# Will nematodes kill springtails?



## Wdstalker7 (Jan 26, 2017)

Hi all. I've been reading this sight for months and recently completed planting my first viv. Tank has been planted for about a month and moss added about a week ago unfortunately there are fungus gnats in viv. I have a large population of springtails and can see them crawling everywhere and want to keep them. I have read that fungus gnat larvae can destroy moss and delicate plants which I don't want to happen. Will nematodes for fungus gnats hurt springtails or isopods? Should I wait and see if springtails outcompete larvae or will it be to late by then? Thanks


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

It isn't uncommon to have an initial bloom of fungus gnats in new setups and they tend to go away once the cage starts to head towards maturing but keep in mind that they can be a sign that your substrate isn't draining sufficiently or is too wet. . 

In general those products are pretty specific but a simpler method would be to do a soil drench with the appropriate Bt (Bti) preparation or to let it dry out a little and finish maturing

some comments 

Ed


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

Ed

I've used 'mosquito dunks' to control fungus gnats in potted plants. I believe it is the same bacillus strain (Bt). I Grind up a good amount of mosquito dunk and shake in the water and let the water sit overnight. I then soil drench.

Would it be harmful to do this in a tank with springtails? Frogs?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

FrogTim said:


> Ed
> 
> I've used 'mosquito dunks' to control fungus gnats in potted plants. I believe it is the same bacillus strain (Bt). I Grind up a good amount of mosquito dunk and shake in the water and let the water sit overnight. I then soil drench.
> 
> Would it be harmful to do this in a tank with springtails? Frogs?


No it's fine with both of those, one of the reasons sometimes a targeted microbe works well but as I noted you can just wait it out and decrease the amount of moisture as your creating the ideal conditions for the flies to initially bloom. 

some comments 

Ed


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## Wdstalker7 (Jan 26, 2017)

Thanks for the comments. I'll let it dry out a bit and see if that's enough.


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