# Why do Isopod and springtails colonies



## Graugaard (Feb 14, 2017)

Hi guys! I have got a question regarding why you would make your own colony of springtails / isopods if you use FF's as food for your dendro's? 

I know they are good cleaners, but I thought a colony of springtails/isopods were capable of living in your vivarium for years! They are well hidden below the oak litter doing their own colonies. 

Are they not capable to handle themselves without adding new once in a while to your tank?  

Thanks!


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## Krakkin (Jul 1, 2013)

The frogs will often eat many of the springtails and isopods in the tank so some replenishment every so often is advised. Smaller frogs especially will eat the springtails and they can reduce the population over time.


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## Graugaard (Feb 14, 2017)

Thanks dude! How often is it suggested to add a new colony? In a "standard three-party frog tank"


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## thumbnail (Sep 18, 2005)

My personal experience with springs and dwarf isopods has led me to always have cultures going. I keep them in sweater box containers with no holes. The lid is fairly loose enough to give enough air exchange. For the isopods I use a blend of coco bedding, sand, and shredded moss. I mix in chunks of bark to the culture for easy collection since isopods will cling to these pieces of bark. This makes for easier and faster collection to seed other setups with minimal disturbance. Now for the springtails many people to with charcoal, but I use a 2 to 3 inch layer of coco bedding, topsoil, and shredded moss. On top of that I add several layers of leaves(oak, magnolia, and olive tea tree). The layers of leaves can make for easy collection of springtails to seed a tank or to feed your frogs.I

Now as for getting use out of your iso's and springs in your viv. I will sprinkle yeast or fish flake on top of leaf litter right before lights out in a corner. What ends up happening is the springtails and isopods feed on the food you left out through the night. When the lights come on in the morning usually a nice group of springtails and isopods are above the soil and leaf litter making for easy hunting for your frogs. Over time I have witnessed frogs getting conditioned to venture these tiny feeding stations in the morning.


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## cjkpa1 (Dec 17, 2016)

An added bonus for springtails is having a colony on hand for froglets if you happen to feed out to much they won't be escaping your viv


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

I know of several people who have crashed their fly cultures, but they were able to feed from cultures of springtails and isopods until new cultures could be shipped. They make a good emergency backup food supply.

How often to respike your viv, is knowledge only you and your frogs can know. There are way too many variables. 
1 There is no "standard three-party frog tank". A 10 gallon viv, set up vertically, won't support a lot of microfauna. A 150 gallon display will support much more.
2 How big are your frogs, because a Retic may be full after 4 springtails. A phylobates could eat a hundred and wonder if dinner is coming up any time soon. His phylobates brother, however, may not even see springtails as food, because it's too small to register with him.
3 Some frogs spend more time hunting and eating flies. Others love chasing down microfauna, and will go through reserves faster. 
4 How is your tank set up? Do you have 2" of clay substrate, with 2" of leaf litter on top, and does it cover the whole bottom of the viv? A big viv, properly put together, with a clay substrate, might never need respiking. It could support it's own population. Even smaller vivs can sometimes support a live in population if put together right, and not crammed full of an overpopulation of frogs.
5 How often do you feed flies?
6 How many flies do you feed? If you keep your frogs hungry, they will hunt more. If you feed heavy, they will hunt less.

These are just the first variables that come into play.

If your viv has few to zero isopods or springtails, respike the viv.


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