# Would LECA work for Springtails?



## Blaise and Echo (Jul 2, 2009)

I'm wondering what the purpose of charcoal is, and if I would be able to replace it with left over LECA from a false bottom? I don't have charcoal, but I have LECA. Would this work?

All I have for charcoal is the stuff in the starter culture. Could I layer the charcoal on top of the LECA? 
Also, these are temperate springtails.


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

I see no problem with trying that.

Personally I use a loose media of coco/sphagnum chunks/sand/charcoal...moist.

I feed dry gerber baby food, yeast, fish flakes.

Best,


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## Blaise and Echo (Jul 2, 2009)

I figure I will layer the charcoal on top of the LECA, and set up a second container with a little bit of coco fiber I have left over. I put a little fish food in the starter culture, just so there is something to eat. I think I'll feed rice, since my mom has plenty in our restaurant.


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

I use about 2" of LECA at the bottom of my primary cultures, covered by coconut mulch, and some have lasted for years.


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## maverick3x6 (Jul 31, 2008)

To be honest, from my experience, springtails will live on pretty much any kind of decaying / dead stuff... and I say stuff because I mean, you could literally toss fruit and wet toilet paper in a container and you'd be good. With that being said, I've found springs to THRIVE on a little bit of wet, loose coco fiber, and some flukers cricket feed.

High Calcium Cricket Diet

Feed them before you dump them in with the frogs so they supply some calcium. When you put it in the container, spray it with some water as well. This little container has lasted for about 8 months for 6 leucs. 

try it out!


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

A combination of LECA or Turface and charcoal works well for a springtail culture. You need to soak them both until the ingredients are water logged before you add the springtails otherwise the charcoal floats to the top and makes a mess. Once it is water logged it works fine and can simply be flooded to collect the springtails. 

The use of high calcium foods to attempt to gutload springtails is an unproven use and may not provide any calcium at all for the frogs as the springtails usually consume only the fungi and bacterial slime that grows on the food and there isn't any proof that they are really benefiting from the calcium. In addition, using other invertebrates (assuming that they do ingest the calcium) as a guide the food would have to be offered for at least 48 hours prior to offering them out as food to affect the calcium levels. 

Ed


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## maverick3x6 (Jul 31, 2008)

Ed said:


> The use of high calcium foods to attempt to gutload springtails is an unproven use and may not provide any calcium at all for the frogs as the springtails usually consume only the fungi and bacterial slime that grows on the food and there isn't any proof that they are really benefiting from the calcium. In addition, using other invertebrates (assuming that they do ingest the calcium) as a guide the food would have to be offered for at least 48 hours prior to offering them out as food to affect the calcium levels.
> 
> Ed


Ed,

Thanks for the insight... In this instance, I don't see how it could hurt to keep doing what I'm doing with the cricket feed... but I appreciate the response!


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I didn't see any harm in it either and there are some methods of gut loading springtails that do work (I think I cited a study using HUFAs on it somewhere on here..). I was just trying to keep that phrase from joining some of the dogma we have in the hobby. 

Ed


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