# Keeping springtail populations up.



## freaky_tah (Jan 21, 2009)

My pair of frogs are housed in a 10g vert tank, which I seeded with springtails for months prior to adding the frogs. There was a time when I could see hundreds jumping around the substrate whenever I opened the tank but now that I have frogs it seems like the hungry little guys eat the springtails faster than I can put more in! 

Does anyone have any tricks to help keep populations high, or does having such a small tank footprint make keeping sustained populations difficult.

I've been putting mushrooms under the leaf litter, but I always see my crafty female frog sitting right on that spot just waiting for a snack to surface!

I try to add more springtails once a week or so, but my culture doesn't seem to produce as well as it did a few months ago.

Thanks for the help as always


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## AaronAcker (Aug 15, 2007)

Along with seeding our tanks, we also have large cultures of springs we feed from. Its quite easy to feed from the large cultures. And to keep our populations up, we rotate from which culture we feed from, and also feed our springs a variety of foods. Uncooked rice, mushrooms, and fish flake food are our normal foods.


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## freaky_tah (Jan 21, 2009)

I currently have just one spring culture in a 5qt sterlite container, along with charcoal and RO water. I havent ever given the culture mushrooms before, but I just added a piece today. Would adding springs to the viv after lights out help? I haven't ever been in my viv after lights out.


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

I've never been able to keep a self sustaining springtail population in anything smaller than 30 gallons. I have noticed, though, that springs will thrive better in tanks that tend to stay wetter.

Adding springs after "lights out" will help a bit as they might have a chance to get under the litter before they get snapped up, but if your frogs have decided they are a preferred menu item, then you're probably going to always have to keep adding them. Darts are pretty efficient little hunters.


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## AaronAcker (Aug 15, 2007)

Tank size has never been an issue as far as keeping populations up... Depends more on frog, and amount of leaf litter, have a 10gal vert that I will sometimes remove a leaf covered in springs to feed to some of my fish.


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## freaky_tah (Jan 21, 2009)

I'll add another batch of leaf litter, and try adding the springs at night to see if that helps em escape for a while! My male is usually only on the floor to catch flies, but I can always see the female hunting springs


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Lots of leaf litter helps, like two inches or more. Occasionally throw in a few mushrooms, grapes, whatever fruit or veggie you can cut a scrap of. Scatter them around and tuck them under so you aren't just creating a feeding station.


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## DartAsylum (Feb 17, 2011)

i am now keeping my cultures in under the bed sweater type plastic boxes, with substrait rather than just charcoal and they have taken off. i feed them fish flake and mushrooms, in a couple weeks ive had to split those cultures. i literally have gazillions of springs.

i dont see springs in my tanks with frogs.  i think for some reason the frogs just love eating springs.
but i do see my frogs eating things between fly feedings. things i cant see.

im seeding pum and thumb tanks now weeks before any frogs go in.

the only tank i ever see springs in is the one with no frogs


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