How many springtails are TOO many?

[awelcome]

My culture is BOOMING, but I don't want to split it into multiple cultures. I don't have the space or patience to keep more than one. I have been dumping in water and pouring out springtails once or twice a week probably and adding them to the viv.... usually when he's awake so he'll eat a good deal of them right away. I can't even begin to estimate how many are in there, but I wanna says easily a thousand or more per transfer (but my husband estimates lower than me so I don't know who's right lol I think he forgets about the tiniest ones). I do the water pour thing, and then spoon those out of the water into the viv. Zeus acts like it's Christmas morning, but I wondered if he might be upset by too many of them? I notice the tiny ones especially often crawl on him... is that ok? He lets flies crawl on him at times as well, but then usually kicks them off when they get near his eyes or mouth.

Should I not put so many? If I don't want to make new cultures from the excess what would I do otherwise? Just toss them outside? How many is too many in a culture and what's the downside of a seriously booming one?

Once I put them in and he clears the biggest ones he can get to they of course have scattered and the next few days I can see them if I really look around, but not like when I first add them... do you think he's eating a lot of them?

[DigitalPunk]

Yeah he is probably eating on them all day. I dont think you can ever really have to many

I typically dont add more to my tanks accept for once a month.

[flybyferns]

My culture is BOOMING, but I don't want to split it into multiple cultures. I don't have the space or patience to keep more than one. I have been dumping in water and pouring out springtails once or twice a week probably and adding them to the viv.... usually when he's awake so he'll eat a good deal of them right away. I can't even begin to estimate how many are in there, but I wanna says easily a thousand or more per transfer (but my husband estimates lower than me so I don't know who's right lol I think he forgets about the tiniest ones). I do the water pour thing, and then spoon those out of the water into the viv. Zeus acts like it's Christmas morning, but I wondered if he might be upset by too many of them? I notice the tiny ones especially often crawl on him... is that ok? He lets flies crawl on him at times as well, but then usually kicks them off when they get near his eyes or mouth.

Should I not put so many? If I don't want to make new cultures from the excess what would I do otherwise? Just toss them outside? How many is too many in a culture and what's the downside of a seriously booming one?

Once I put them in and he clears the biggest ones he can get to they of course have scattered and the next few days I can see them if I really look around, but not like when I first add them... do you think he's eating a lot of them?

Yes---He is probably eating the larger ones
They are a super - additional feeder for PDFs
You are right----the larger PDF species will not bother with the newly hatched springs.
Keeping the springs in the soil, however will most definitely help keep the soil clean, as you know.
They will reproduce in the enclosure.

If there are SO MANY, you see them walking all over the frog....then I would hold off on adding anymore for a while as this can cause stress for the frog. Common sense- right ?

I add springs to the larger PDF / species' enclosures about once a week. Not so much for feeders , but for soil health as mentioned.

It is imperative to have good spring cultures for new froglets just out of water (oow) and for all thumbnails species as they feed on them regularly.

Look into culturing bean beetles? A FEW can be used as an occasional treat and feeder supplement.
They are easy to make! They are cultured on black-eyed peas in FF culture containers.