[ZachM54]

Have a setup with 2 toads and springtails use to be booming like crazy. Now they just die off. I have isopods and they seem to be fine. I just put a bunch of springs in yesterday and there are a bunch of them along the glass dead already. I have the neherp substrate. Do I just need to pull the substrate and put new in? Plants and moss are growing like crazy

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[ZachM54]

Also have the spring cultures on charcoal and feed them brewers yeast and they do awesome until they get put in the vivarium... Have a mistking mister and humidity stays within the 40-70 range so thinking its plenty moist. The tank stays a constant 68 degrees with it being winter, same temp as my cultures

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[ZachM54]

Well said screw it and just tore it down and cooked all the substrate and leaf litter at 450* Needed to put in a bulkhead anyways. I did see some springtails while tearing it apart but not a crazy amount. So see what happens anyway, added a few hundred springtails

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[CarsonH]

This is just speculation, but some toads have toxic excretions. What species have you got in there?

It could be that over the years the toxins have accumulated and now are deadly to the springtails?

Goodluck with your cleanup.

 

[ZachM54]

Just American toads. Found them as winter was coming so I brought them in so they didn't freeze, just lil guys. Set it up in December

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[Louis]

Did you know there are fungi that literally prey on springtails, digest them and pass a portion of the nutritional value on to plants via their roots?. Could be almost anything really but you should keep a close eye on everything else just in case the springtails are acting as a canary in the coal mine.

 

[ZachM54]

Thanks, I didn't know that. I would think anything that was in there is cooked dead. So far the springs are still just running around like crazy. Yesterday it didn't take very long for them to start acting sluggish after I dumped some new ones in

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[Ed]

The first things you need to check is ventilation. While some springtails like Folsomia candida are tolerant of CO2, not all of the ones in the hobby are tolerant and that can cause immobility and issues with them in the substrate.

The second thing to check is whether or not you have a calcium source for the springtails as they require it for formation of their cuticle.

Third thing is to check is whether or not your conditions are suitable for that kind of springtail. Not all springtails thrive in the same conditions.

Fourth... check the cost of your nutritional yeast as baker's yeast in bulk maybe cheaper. I find baker's yeast is more effective as a food source...

some comments

Ed

 

[ZachM54]

The first things you need to check is ventilation. While some springtails like Folsomia candida are tolerant of CO2, not all of the ones in the hobby are tolerant and that can cause immobility and issues with them in the substrate.

The second thing to check is whether or not you have a calcium source for the springtails as they require it for formation of their cuticle.

Third thing is to check is whether or not your conditions are suitable for that kind of springtail. Not all springtails thrive in the same conditions.

Fourth... check the cost of your nutritional yeast as baker's yeast in bulk maybe cheaper. I find baker's yeast is more effective as a food source...

some comments

Ed

Appreciate it, I was thinking maybe a co2 issue. Like I said when I first seeded they took off and were everywhere. I was feeding brewers yeast once a week so maybe it was too much and co2 bombed them

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[Ed]

Appreciate it, I was thinking maybe a co2 issue. Like I said when I first seeded they took off and were everywhere. I was feeding brewers yeast once a week so maybe it was too much and co2 bombed them

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It depends on the springtails you are raising... temperate whites aka giant whites are generally Folsomia candida which are very tolerant to CO2.... I feed booming cultures daily to every other day.

some comments

Ed

 

[ZachM54]

Well still not looking good. Majority of them are in the drainage layer and most of them look dead with their tails curled up. Few are moving around still. I don't get why I can't support a simple springtail population in the viv. They are booming in my cultures!!

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[ZachM54]

They are temperate springtails and I have Java moss, pothos, lemon button fern and pilea depressa in the viv

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[ZachM54]

Doesn't seem to matter where they are at. I see them dead in the substrate and the vast majority of the dead ones are in the drainage layer.... Just seems like they curl their rear up and kind of shake like something is choking the life out of them

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[ZachM54]

Well springtails still haven't taken off in the vivarium yet and there are the occasional dead ones still, not as bad as before. One thing I noticed is that they were dying off in the culture as well with the charcoal and water so I changed to abg and leaf litter and they have absolutely took off!!! Also started feeding them bug burger instead of brewers to try and get them their calcium. They seem to be doing good on it

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