Springtails are most commonly housed in plastic shoebox-sized containers outside the vivarium, although they can be kept in a variety of containers. The key is to select a container that is not completely air tight, allowing the culture to ‘breathe’ slightly. I prefer the KIS brand plastic shoe boxes (~$2) available at K-mart.
Springtail cultures should contain 3-4” of charcoal, with about 1” of distilled, reverse osmosis, or dechlorinated water on the bottom.
There are many different options for springtail substrate, with charcoal or coconut fiberbeing the most common. I prefer small chunk charcoal, with pieces being approximately 1/2” long. The charcoal is washed to remove dust, then it is added to the container at a depth of 3-4”. Dechlorinated, reverse osmosis, or distilled water is added to a depth of 1”.
Josh's Frogs strongly recommends our springtail culture kit for culturing springtails.
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