They are applied in the terrarium hobby as food for small frogs and you can even buy them commercially, special bred as frog food. Regularly you see that a springtail has become a victim of another animal like: spiders, mites, pseudoscorpions and a fly. When I feed my vivarium, I tuck half a grape, a bit of apple, small piece of banana, or a chunk of leftover, frozen jack o lantern from halloween, deeply into my leaf litter. My own personal preference, for tiny dart frogs, is a combination of fruit flies and springtails. 1,264 Posts . This will help flush out any excess waste material, and nutrient build up. Well being where I live it was alot harder to get frogs than I thought but I have ordered some and I will be receiving some within the next two weeks. I say I feed my vivarium, but I've also stated that I don't do feeding stations. Soil Mites – Another common mite in your vivarium, these mites are 100% harmless and have very similar breakdown adaptations to the springtails and isopods, making them a positive force in the vivarium. I'm not joking either-- every time I culture them in a container and keep their substrate moist and feed them, they don't explode like … Springtails are minute, primitive, wingless insects classified in the Order Collembola. Springtails and Isopods will also outcompete them and eventually dwindle their population to almost non-existent in your vivarium. Alternatively, springtails can be used to feed small animals and even surface eating fish because they float on water. Some Quick Tips About Springtail Culturing. Springtails make a great live food, as well as a great cleanup crew in a vivarium. Is there such a thing as too many springtails in a vivarium lol I added microfauna to my vivarium at the beginning of September and the hope was to let it seed for about a month before I add frogs. I've had this problem with one type of springtail. I added a culture of springtails and plan to add isopods in the next few days. Then, as I run out, I move on to the springtails for a week or two. I was wondering what the best substrate to use to establish springtails. One of the most notable features about the springtail that makes them ideal for terrariums is their diet. Springtails attract surface-feeding fish, small frogs, and invertebrates. The springtails are an important food source for other small animals. In my experience, I find it beneficial to fully flood an established springtail culture from time to time. I set up my first ever bioactive vivarium last night (bio dude terra firma for a temperate biome of a Cali king snake) and I am going to wait 3 weeks for it to cycle before adding my snake. By this point, the next generation of Drosophila are hatching, ready to be fed once again. Show me a vivarium without mites, and I'll show you a hobbyist in need of a pair of glasses. I have "black jungle tropical springtails" but for some reason, they culture poorly isolated from frogs. Discussion Starter • #1 • Apr 13, 2007. Live vivarium substrate will sustain plant life, mycorrhizal fungi, beneficial microbes, and resist breaking down long-term. ). I tend to buy a tub of each, feeding the adult fruit flies initially. A good live vivarium substrate is a critical element which helps ensure Isopods can establish & maintain a population within an enclosure long term. 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