# What kind of Mushrooms for Springtails?



## Blaise and Echo (Jul 2, 2009)

What kind do you think are the best for feeding them (based on production), or are all of them the same? I'm guessing the feeding random ones from outside isn't a good idea, so i want to know what kind I should buy.


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## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

I buy a big bag of dried ones from Sam's Club, then chop them in a food processor. Lasts over a year. I think they're Shitake and they work fine. You can also go to markets that supply Asian food stuffs and find dried mushrooms there too. 

I drop in a pinch of dried mushrooms and a pinch of active yeast for each springtail culture. It's been working very well for me.


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## merk1_99 (Apr 19, 2009)

I just go to the supermarket and get the cheapest fresh ones they have. Usually $1.50 for some buttons. Then I slice and add. Also I don't throw out the buttons when they turn I just keep using them till they are gone...


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

merk1_99 said:


> I just go to the supermarket and get the cheapest fresh ones they have. Usually $1.50 for some buttons. Then I slice and add. Also I don't throw out the buttons when they turn I just keep using them till they are gone...


ditto for me


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## rollei (Jun 4, 2009)

Some people say mites and pests can hitch a ride on the fresh mushrooms. That's why other people say to use dried and reconstituted mushrooms.


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

rollei said:


> Some people say mites and pests can hitch a ride on the fresh mushrooms. That's why other people say to use dried and reconstituted mushrooms.


hasn't been an issue at all for me


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Since I purchase my baker's yeast in bulk I use it as the food source for the springtails... 

Ed


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## TonyT (Feb 16, 2004)

I was wondering the same thing about the mushrooms. I have always just sprinkled the yeast in my cultures and had great success. I guess my question now is, is there a signifigant increase in production when feeding mushrooms?

TonyT


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## JoshK (Jan 5, 2009)

TonyT said:


> I was wondering the same thing about the mushrooms. I have always just sprinkled the yeast in my cultures and had great success. I guess my question now is, is there a signifigant increase in production when feeding mushrooms?
> 
> TonyT


IME, yes. I have never had production with anything (yeast, fish food, veggies, pasta, ect.) like I have with mushrooms.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I get very heavy production with baker's yeast. 

Ed


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

Is there anything to be said about the nutrional value of what we feed to the springs? In other words, will the springs be more nutrionist for the frogs based on what the springs are fed? 

Is bakers yeast just as good as mushrooms, which is just as good as fish flake food, which is just as good as..................


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Baker's yeast will have a nutrient profile that is similar to that of nutritional yeast.. it is possible to increase the nutritional profile of springtails but that was accomplished under very controlled conditions (which are very different than the conditions in which we usually culture these invertebrates) with HUFAs. 

Ed


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## DCreptiles (Jan 26, 2009)

i get a cheap bag of white mushrooms from my local supermarket whenever we do our useual home food shopping. along with feeding the mushrooms i also use bakers yeast like ed says and i get strong production with it and i also add potato skins and anything else that my girlfriend would normally toss out after prepairing food. the only thing i do different is i dont slice or dice or grind up the mushroom i simply pull the stem off and place the cap in the culture and i use the mushroom to feed from pick it up and tap it into the culture. when i feed yeast i place on a mag leaf and mist. just toss everything into your cultures because variety is nice and whenever i open my cultures springs are all over everything thats in there even in little balls of moist moss.

-Derek


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

pl259 said:


> I buy a big bag of dried ones from Sam's Club, then chop them in a food processor. Lasts over a year. I think they're Shitake and they work fine. You can also go to markets that supply Asian food stuffs and find dried mushrooms there too.
> 
> I drop in a pinch of dried mushrooms and a pinch of active yeast for each springtail culture. It's been working very well for me.


I use a combo of things---enriched cornmeal, oatmeal flakes, noodles---I want to incorporate shiitake in particular b/c they have some immune-system boosting qualities (at least in humans!)


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

For those of you feeding baker's yeast, are you just buying the small packets from the food market? Or do you have a place where you can get it in bulk? 

I found it at BULKFOODS.COM but it's a little pricey to ship. I was hoping to find it somewhere local.

Thanks.


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## rollei (Jun 4, 2009)

I have had great results with brewers yeast.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Lets back up a couple of steps here.. for those who may be confused.. mushrooms are a type of fungi as are yeast so for those who may have missed that point, the answer of baker's yeast is not that far off the topic of the thread.... 

Actually you don't need to use a lot of it at each feeding. I get it in bulk from bulkfoods.com and use a spice shaker to add it to the springtails colonies. A small amount every day or so supplies sufficient fungi for the springtails. 

As a further discussion on mushrooms... while springtails are known to feed on fungi, we don't have any direct proof that they are actually feeding on the mushrooms themselves as the springtails could easily be consuming the bacteria, and other fungi that then attacks the mushroom or they could be consuming all three.. 

Ed


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