# Springtails "Tropical Variety"



## happy1892 (Dec 23, 2011)




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## frogparty (Dec 23, 2011)

My baby frogs love them!


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## happy1892 (Dec 23, 2011)

Dart frogs? In the future I want to raise poison dart frogs.


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## frogparty (Dec 23, 2011)

Yup. My thumbnail sized frogs love them, and all my babies start out on them


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## meaganelise9 (Dec 23, 2011)

I'm raising some springtails too (in hopes that my Theopompa ooth hatches). Mine are still super small.


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## meaganelise9 (Dec 23, 2011)

do you have trouble getting them from one place to another?


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## frogparty (Dec 23, 2011)

No I raise them on charcoal, and to feed off I just flood the culture and pour into the tank. This delivers 100s or 1000s at a time. Very easy


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## happy1892 (Dec 23, 2011)

Or put a leaf in the springtail culture until there are many springtails on the leaf. Then quickly shake the springtails of the leaf and into the the container.


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## gripen (Dec 23, 2011)

How does one start a culture of these?


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## Orin (Dec 23, 2011)

I would guess the 'tropical' springtails are labeled for sale. I bet you if you put them in the refrigerator they'd do just fine because they came from somebody's yard rather than an Amazonian or African rainforest.


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## happy1892 (Dec 23, 2011)

Here is a place to buy them. They are easy to keep. If you keep them over 85 degrees they breed very fast. They sell a temperate variety. Here is a video.

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## frogparty (Dec 24, 2011)

Orin said:


> I would guess the 'tropical' springtails are labeled for sale. I bet you if you put them in the refrigerator they'd do just fine because they came from somebody's yard rather than an Amazonian or African rainforest.


Actually the temperate springtails ( Sinella curvisetta) are much different than tropicals ( folsomia candida) there are also about a dozen other species from several other genera available for sale. Tomocerus are the largest available, but reproduce slowly


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## gripen (Dec 24, 2011)

happy1892 said:


> Here is a place to buy them. They are easy to keep. If you keep them over 85 degrees they breed very fast. They sell a temperate variety. Here is a video.
> 
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> *


Thanks for the link man! Cool stuff. I have to pic up a culture of these one of these days.


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## happy1892 (Dec 24, 2011)

frogparty said:


> Actually the temperate springtails ( Sinella curvisetta) are much different than tropicals ( folsomia candida) there are also about a dozen other species from several other genera available for sale. Tomocerus are the largest available, but reproduce slowly


How did you figure out what kind they are! Did Josh's Frogs tell you?


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## happy1892 (Dec 24, 2011)

I would like to keep globular springtails. Do you know who sells them? Do globular springtails live almost every where in the world? Here is a video of them. People sell them in the UK.


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## frogparty (Dec 24, 2011)

happy1892 said:


> How did you figure out what kind they are! Did Josh's Frogs tell you?


I have never purchased any from joshs but instead trade between frog breeders. I have also collected my own, and with a little college invert zoo experience it's easy enough to key them out on your own to genus and species. I figured bug peoe would understand the need to know the Latin names of the stuff we are raising!


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## frogparty (Dec 24, 2011)

happy1892 said:


> I would like to keep globular springtails. Do you know who sells them? Do globular springtails live almost every where in the world? Here is a video of them. People sell them in the UK.


I know a few people who sell the globulars, although i doubt it's the same species. Globular is just one of the 3 main bod types springtails fall into


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## happy1892 (Dec 24, 2011)

Do all globular springtails breed like this?


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## meaganelise9 (Dec 24, 2011)

I got my springtails from Josh's Frogs. I think they sell two kinds- one that likes it warmer. I keep mine in charcoal like this too. They're really easy to keep. They eat mold, so you can find a use for the science experiments in the fridge. I usually use Cichlid food, which they seem to like and creates a lot of mold.


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## Orin (Dec 24, 2011)

frogparty said:


> Actually the temperate springtails ( Sinella curvisetta) are much different than tropicals ( folsomia candida) there are also about a dozen other species from several other genera available for sale. Tomocerus are the largest available, but reproduce slowly


_Folsomia candida _is not a tropical springtail, it would take you a few second search to cofirm. Getting an identification on springtails is not easy and there are many species. Dart frog people also put scientific names on isopods that aren't even close, the wrong name is not really better than none.


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## frogparty (Dec 24, 2011)

Tomocerus are the easiest to identify. Maybe I hav my temperate/ tropical misidentified. Either way my folsomia candida ( the ones pictured above) breed faster above 75 degrees. Sinella curviseta breed at lower temps.'it is my understanding that folsomia is widespread. I can guarantee you that I have my species identified correctly because we did it at the University of Washington as a project. Tomocerus are much larger and more insect looking (springtails are not insects for those who don't know)

Orin- im happy to send you specimens of my different springs if you would like to take a crack at re identifying them for me.

But back to the post. I feed mine yeast and keep them above 70 and get excellent production on charcoal. The Tomocerus are an exception and they are kept at room temp and live on coco coir substrate and are fed yeast and veggie scraps just like my isopods


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## frogparty (Dec 24, 2011)

I have never tried to double check the identity of my Isopoda against what they were called when I bought them. But let's remember too that melanogaster is no longer Drosophila


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## happy1892 (Dec 25, 2011)

frogparty said:


> Tomocerus are the easiest to identify. Maybe I hav my temperate/ tropical misidentified. Either way my folsomia candida ( the ones pictured above) breed faster above 75 degrees. Sinella curviseta breed at lower temps.'it is my understanding that folsomia is widespread. I can guarantee you that I have my species identified correctly because we did it at the University of Washington as a project. Tomocerus are much larger and more insect looking (springtails are not insects for those who don't know)
> 
> Orin- im happy to send you specimens of my different springs if you would like to take a crack at re identifying them for me.
> 
> But back to the post. I feed mine yeast and keep them above 70 and get excellent production on charcoal. The Tomocerus are an exception and they are kept at room temp and live on coco coir substrate and are fed yeast and veggie scraps just like my isopods


I used to not know that. Some places said sprintails are insects and some places say they are not.


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## happy1892 (Dec 25, 2011)

frogparty said:


> I have never tried to double check the identity of my Isopoda against what they were called when I bought them. But let's remember too that melanogaster is no longer Drosophila


What genus are melanogaster fruit flies in?


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## Orin (Dec 26, 2011)

frogparty said:


> Tomocerus are the easiest to identify. Maybe I hav my temperate/ tropical misidentified.


It took me a few seconds to find your Tomocerus becuase you had an extra letter t in the species name. It is found north as far as British Columbia, Canada so neither of your springtails could be honestly called tropical and both would live just fine in the refrigerator assuming they're labeled correctly. I am not a springtail expert, I was just saying the "tropical" springtail title is used as a sales gimmick.


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## happy1892 (Dec 26, 2011)

Orin said:


> It took me a few seconds to find your Tomocerus becuase you had an extra letter t in the species name. It is found north as far as British Columbia, Canada so neither of your springtails could be honestly called tropical and both would live just fine in the refrigerator assuming they're labeled correctly. I am not a springtail expert, I was just saying the "tropical" springtail title is used as a sales gimmick.


I will put some of my springtails in a cold place.


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## frogparty (Dec 26, 2011)

Tomocerus I collected locally when I lived in Seattle.

In all reality tropical/ temperate are just ways to sell them. People should know that they can all breed at room temperature. The tomocerus don't need refrigeration to breed, but it might be interesting to try. I used to construct leaf litter sieves to collect them in the summer, but a Seattle summer can't ever come close to being what we'd call hot


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## happy1892 (Dec 26, 2011)

I put my springtails in the freezer and they froze. After awhile I took them out and let them thaw out. Now they are starting to move again. I am delighted.


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## Orin (Dec 27, 2011)

I was thinking refrigerator...


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## gripen (Dec 27, 2011)

Orin said:


> I was thinking refrigerator...


hahahahahhaha


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## happy1892 (Dec 27, 2011)

Some of the springtails were in frozen water. All of them are moving now.


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## happy1892 (Dec 27, 2011)

Do they freeze like wood frogs?


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## happy1892 (Feb 18, 2012)

frogparty said:


> Actually the temperate springtails ( Sinella curvisetta) are much different than tropicals ( folsomia candida) there are also about a dozen other species from several other genera available for sale. Tomocerus are the largest available, but reproduce slowly


Are you sure the ones I have are Folsomia candida?


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## frogparty (Feb 19, 2012)

VERY SURE. But Folsomia are acually temperate. I dont believe there are TRULY tropical springs easily available. Ive done some additional research on it, and the "tropical" springs available arent really truly tropical.

The body type of yours is very easy to identify. Im positive you have Folsomia candida


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## hibiscusmile (Feb 19, 2012)

Right now mine are in my cold room, it is only about 60 F in there and they are doing fine, one is temp and one is col, dont see much diff in either of them.


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