[*GREASER*]

I dont have any of the charcoal and dont want to wait to make some new cultures. So I layered a shoebox with dead leaves and seeded it with springtails added some yeast and gave it a good mist. This should get them produeing right? I was also thinking about doing the same thing with sphagnum moss. Has anyone ever tryed anything like this or know how well it works.

 

[geckguy]

People usually have them going pretty good in leaf litter, after all in the wild thats what they live in. I have large colonies going in all my shoeboxes, which have sphagnum as a substrate, so they should work.

 

[Guest]

I have a culture that is basically that,leaf litter and sphagnum, and it has been going good since April.
MW

 

[AJ_Cann]

Many species of springtail will reproduce well on a wide range of substrates, and some species will do much better on soil/leaves, etc, than on charcoal.
The great advantage of charcoal is the ease with which the springtails can be harvested.

 

[bbrock]

From what I've seen, leca works about as well as charcoal.

 

[AJ_Cann]

How do yu harvest from LECA Brent?

 

[jbeetle]

I have noticed that I have less problems and more production with the LECA, but it is much cheaper to just use charcoal. I keep a some cultures going on both, and also some on a peat substrate... but I like the charcoal/LECA method a lot better. I harvest from the charcoal/LECA cultures in the same ways.

 

[JJuchems]

I blended in an old blender leafs and soil that have a compost/moister absorbent product from Miracle Grow together and it worked great. Be sure to dampen Once a week sprinkle fish food across the top for food. I also a few big pieces of Cypress Mulch chips for the springtails to climb on and tap or place in tank for frogs to feed.
Later and Happy Frogging,
Jason Juchems

 

[tikifrog]

I use rehydrated coco bricks as a base substrate. On top of that is a 1/2" layer of approx. 1" to 2" squares of the woven coco fibers. I feed the cultures on top of the squares. This brings the springtails into the squares which I shake into a delicup to feed out.

 

[bbrock]

How do yu harvest from LECA Brent?

Same way as with charcoal. I just tip the container up so water pools in a corner and I scoop up the floating springtails with a strainer.

The only problem I have with charcoal is that it can be hard to find the natural charcoal in the right size in the States.