Feeding Springtails?

[MeTree]

Hey guys,
Unfortunately for some reason my fruit fly cultures stopped producing. I wonder if it is related to mites, because I sure have alot of those in my cultures. Anyways, right now I have a nicely maintained culture of springtails (tropical) that I bought from Josh's Frogs awhile back. They are in a plastic 32oz tub with charcoal. I am wondering how I feed my female tinc springtails without endangering her health.

Thanks for all advice, suggestions, and opinions!
-Stanton

[vince]

Hey guys,
Unfortunately for some reason my fruit fly cultures stopped producing. I wonder if it is related to mites, because I sure have alot of those in my cultures. Anyways, right now I have a nicely maintained culture of springtails (tropical) that I bought from Josh's Frogs awhile back. They are in a plastic 32oz tub with charcoal. I am wondering how I feed my female tinc springtails without endangering her health.

Thanks for all advice, suggestions, and opinions!
-Stanton

Hi I breed loads of fruit flies and springtails for the springtails I keepin a plastic tuperware about 8inches tall filled with coir to a depth of 3 inches a piece of cloth over the top of the tub fed on fishflake mushrooms and bits of fruit, tons of em . Ijust place a good pinch of muck in the vivs and the frogs sort em out. They are sprayed every 2 days and are kept in my roach cupboard at 94f Fruitflies masses of them raised in a mixture of ready-brek (instant oats) and apple juice with a large piece of cotton wool on top for the flies to climb on. Try culturing other foods such as bean weavills and grain weavills in case of a crash, plus growing your own food is just as much fun as keeping your animals.

[berksmike]

Just to add to what vince has said I also raise my springs on coir/orchid bark. Lots of people do raise them just on pieces of lumpwood charcoal. To get them off the charcoal pieces just wash them off the charcoal with spring/dechlorinated water and pour the water in your viv. I personally prefer the coir/orchid bark - kept in 2L ice cream tubs and fed veg peelings/yeast/tropical fish flake/moistened instant oats (when feeding yeast make sure you open the cultures daily to stop CO2 buildup).
There are lots of other livefoods that you can use as a standby in case of fruit fly cultures crashing - I have done an article about it thats in the articles section:

Frog Forum - Culturing Livefood for your Dartfrogs

You'll always get some fly culture crashes so I have found its good to get in the habit of doing new fly cultures every week. Keep them on either mite paper or shallow trays of water to help keep mites down.

[MeTree]

Thanks for the advice! Sounds like a good way to setup the springtails. I'll wash them in the tank for now, but in the meantime, where can I find the coir or orchid bark (is it the same thing?)? Thanks guys!

[Badger]

Coir is like coco fiber, Eco earth is a name brand. you can buy a brick from petco for 5 bucks.

[berksmike]

You should get both from any pet shop that stocks phibs/reptiles - I use a 50/50 mix of both

[Kurt]

Yes, the mites destroyed your fruit fly cultures. They prey upon the eggs and pupa. Once they get going the culture stops producing.

[Niels D]

I'm keeping them on coco fiber mixed with some of those red clay balls (can't remember the Englisch name) which people use for they're plants. Works just fine. I harvest them by putting a white film canister in the substrate so they could fall in. The white colour attracts them. If you let it stay over night you've got quite a bunch in your canister.

[Kurt]

The red clay balls are called LECA or Hyrdoton. Hydroton being a brand name, I believe.