# Some changes to how I culture Isopods and Springtails



## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

I just thought I'd share some changes I made recently to how I'm culturing Isopods and springtails.

1.) Based on a post by Ed about the calcium needs and observations by my friend, NMCrawler, I began including about 25% Turface in my Springtail cultures. This seems to have made a huge difference.

New cultures are reproducing faster, and old cultures have been rejuvenated.

2.) In the same vein, in order to maintain humidity, I mist my Isopods and springtails when I open to feed. I formerly used RO water exclusively, but based on comments about pH, I began using a 50/50 mix of RO water and aged/dechlorinated tap water. This also appears to be paying dividends.

3.) Instead of pre seeding grow outs for froglets, I have started small, 8 oz cultures on turface, leaf litter, and eco earth. When I'm ready for a new growout I simply dump one of these small cultures into a growout bin/tub, cover with some moist sphagnum moss, a deep layer of presoaked leaf litter, and a sprig of easy vining plant. The result has been a well started springtail colony that survives a lot longer under the relentless onslaught of new froglets.

If I ever find that I have too many of these cultures booming, I simply open, place in a Viv that I think needs a boost or that I know has froglets, and wait a couple days before removing it, cleaning and starting a new one.


----------



## nate_88 (Dec 3, 2013)

Very helpful thanks 

~N8


----------



## Brian317 (Feb 11, 2011)

Thanks for the post Doug! What primary substrate do you use in your cultures? The same mix your use with you 8 oz cultures? I have use both Charcoal (for springtails only) and a 50/50 mix of coco fiber and blended leaf litter for both. The 50/50 mix works amazing with my isos. Hoping to incorporate some turface into new springtail and iso cultures and see if I can get similar results.


----------



## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

Depends on what I'm culturing.

Pinks/Silvers/giants are on eco earth/leaf litter/turface

Whites are on charcoal/turface 

ISOs are all on a mix of 50% ABG 25% Turface 25% Leaf Litter


----------



## Brian317 (Feb 11, 2011)

Interesting. So you are using the turface even with charcoal. For both, do you mix it in with everything else, or add a 25% base layer of turface. Example would be fill a tub 25% with turface, then add your charcoal?

I will be making a few new orange and grey iso cultures, as well as a few more pink/silver spring cultures soon. Planning to use this method...as I have a huge bag or Turface sitting in the garage


----------



## Broseph (Dec 5, 2011)

Perfect timing. I literally JUST got bugs in the mail and made cultures this afternoon. I used 50% leaf litter, 25% fine charcoal, 25% peat. 

I hate to risk crushing the few isos that make up a new culture, but maybe I'll try to gently mix in some turface. Thoughts?


----------



## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

Broseph said:


> Perfect timing. I literally JUST got bugs in the mail and made cultures this afternoon. I used 50% leaf litter, 25% fine charcoal, 25% peat.
> 
> I hate to risk crushing the few isos that make up a new culture, but maybe I'll try to gently mix in some turface. Thoughts?


You should be fine. I'd just sprinkle some over the top and gently shake to let it settle in.


----------



## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

Brian317 said:


> Interesting. So you are using the turface even with charcoal. For both, do you mix it in with everything else, or add a 25% base layer of turface. Example would be fill a tub 25% with turface, then add your charcoal?
> 
> I will be making a few new orange and grey iso cultures, as well as a few more pink/silver spring cultures soon. Planning to use this method...as I have a huge bag or Turface sitting in the garage


Yes, I use it in both. With the charcoal, I placed the boiled soaked charcoal, per Pumilo's guide, in the container first, and the sprinkled it over the top. I use lump charcoal that I break up myself, so it tends to have a larger space. It does seem that the turface settles to the bottom. I don't keep my cultures so swamped that it is completely submerged.

For the other method, I just mixed it up in a big bowl with the organics, pressure cooked it all, let it cool, then divided it up.


----------



## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Yes! Pressure cooking your substrate


----------



## NM Crawler (Jan 23, 2012)

Glad to hear it's working out for you Doug! I can't take all the credit for this but yes it does work well for me so this is why I use it. I've been thinking out side the box lately and have had great results. I no longer use charcoal as it doesn't work well for me. All my springs and ISO are kept on a mix of 50% Canadian Peat 20% Turface 30% Leaf Litter. I do run the peat threw the pressure cooker and bake the leafs, rinse the turface to remove the powder off it. I can still flood out the cultures if need be to feed or just use a piece of tree fern on top. Mites haven't been a issue since I started pressure cooking the substrate and using a bed of DE with my springs and flys.


----------



## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

Wouldn't boiling the substrate be enough to kill mites and mite eggs? 

Reminder for people using the pressure cooking route: Make sure the substrate doesn't clog the steam valve. It happened to me and I had to clean the entire kitchen once the security valve gave way. Maybe boil it inside an old pillow case or cheese cloth? 

Or use an industrial autoclave.


----------



## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

JPccusa said:


> Wouldn't boiling the substrate be enough to kill mites and mite eggs?
> 
> Reminder for people using the pressure cooking route: Make sure the substrate doesn't clog the steam valve. It happened to me and I had to clean the entire kitchen once the security valve gave way. Maybe boil it inside an old pillow case or cheese cloth?
> 
> Or use an industrial autoclave.


An industrial autoclave is what we used for the substrate for the big Vivs I built at the zoo.

I think the point of a pressure cooker is that it let's the temps get above boiling. Some nasties can survive above 100C. Not sure about mites and their eggs though. I think also the increased pressure forces the hot liquid into all the micro crevices in the substrate thus being more effective at killing nasties.


----------



## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

JPccusa said:


> Wouldn't boiling the substrate be enough to kill mites and mite eggs?
> 
> Reminder for people using the pressure cooking route: Make sure the substrate doesn't clog the steam valve. It happened to me and I had to clean the entire kitchen once the security valve gave way. Maybe boil it inside an old pillow case or cheese cloth?
> 
> Or use an industrial autoclave.


pressure cooking at 15psi raises the temperature to much higher than boiling water ever could. 
Always put substrate in a secondary container, then into your pressure cooker

If youre down my way you can load up my autoclave with stuff.


----------



## NM Crawler (Jan 23, 2012)

JPccusa said:


> Wouldn't boiling the substrate be enough to kill mites and mite eggs?
> 
> Reminder for people using the pressure cooking route: Make sure the substrate doesn't clog the steam valve. It happened to me and I had to clean the entire kitchen once the security valve gave way. Maybe boil it inside an old pillow case or cheese cloth?
> 
> Or use an industrial autoclave.


JP, I have a very large pressure cooker (38 or 40 qt) so I never really full it to the top and the substrate in in water so I never even had it touch the lid or top the top pot. The pillow case and or cheese cloth is a good idea tho.


----------



## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

This is the same stuff as schultz aquatic plant soil-correct?


----------



## radiata (Jul 24, 2010)

ZookeeperDoug said:


> 1.) Based on a post by Ed about the calcium needs and observations by my friend, NMCrawler, I began including about 25% Turface in my Springtail cultures. This seems to have made a huge difference.


Doug,

Not sure I understand the Turface thing. Do springtails actually eat the stuff? I wonder if it might be better to grind up a calcium supplement and add it to Bug Burger or maybe just add some Repashy Calcium Plus to the Bug Burger mix.

Thanks,
Bob


----------



## NM Crawler (Jan 23, 2012)

Dendrobait said:


> This is the same stuff as schultz aquatic plant soil-correct?


Not to sure but this is what it looks like. I want to say its around $11-12 bucks. Premier, 3 cu. ft. Peat Moss, 70976040 at The Home Depot - Mobile


----------



## NM Crawler (Jan 23, 2012)

radiata said:


> Doug,
> 
> Not sure I understand the Turface thing. Do springtails actually eat the stuff? I wonder if it might be better to grind up a calcium supplement and add it to Bug Burger or maybe just add some Repashy Calcium Plus to the Bug Burger mix.
> 
> ...


Hey Bob, the reason I started using turface was I ran out of charcoal so I mixed it with the peat moss and crushed leaf litter. It's fired clay as you know so I do t think it has any calcium benifits. It makes the substrate airy bu I do add a small amount of charcoal to help keep the culture fresh. Giant springs boom like crazy on this mix for me even with mites in them. I want to say a have 3-4 giant cultures that got mites before I started uses DE and the culture Haven't skipped a beat even with the custom food I use, I seed my viv with them and they have had mites for 2-3 months now, Go figure.


----------



## radiata (Jul 24, 2010)

NM Crawler said:


> Hey Bob, the reason I started using turface was I ran out of charcoal so I mixed it with the peat moss and crushed leaf litter. It's fired clay as you know so I do t think it has any calcium benifits. It makes the substrate airy bu I do add a small amount of charcoal to help keep the culture fresh. Giant springs boom like crazy on this mix for me even with mites in them. I want to say a have 3-4 giant cultures that got mites before I started uses DE and the culture Haven't skipped a beat even with the custom food I use, I seed my viv with them and they have had mites for 2-3 months now, Go figure.


NM Crawler,

Thanks for the clarification. Curious to know how you harvest springtails from your Turface/peat/leaf medium. Do you flood with water and pour off the floaters?

Thanks again,
Bob


----------



## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

I do it two ways.

A small chunk of tree fern on top. Put yeast on it and the next day it will be swarming. Simply remove and tap out in a Viv. Tap on something clean that isn't part of the Viv. I hit mine with the handles of my hemp stats.

Put a 2oz deli cup in the culture, with a little substrate in the bottom. This should be a clean, sterile cup. Add yeast. Remove the next day and place in vivarium.


----------



## digthose (Feb 19, 2018)

I had a springtail culture crash. Only recent change was a banana peel I put in the box. Think that did it? Other than that they'd been successful for a year+.
Does charcoal need to be replaced ?

Thanks,
Dan


----------



## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

digthose said:


> I had a springtail culture crash. Only recent change was a banana peel I put in the box. Think that did it? Other than that they'd been successful for a year+.
> Does charcoal need to be replaced ?
> 
> Thanks,
> Dan


If you overloaded the bin with decaying material that couldn't be consumed fast enough, that could definitely do it. I haven't found the need to replace charcoal myself.


----------

