# Springtails - where did they come from?



## Tombo46 (Aug 5, 2010)

Just looked in one of my crestie vivs and found a few springtails in the CGD. Question is, how do they just suddenly appear? What is it that carries them?


----------



## Mal (Jul 22, 2007)

I had a similar problem last week. I looked in one of the cave geckos tanks and there were hundreds of the little things. It got me into a right panic, I stripped everything out and steam steralised the substrate. It got rid of them all but it was only after I had done this I discovered they were spring tails. I dont know where they come from but they obviously appear in damp humid conditions. They must originate from somewhere.


----------



## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

Are you using Eco soil by any chance? I bought some springtails to add to my vivs (one viv has some in but the other i haven't put any in yet). The one that i haven't put any in i have seen springtails in :whistling2:. I am using Eco earth & can only guess they were already in it.


----------



## Tombo46 (Aug 5, 2010)

corny girl said:


> Are you using Eco soil by any chance? I bought some springtails to add to my vivs (one viv has some in but the other i haven't put any in yet). The one that i haven't put any in i have seen springtails in :whistling2:. I am using Eco earth & can only guess they were already in it.


I have switched to eco earth but this one had orchid bark in it. Must have travelled over from the viv next door! I'm going to double check they are springtails. They looked like them through a loupe.

Anyone know how to cultivate them?


----------



## Mal (Jul 22, 2007)

corny girl said:


> Are you using Eco soil by any chance? I bought some springtails to add to my vivs (one viv has some in but the other i haven't put any in yet). The one that i haven't put any in i have seen springtails in :whistling2:. I am using Eco earth & can only guess they were already in it.


 Mine are on eco earth. I did read that orchid bark or a layer of sphagnum moss on top of the eco earth prevents them. I recently removed much of the moss etc in the tank as I wanted to be able to see where the cave geckos hide their eggs once they start laying. The spring tails appeared about a week after the layer of ecoearth was exposed.


----------



## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

Springtails are great little things, free cleaners. They tend to come from the soil/wood etc, when the conditions are right they hatch out and then they start breeding.


----------



## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

Mal said:


> I *had a similar problem last week.* I looked in one of the cave geckos tanks and there were hundreds of the little things. It got me into a right panic, I stripped everything out and steam steralised the substrate. It got rid of them all but it was only after I had done this I discovered they were spring tails. I dont know where they come from but they obviously appear in damp humid conditions. They must originate from somewhere.



what problem springtails are AMAIZING in vivs they clean the tank for you increasing the cleanliness of the viv i dont even ever clean my viv anymore they do such a good job!cant imagine why any1 would sterilise a viv of springtails...madness

as for the original poster i think like mites(not fecal) they just appear naturally id be chuffed they will help clean the viv of any moulds fungus poo or other decaying matter




Mal said:


> Mine are on eco earth. I did read that orchid bark or a layer of sphagnum moss on top of the eco earth prevents them. I recently removed much of the moss etc in the tank as I wanted to be able to see where the cave geckos hide their eggs once they start laying. The spring tails appeared about a week after the layer of ecoearth was exposed.


wont prevent them would just hide them my viv has a layer of sheet moss and mine is crawling with them....and to exaggerate the point why would any sane person want to remove springs it baffles me lol


----------



## jamie_sri (Nov 3, 2010)

i spotted some in my viv last week also, using kitchen paper as substrate but was previously on eco earth, cleaned the tank out when i first took the eco earth out but some must have been hiding in the logs i have as thats where i saw them last week


----------



## weegie (Nov 6, 2007)

Just out of interest you don't happen to feed meal worms to any of your reps do you as I used to feed them to my daughters Leo and I left the tub on top of one of my exo terra tanks and few days later the substrate was teaming with what I thought was springtails but after getting microscope and googling I discovered they were actually grain mites from the bran in the mealies tubs


Thanks
George


----------



## angelgirls29 (Jul 10, 2010)

We had springtails... or should I say we STILL have springtails even after steaming.


----------



## Coolsox (May 3, 2008)

I've got tropical springtails in my Whites tree frog viv and would not be without them. 

I have a 5" layer of sphagnum moss on top of the eco earth substrate and trust me, they thrive in it! I am very careful when doing a total clean out to take a couple of cups of sphagnum and keep to one side so I can replenish the colony. 

Springtails are harmless, and are natural cleaners. My viv hardly ever needs a total clean because they will demolish a poo or dead cricket in less than 24 hours.

If anyone would like a small starter colony let me know!


----------



## Tombo46 (Aug 5, 2010)

Coolsox said:


> I've got tropical springtails in my Whites tree frog viv and would not be without them.
> 
> I have a 5" layer of sphagnum moss on top of the eco earth substrate and trust me, they thrive in it! I am very careful when doing a total clean out to take a couple of cups of sphagnum and keep to one side so I can replenish the colony.
> 
> ...


Did you find that springtails alone were enough to break down faecal matter etc? I've been meaning to make a bio active substrate for a while now to test it out but I've not had the time! If it's just a case of using springtails then that would be a lot easier for me! And I may take you up on that offer lol


----------



## DavieB (Mar 15, 2011)

Tombo46 said:


> Did you find that springtails alone were enough to break down faecal matter etc? I've been meaning to make a bio active substrate for a while now to test it out but I've not had the time! If it's just a case of using springtails then that would be a lot easier for me! And I may take you up on that offer lol


The Livefood Warehouse :: Springtail Flies


----------



## Coolsox (May 3, 2008)

Tombo46 said:


> Did you find that springtails alone were enough to break down faecal matter etc? I've been meaning to make a bio active substrate for a while now to test it out but I've not had the time! If it's just a case of using springtails then that would be a lot easier for me! And I may take you up on that offer lol


It's about 50/50. Sometimes they swarm over it and devour the poop completely. Occasionally though, they will make a start and then leave it so I remove what's left.


----------



## Mal (Jul 22, 2007)

sambridge15 said:


> what problem springtails are AMAIZING in vivs they clean the tank for you increasing the cleanliness of the viv i dont even ever clean my viv anymore they do such a good job!cant imagine why any1 would sterilise a viv of springtails...madness
> 
> as for the original poster i think like mites(not fecal) they just appear naturally id be chuffed they will help clean the viv of any moulds fungus poo or other decaying matter
> 
> ...


I thought I had been a bit clearer in my posts. I did not realise at the time that the tiny little things crawling around in one of my vivs were springtails. I thought they were something much more sinister so I took prompt action to do what I thought was nessesary to protect a rather large collection of reptiles. 


On hindsight it was madness but didnt seem that way at the time. As it happens some of them survived so they can do their bit safe from the hot blast of the steam gun.


----------



## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

Mal said:


> I thought I had been a bit clearer in my posts. I did not realise at the time that the tiny little things crawling around in one of my vivs were springtails. I thought they were something much more sinister so I took prompt action to do what I thought was nessesary to protect a rather large collection of reptiles.
> 
> 
> On hindsight it was madness but didnt seem that way at the time. As it happens some of them survived so they can do their bit safe from the hot blast of the steam gun.


yea as a hobby it tends to be unbelievably common the amphibian section with the majority of us using live set ups yet the other sections are slowly learning the joys :2thumb:


----------



## loonymoony (Oct 22, 2009)

*Springtails...or mites?*

_*Spring tails rule! ace little creatures, along with a few woodlouse native or tropical, they are fab and do an excellent job cleaning up! Don't really need to culture them as such, just leave them be and they'll get on with business, you can always buy in some extras to boost your numbers, I recommend contacting *_http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/members/berksmike.html
_*his were first class! :2thumb:*_
_*
But just make sure they are springtails, as someone else said, little white creepy crawlies could indeed be grain mites, these beggers are damn near impossible to get rid off and appear on mass ( they come in via the substrate mealies/morios etc arrive in) and then they spead everywhere, they ADORE eco earth/repti bark, moss etc to breed in, it's a real nightmare, as far as I know though, they won't hurt your reps, just get everywhere and eat their food (you will see them all over Repashy/clarks/fruit puree) Spingtails however like eating decomposing stuff and stay in the substrate, while the mites crawl everywhere!*_


----------



## JJO (Mar 29, 2011)

I've got some bugs in my substrate that I think might be springtails, it's hard to compare to images on google because my 'springtails' are so small, they're really fast and thin and less than 1mm, kind of greyish and they're everywhere. Does that sound like them?

I also noticed some grain mites censor have come back, looks like they're on clumps of millipede poo. I actually fished them out and put them in a clear tub to monitor how they change. I'm expecting millipede eggs some time soon (I hope) and couldn't find any decent images of what they look like. I'm worried the other millipedes will trample over all the eggs.

I don't want to throw baby millipedes thinking they are pests like baby slugs or horrible fly larvae. 

I get a lot of compost gnats, they get squished.


----------



## Nathantalkz (4 mo ago)

I just found a lot of white small insects in my crested gecko tank eating on his faeces and I didn't buy any sort of clean up crew should I leave them in the cage or clean out the substrate and replace it?


----------



## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

Nathantalkz said:


> I just found a lot of white small insects in my crested gecko tank eating on his faeces and I didn't buy any sort of clean up crew should I leave them in the cage or clean out the substrate and replace it?


As you have your own thread now I will close this old thread.


----------

