Convinced you have the best springtail culture method?

[sports_doc]

Originally Posted by gary1218

Anybody have access to this article and could post it?

It is from a text/reference book I believe Gary. I think BJ sells it, and I'm sure others do as well...

S

[flyangler18]

I have also noticed the temperates are the only ones that really do well in this type of culture.

Unusual. I know Josh cultures his tropicals on charcoal and temperates on coco/peat, but I've always had the best lucking culturing on coco/peat/leaves.

Hmmm.

[bbrock]

Originally Posted by gary1218

Anybody have access to this article and could post it?

I could scan the photo but not sure how cool that would be to post given that it is copyrighted material. The method is basically a glass cube chamber with multiple, very shallow, glass shelves that slide in like a little glass chest of drawers. The bottom slopes toward a couple of drain openings which have jar lids glued to the underneath (outside the cabinet). Each drawer is filled with media and the box is seeded with springtails. The drains are kept plugged initially but when the culture booms, the drain plugs are removed and replaced by screwing jars with some moist polyester cotton in the bottoms to the lids underneath. Springtails migrate into the jars by the kajillion if the photos are to be believed. They do mention there is a minimum size that will work. I think the secret here is that the cabinet is holding the equivalent of several springtail cultures in a small space, plus the shallow shelves and sealed cabinet create a constantly moist media with lots of surface area.

I actually use the charcoal method myself and have cultures that boom for over a year. White mist when you open the lid. I agree that mushrooms work well for food but I also toss in whatever is handy, Naturrose, yeast, dead puppies, etc. Like Chris, the thing I like about the charcoal method is that you can pour off thousands of springtails into a cup for feeding.

I culture mine in sweater boxes, and after reading the Professional Breeders Series book, I think the size of the culture container may be important but don't know for sure.

[gary1218]

Originally Posted by bbrock

I could scan the photo but not sure how cool that would be to post given that it is copyrighted material. The method is basically a glass cube chamber with multiple, very shallow, glass shelves that slide in like a little glass chest of drawers. The bottom slopes toward a couple of drain openings which have jar lids glued to the underneath (outside the cabinet). Each drawer is filled with media and the box is seeded with springtails. The drains are kept plugged initially but when the culture booms, the drain plugs are removed and replaced by screwing jars with some moist polyester cotton in the bottoms to the lids underneath. Springtails migrate into the jars by the kajillion if the photos are to be believed. They do mention there is a minimum size that will work. I think the secret here is that the cabinet is holding the equivalent of several springtail cultures in a small space, plus the shallow shelves and sealed cabinet create a constantly moist media with lots of surface area.

Hmmmmmmmm, I guess I'm going to have to buy the book

[flyangler18]

I've gotta see a picture of this setup. Now where to find a copy of the Professional Breeders's Series texts...hmm

[npaull]

Great info everyone. I've heard from several people, in this thread and others, that culture size helps a lot with consistent high-level production.

[housevibe7]

My temperates I keep in charcoal and water. I feed them high quality fish food and rice. They are in a large ziplock plastic container (the ones with the red lids.) I keep the lid on tight and just crack it about once a week to clear CO2 and let air in. WIth the low humidity of MT this seems the best way to do it.

My tropicals I keep on an organic substrate (cocofiber, a tiny bit of orchid bark, broken up leaves, and sphagnum) in shoesboxes. I feed them the same things as the temperates. I also mist them but dont actually water them like the temperates.

[bbrock]

Originally Posted by housevibe7

My temperates I keep in charcoal and water. I feed them high quality fish food and rice. They are in a large ziplock plastic container (the ones with the red lids.) I keep the lid on tight and just crack it about once a week to clear CO2 and let air in. WIth the low humidity of MT this seems the best way to do it.

My tropicals I keep on an organic substrate (cocofiber, a tiny bit of orchid bark, broken up leaves, and sphagnum) in shoesboxes. I feed them the same things as the temperates. I also mist them but dont actually water them like the temperates.

Hey Sarah, do you remember which type you gave me? They are white is all I know.

[jschroeder]

I have seen a lot of great methods on how to culture springs and I have always had success with variations on the ways that people have listed, but it seems like one major problem for me (and I know of quite a few others) has not been brought up. The dreaded mite infestation......

It seems like no matter how I culture or what I culture (tropicals or temperates) I always eventually end up with mites and my production goes way down.

Any sure fire methods that people have used to mitigate this problem. I know the weekly culture thing works, but I would like to try something less time consuming.

This could just be a North West thing as most of the froggers up here have had this problem. Any thoughts....

[Dancing frogs]

Originally Posted by jschroeder

I have seen a lot of great methods on how to culture springs and I have always had success with variations on the ways that people have listed, but it seems like one major problem for me (and I know of quite a few others) has not been brought up. The dreaded mite infestation......

It seems like no matter how I culture or what I culture (tropicals or temperates) I always eventually end up with mites and my production goes way down.

Any sure fire methods that people have used to mitigate this problem. I know the weekly culture thing works, but I would like to try something less time consuming.

This could just be a North West thing as most of the froggers up here have had this problem. Any thoughts....

Just a NW thing if NW wisconsin counts (I have mite problems as well).

Coco mixes seem to yield better, but also get mite damaged faster.
All charcoal cultures last longer, but produce less, and is more of a pain to harvest the springtails.