Springtails....an alternative food for young fish

Taking things in a parallel direction to Puddlefish's work on raising N. rachovii Killifish, here is a bit on a food that I use for fish and for dart frogs.

Now, the problem that I face (as with fruit-flies) is that I still need to buy cultures even when I have a culture going. I need lots of springtails for my frogs, but young fish would not need so many. Cultures can sometimes crash within days with little warning.

I also recommend that if anyone has any form of reptile or amphibian vivarium that they seed the substrate with springtails as they help keep the earth fresh (ie they are house custodians)

SPRINGTAILS.
Springtails are a large group (over 6000 species) of primitive insects in the order Collembola.
There are some questions as to whether or not they should be classed as insects or not, but that is purely academic.

The length of life cycle varies from species.
Springtails do not undergo metamorphosis during their life cycle (=ametabolous).

They are typically less than 3mm long, and all are flightless.
Most are soil dwellers, but some are aquatic.
One great thing about springtails for feeding small fish (especially top-feeders) is that they float on water

Their main food is microorganisms. Microorganisms growing on decaying vegetable matter is a key food for springtails…..this is key to collecting and culturing springtails.

CULTURING

There are many methods to raise springtails, and different methods favour different species.

Obtaining a Starter Culture.
a) Buy a starter culture from a herpetological supplier or specialist Dart Frog supplier, or
b) Collect your own.

Springtails are considered specialist foods in the reptile/amphibian world, and, as such are not available in all shops selling reptiles/amphibians. Some shops may take a special request order for springtails.

To collect your own starter culture place dried mushroom (fresh may do) or fresh potato chunks and peelings onto either a compost heap or within the garden over night. Collect the springtails and transfer them to a culture system.

Springtails are often found in bark sold for potting orchids.



Culturing.
Springtails need damp dark conditions and will do best at temperatures between 20 and 25 Celsius.

Here are 2 methods
a) lay some coire compost into a large escape-proof container.
Add chunks of activated charcoal.
The compost may be enhanced with added bark for orchid potting and tree fern.
Moisten the compost, but do not let it become sodden.
Add the springtail starter culture.
Add some feed for the Springtails (see below).
Allow the culture to develop before harvesting.


b) Lay chunks of activated charcoal in the bottom of a water-tight box.
Place a fine mesh (plastic) eg a gravel tidy over the charcoal.
Add water to half the depth of charcoal.
Add springtails.
Add food to mesh.
Allow culture to develop.

FOOD.
Food for springtails is really about feeding microorganisms for the springtails to feed upon.

Suitable foods include:
Fish flake (especially spirulina-based); Ready-Brek; oatmeal or porridge; mashed potatos; instant mashed potato flakes; potato peelings.

Add food onto culture; do not worry too much about fine fungal growth unless it becomes excessive.

Sprinkling of bakers yeast will provide some food for the springtails and may help reduce invasive undesirable microorganisms.

The culture should not have a bad odour; if it does then change the medium and reduce humidity and food.

HARVESTING
Springtails may be harvested by either laying some netting within the culture and then removing the netting when covered with springtails, or by swilling the lumps of charcoal in water (the springtails float).

ian

Thanks Ian for posting this, something that's right up my street as it were.
a couple of questions if I may about your very intriguing post.
Firstly (knowing little about spring-tails) what is the body like, do they possess a soft or hard outer carapace/shell/skin as it were.
Secondly can you keep these things confined to their quarters, as I wouldn't like them to escape and get into my worm cultures. Once away from their own media do they remain alive for long, do they roam.
Thanks again for making me sit up and notice.
I look forward to reading your reply
Regards
C

there's that juicy brain i was talking about, that's brilliant Ian and the fact that you can start your own culture rather than acquiring it else where really sells it,i'm off to start this myself
again a question, could you please elaborate on the escape proof container?

Sizewise, these are small. Although some species can reach 3mm, 1 to 1.5 mm is the typical size that you'll see.

A plastic box with a tight-fitting lid is required (maybe a 2 litre soft-scope icecream box...with the ice cream removed).
I'd recommend making a hole than can be covered by a cotton pad (and tape to both sides of the hole). This allows a little ventilation and keeps springtails in.

If they escape they will roam. How long they live in a room depends upon the species....but remember that some species can tolerate cold very well.

Often these are found in worm cultures...so that is a constant problem that people who grow white-worms try to eliminate.

The chances are that there are already loads of them roaming around the front room....hunting down a nice damp place like a grindle worm culture!!

BUT....springtails do not normally enjoy the conditions for feeder worm (too wet).

Yes, Sprintails are called an agricultural and white-worm culture pest. It's a bit like mites in fruit-fly cultures....to me, mites in my fruitfly cultures are actually an additional food source for some of my animals; for other people, the mites bring out some hysteria. One mans poison.....

As these the food of choice for newly metamorphosised dart froglet, and especially suitable for Dendrobates auratus (a dart frog that easily dies if fed oversized food) then that indicates to me that the chitin does not make the shell that hard.

But for which fish might they be suitable? the 64 thousand dollar question.

They are certainly not food for hatchling Nothobranchus, but surface living/hunting fish that are around 1/2 inch long would be a typical target fish. Of course, the fish needs to be able to catch these jumping jacks. But many killies are well skilled at that.

Dar, I need so much minute food in a week that even the stuff I culture cannot keep up...so I still need to buy. Some of my frogs are about 1.5 inches long and ideally feed mainly on springtails.....it takes a lot of springtails to feed such animals, and so springtails are fed as a supplement to microcrickets (it would cost me about 15 to 20 euro per week to feed each frog if I had to solely feed on springtails!!).
I am finding it difficult to obtain regular supplies of springtails for my needs.
If, however, someone has a few small animals to feed then collecting is a good way to get some free food.

ian

A picture a sprintail culture.





I just noticed that there is a special section for fods and feeders. I guess that the next thread on foods should go there.

ian