# In-Tank Springtail Supplementation



## oldlady25715 (Nov 17, 2007)

What do you all use to supplement in-tank springtail populations? 

Different-aged decaying leaf litter is always good, but do you also sprinkle whatever you feed in your cultures into the tanks as well? I was considering sprinkling some "Bug Burger" but the residue from what doesn't get consumed will muck things up.


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

Occasionally, I feed them a little bug burger by dropping a little powder under the top layer of leaves. It might muck stuff up, but at least it won't be on the surface. Other then that, I just let my springs do their thing.

John


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## RikRok (Nov 5, 2009)

Aaron, try some tree fern fiber it solves everything 😉lol I 
sprinkle bug burger but also prepare it per instructions and put a small square of it somewhere in the tank, that way the muck stays in one spot as opposed to everywhere. The springtails love it and the isopods finish the job rarely leaving any muck behind.

Edit: misread product, ive been using morning wood as opposed to bug burger with the above results.

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## oldlady25715 (Nov 17, 2007)

Richard, your tree fern fiber cultures definitely produce. Have you tried preparing the morning wood as instructed and, rather than mold into a cube, pouring it to mold into some tree fern fiber? That could function as a small spring-tail reservoir for inside a tank. I might try that. Thanks!


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## RikRok (Nov 5, 2009)

that's a good idea. hadn't thought about that. it will definitely work. In the actual cultures I smash the cubes into the panels since pouring the hot mix will probably kill the springtails in there, but same idea. 

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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

I have, a couple of times, made in tank refuguia with a cork tube placed upright, capped with a no hole coco hut. I filled the inside with charcoal, and would simply feed the bugs by lifting the cap and adding various veggie scraps, bug burger, ff media, etc. It keeps things tidy, and the bugs seem to explode. My frogs would hang out near it like a feeding station, waiting for unsuspecting victims to emerge.


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## in2Diy (Dec 15, 2014)

Fish food at the bottom of leaf litter?


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## slimninj4 (Dec 31, 2013)

epiphytes etc. said:


> I have, a couple of times, made in tank refuguia with a cork tube placed upright, capped with a no hole coco hut. I filled the inside with charcoal, and would simply feed the bugs by lifting the cap and adding various veggie scraps, bug burger, ff media, etc. It keeps things tidy, and the bugs seem to explode. My frogs would hang out near it like a feeding station, waiting for unsuspecting victims to emerge.



Great idea.


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## oldlady25715 (Nov 17, 2007)

I'm picturing a corkround springtail silo


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## BaysExotics (Dec 28, 2014)

epiphytes etc. said:


> I have, a couple of times, made in tank refuguia with a cork tube placed upright, capped with a no hole coco hut. I filled the inside with charcoal, and would simply feed the bugs by lifting the cap and adding various veggie scraps, bug burger, ff media, etc. It keeps things tidy, and the bugs seem to explode. My frogs would hang out near it like a feeding station, waiting for unsuspecting victims to emerge.


would love to see some pictures if you have any! trying to come up with something similar for my tanks.


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

Sorry no pics, I don't have any frogs or vivs right now. It's simply a 4-5" length of 3" or so diameter cork tube pressed into the substrate just enough for it to stand upright. I then fill it to about an inch from the top with very coarse charcoal. The tops are just home made coco huts. I was, at one point, consuming ridiculous quantities of young white coconuts. It should look somewhere between a mushroom and a grain silo.


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## oldlady25715 (Nov 17, 2007)

I wonder if a similar concept could be used to insert tubing with the charcoal horizontally under the leaf litter. Sorta like a trapdoor spider web idea. 

Or a tube nested somwhere under the tank ceiling and the springtails would sprinkle down onto the floor? 

A cocohut silo is great but it might look kinda funny in smaller tanks


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

I have a couple places like that in some tanks where instead of filling up a pvc pipe or similar structure with great stuff I filled it with cardboard/charcoal and can add food to it. I guess I'm not as concerned with mold and the like but I also just sprinkle bits of whatever into the leaf litter. I only remember one instance in a pumilio froglet bin that I got too happy go lucky with crested gecko diet and managed to make all the microfauna disappear-the froglets survived the mold outbreak but I did need to reseed a what was once a booming silver spring/dwarf white haven :/.

Also you need to be careful not to feed where the frogs hang out too much-unless you want to help the frogs depopulate the tank a bit! 


I would only do this in a big tank but I found that if you buy a young coconut and scrape the meat out pretty well(eat and enjoy!) what is left over is loved by microfauna. I hack these to fit in my cultures and the isos/silver springs go nuts over them. They invariably mold a bit but leave if alone until this subsides and the inside will be seething with isos.


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

Oh yeah, I also use magnolia seed pods in many of my tanks to act as springtail refugia and it works very well. They break down moderately fast and will mold initially, but the springs love them and the frogs love to pick strays off the surface. 

John


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