# Springtails DOA.



## Jrb470 (May 29, 2015)

So I received a springtail culture in the mail today and they were all dead. I transferred the culture to a larger box anyway and my question is: is there a chance that the culture is salvageable? Should I try rinsing out some of the dead ones? 

Thanks for any info!


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## Dangerously (Dec 19, 2007)

Jrb470 said:


> So I received a springtail culture in the mail today and they were all dead. I transferred the culture to a larger box anyway and my question is: is there a chance that the culture is salvageable? Should I try rinsing out some of the dead ones?
> 
> Thanks for any info!


Mine always look DOA, but usually the next day they're fine. What was the temperature when you received them?


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## Jrb470 (May 29, 2015)

It was hot. 85. I'm gonna wait and see what happens. I aired them out and put them in the plastic shoebox with some food... We will see, I suppose .


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

Charcoal or substrate? IMO substrate springtails survive shipping better, my advice is to contact the seller but keep them, typically the eggs survive.


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## Bighurt (Jun 18, 2011)

Agree, eggs are probably fine, adults may not come back...

Kinda why some sellers tell you to wait a month before using. Gives the culture time to bounce back.


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## Wusserton (Feb 21, 2014)

Are you sure they were dead? Springtails Co2 gas themselves into a sleep like state, just unscrew the lid and let oxygen in. I got a culture from Josh's once and so I called and spoke with Josh and he filled me in on the whole thing, now my culture is booming! use a shoebox sized tupperware container, the lid should not be air tight, no worries about escapes, fill it half full with large charcoal from a horticulture supply store and fill it 1/4 full with distilled water so the water is half the charcoal level, sprinkle a generous amount of yeast in one corner or you can buy the Josh's frogs spring to life stuff ...they love it! Here is a video I made, I pour them in my tanks all the time and my frogs go nuts! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c2FpOS3eW9A


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Jrb470 (May 29, 2015)

Update: 

Today, I finally noticed a few babies!

I had placed some rice in there for a food source and it's been molding nicely. 
Can the container be kept in the dark ?

Thanks for the replies.


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## Jrb470 (May 29, 2015)

Well, even though I saw a few babies, this culture doesn't seem to have made it. The heat destroyed it in shipping. One lesson learned, even though I knew better. I'm not confident this will end up producing.


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## srexob (Sep 1, 2013)

Keep it. You may be surprised. Mine took a long time too after shipping.


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