# Where to buy charcoal for springtails locally?



## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

What sort of places stock charcoal chunks like the ones used for springtail media? I'd like to start a larger culture than the one I got from Josh.

Lowes/HD? Or a nursery?


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## Jordan B (Oct 8, 2004)

Go to your local grocery store and buy natural mesquite charcoal. If it's the right stuff, it won't look like briquettes.
Jordan


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## geckguy (Mar 8, 2004)

It doesn't have to be mesquite, any natural hardwood lump charcoal will work. It is burnt wood, no coal at all.


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## phyllomedusa (May 17, 2004)

Wally mart carries royal oak natural lump charcoal. about $6 for a ten pound bag. It is much better than the one you can get at home depot(have gotten some log sized pieces).


Sean


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## 955i (Mar 23, 2006)

I have never had any luck culturing springtails on charcoal :? 

I use orchid bark chips now and my cultures are thriving.

May be worth looking into if charcoal is hard to find near you.


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

Thanks for the replies guys. That Royal Oak stuff I have seen at wallyworld, I'll pick some up. I actually have trouble finding orchid bark around here. I guess with all of the post-katrina construction efforts the stores figure we aren't interested in planting orchids. 

My colony is doing great on the charcoal sofar, so I figure why change? I also have a bag of "orchid mix" that is bark plus charcoal chunks. I guess that might work. 

One thing I like about growing them on charcoal is that I can flood the bin and get the springtails out easily. Seems if I have bark in there it would float?

955i, how do you get yours out of the bark for feeding?


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

One thing that worked great for me as far as feeding the springtails to the frogs was to add a magnolia leaf on top of the culture. Sprinkle food onto the leaf and moisten. In a few days it will be swarming with the springtails. I then remove the leaf and add in to the frog tank leaf and all.


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

Sounds like a good idea. =)


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## 955i (Mar 23, 2006)

wax32 said:


> 955i, how do you get yours out of the bark for feeding?


I lay a large piece of bark over the top of the bark chips and they all migrate to the underside, then take it out and tap it over the viv. Nice, simple and clean  

I use the same method for my tropical woodlice and it works well for them as well.


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

That's good to know. I want to get some woodlice next. Those are basically roly-polys/pill bugs right?


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

OK, I found some natural lump charcoal, but the pieces are rather huge. =)

I guess I should bust it up some before using it in the culture?


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## rozdaboff (Feb 27, 2005)

You can use the chunks as they are if you want - you just need a big enough culture container. It may make it easier to feed them off as you can pick up a piece and tap off the springtails into a tank.

Sorry I didn't see this earlier, or I would have made the recommendation before you went to the store  but I use fine pieces of charcoal that you can buy from Lowe's - they are packaged by Miracle-Gro I believe - but there is no fertilizer. By using lots of small pieces, you increase the surface area for the springtails, which means larger "blooms". Feeding off is easy, as you can add water to the entire culture, and pour it off - the springtails float to the top and out of the culture with the water.

Magnolia leaves also work well as Gary mentioned. 

I try to keep 3 types of springtail cultures going at a time. Several set up with small charcoal in gladware containers for the sole purpose of feeding off. Then I have a large culture of LECA balls with springtails cultured on those that I use for seeding froglet containers (thin layer of springtail infested LECA at bottom of froglet container covered by LFS). And a couple of shoebox sized containers containing a mixture of cocofiber, charcoal, and crushed magnolia leaves used to seed new tanks.


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

Hah. Funny you should mention it. I got some of the small piece stuff from HD already. That is in the box mixed with the stuff the springs came in, plus some orchid mix, which is just bark and charcoal. I think I'll add some of the big pieces on top of this for ease of feeding out, like you mentioned. THEN I think I will get some more of the small stuff and do a small culutre strictly for feeding off, since it is easier to flood it. My main culture is pretty big, so flooding it is out of the question. =) I also already laid some magnolia leaves on top of the big culture. Hopefully it will all work out ok!


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