Springtail Culture... now what?

[wax32]

I got a springtail culture from Josh's Frogs and I would like to infest my new viv with them. My darts are still in the sweaterbox. What is the best way to get the springs settled into the viv and breeding?

[Frogtofall]

Just dump a spoon full of them in the viv. Thats it, they'll take care of the rest.

If you want to get a little jumpstart, you can sprinkly fish food around in places on the substrate to feed the little buggers.

[wax32]

It isn't easy to see them in the charcoal. Should I do like I read somewhere and just sort've slosh the water around and then pour the water in the viv, and then add new water to the culture?

[defaced]

Yea, that'll work. Pretty much any way you can get them into the tank is going to work.

[bluedart]

Be careful with the fish flakes. I'd reccomend baking them first. I had a perfectly good springtail culture that was TEEMING which was TEEMING with mites after I added some fish flakes to it (I usually feed uncooked pasta). So, yeah, just be careful.

[Compi]

I added some of them to my little viv some days ago. Just took some of them before they hid, like 10 or so, and threw them inside. Did it for about 3 or 4 days. So i guess there were a good group on it. But so far, havent seen any of them since. Just today could see one for a few secs, just when i turned on the light. Does it mean they are all dead, or they just hide when i turn on the light, or?

Thx.

[wax32]

Originally Posted by defaced

Yea, that'll work. Pretty much any way you can get them into the tank is going to work.

Cool beans.

[Jordan B]

I would put in way more than 10 if you want them to establish a colony in the tank, put in a few hundred for a while and see what happens.

Jordan

[wax32]

I have no idea how to count them... all I see in my culutre are little white specks!

Originally Posted by Compi

I added some of them to my little viv some days ago. Just took some of them before they hid, like 10 or so, and threw them inside. Did it for about 3 or 4 days. So i guess there were a good group on it. But so far, havent seen any of them since. Just today could see one for a few secs, just when i turned on the light. Does it mean they are all dead, or they just hide when i turn on the light, or?

They probably aren't dead, just hiding. I got some for my new viv last week too. I dumped about 1/3 into it when I got them and they all immediatly disappeared. I panicked and even emailed Josh about it. But after 4 days they've started to come out and now hang out around a piece of wet driftwood.

Originally Posted by Wax32

I have no idea how to count them... all I see in my culutre are little white specks!

They really are tiny. To transfer them I scooped about a cup of the charcoal into a funnnel and gently tapped it over the tank. It was sort of an impromptu Berlese Funnel. You can't really count them but as you watch them fall in you can get a feel for how many are going in.

I also tried putting about a cup of the charcoal into a container and rinsed the bugs off with some distilled water. You'll see them as little specks floating on the water's surface and then you can scoop them up with a spoon.