Tropical Pink Springtail Care

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Description

Tropical Pink springtails are among the most common and recognizable springtails in hobbyist culture. They do well in a range of environments and are a top recommendation for enclosures ranging from humid to semi-arid. Tropical pink springtails can quickly establish in any suitable environment they're introduced to and thrive alongside other invertebrates such as isopods, millipedes, and roaches. There has been some controversy with their scientific name; for many years and even still in the present day they have gone by Sinella curviseta but in recent years it has been proven they actually belong to the related genus Coecobrya.

Appearance

Tropical pink springtails are 2-3mm in size and as their name suggests have pink tones best seen with macro photography. Tropical pink springtails are eyeless while their misidentification S. curviseta has two ocelli (eyes) on each side of their head.

Reproduction

Tropical pink springtails reproduce extremely fast. They mature quickly if provided with ample food and adults have large broods.

Care

Level: Easy. Tropical pink springtails tolerate a range of temperatures and as long as the culture is mostly moist and humid will reproduce quickly.

Shopping List

• 8 to 32oz Airtight Deli Cup (or gasket sealed bin such as Mainstays brand)
• Substrate (Multiple options, listed most to least accessible)
  • Option One: Soil
    • Can be topsoil, coir, compost, potting soil, etc. Avoid soils with artificial fertilizers.
  • Option Two: Charcoal
    • 100% natural lump charcoal or horticultural charcoal are acceptable.
  • Option Three: Clay
    • Can be specialized springtail clays or any natural animal safe clay.
  • Option Four: Plaster/Carbon Blend
    • 9 parts plaster of paris to 1 part activated charcoal by volume.
• Animal safe water such as RO, distilled, or treated tap water.
• One or more food source such as:
  • Baking yeast
  • Brewer's yeast
  • Raw white rice

Recommended:

• Mesh rated 35 microns or finer
• Hot glue
• Spray or misting bottle
• Optional charcoal or bark hides

Enclosure

Features

The enclosure should include:

• Moist substrate
• Optional hides for springtails to gather on and under
• Small ventilation hole with 35 micron or finer mesh glued over

Substrate (Multiple Options)

• Soil Substrate:
  • Bake soil at 220F until evenly heated to eliminate pests
  • Put 1 to 4in of soil into culture container
  • Optional charcoal or bark hides
  • Springtails gather on hides, remove and shake off hides to harvest the springtails
• Charcoal Substrate
  • 1in water pool at bottom to keep culture moist
  • 2 to 4in charcoal layer
  • Remove and shake off individual pieces of charcoal or add water and pour out the springtails, which float, to harvest the springtails
• Clay Substrate
  • 0.5 to 1cm thick layer of moist clay spread throughout culture container
  • Simply tilt and tap the culture to harvest the springtails
• Plaster/Carbon Blend Substrate
  • Mix water and plaster/carbon blend into thick mixture
  • Pour 0.5 to 1cm into bottom of culture container
  • Let solidify for one hour or until fully solid
  • Rehydrate with small amounts of water at a time until fully moist
  • Simply tilt and tap the culture to harvest springtails

Temperature

Temperature should remain at room temp, roughly between 60-80°F (15-26°C).

Humidity

Maintain humidity levels near 100%. This can be achieved by keeping the substrate moist, misting as needed, and keeping vent holes at a small size. This species can tolerate lower humidity but cultures best at high humidity.

Hides

Bark and larger pieces of charcoal make ideal hides but are only recommended for soil substrate cultures.

Feeding & Supplementation

Diet

Feed once or twice a week, enough for the springtails to finish between feedings without the food spoiling.

A diet of yeast such as baker's, brewer's, or nutritional yeast is common and sufficient. Dry raw white rice or fish foods are also sufficient. Optionally mixes could be used with the listed foods as well as mushroom powders, spirulina, and other food powders.

Supplementation

No supplementation is necessary but a varied diet may be helpful.