowing across the surface of the culture so the springtails land in the new culture. 

Ed


----------



## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

Ed said:


> It's up to personal preference. They can get dense enough to affect production by competing with the springtails. At that point you can simply set up a new culture by blowing across the surface of the culture so the springtails land in the new culture.
> 
> Ed


 
so the springs have no way to carry this to the next culture by doing what you said?


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

WONTON SALLY said:


> so the springs have no way to carry this to the next culture by doing what you said?


I can think of some hypothetical examples but in my anecdotal practice, it hasn't occured. 

Ed


----------



## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

thanks again, just wanted to know if i ever have that situation.


----------

