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hmmmm I dunno. These little cups seem like some or most of them are petering out.
With a population that large, even with regular harvesting, what prevents the colony from fouling the clay with waste?
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The small ones I have only seem to bloom after feeding and while I get numbers they almost seem to be self regulating. I had one die off but I think that was because it got set too close to a light hanging below it. Reseeded with another culture and it went right back to producing.
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The little clay cups are really cool and I think they hold an alternative cx position that will last, but I do think there needs to be a 'back up' of the old tried-and-true large chunk charcoal shoebox method.
So easy to clean / flood and swish with water - the charcoal.
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Two things need to be analyzed:
1. How long to wait before feeding out of the master cup cx. Continued daily harvesting of the cx has resulted in a delayed 'bounce back' at least for me.
2. How long until the cx 'fouls itself' with a toxic buildup of waste. This HAS got to happen folks...just a matter of when.
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I'm waiting for the final verdict, I get lots from charcoal and spring food, not sure it's worth investing in the clay..
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3 months now and the little clay deli cups are going strong
Just a tiny sprtiz of water and powered food right over all the clay every 5 days or so
DO NOT overwater or flood the cx. That actually killed a whole cup for me and even reseeding didn't seem to fix it.
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Pretty impressed. Mine are going strong after a couple months.
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One thing I am finding is that cultures on the old charcoal method produce larger springtails versus the smaller ones from the clay. Not sure why since the are all form the same original stock and both fed the same diet.
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Springtail wrangling. It ain't easy-peasy. Like FF CXing, Mites are inevitable. Say it with me - In- Ev-It-Able . New strategy - microwave the cups and lids for like 14 seconds. Out of 50 springtail cxs, the ones on the left are bumping and the ones on the right have an 'x' on them and are either somewhat compromised or dead and microwaved awaiting renewal. If anything it's a fun 'mad science' experience to see if these mites can be controlled and minimized.
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Some Clay deli-cup Springtail culturing observations after @ 50 cultures and 5 months.
Clay is far superior to Charcoal.
The small flat deli cup size is ideal as in Isopods, you actually want a small size breeding container to allow the insects to more easily 'find each other' to facilitate breeding.
Cx is the abbreviation for 'Culture' as in 'Container'
You need to maintain the cxs and not just let them sit idle for weeks to a month. They do 'off gas' some stinky stuff and opening the lid is nessa. I also spray a tiny bit of water onto the clay.
If they are booming - ya gotta harvest or the body count will go up - same as FF. If the harvest is big, I tend to feed a bit more.
Feed a little on a 'small' side. Better to feed small than too much. Too much will foul the cup and probably create some gasses.
I feed a little bit almost directly in the center. Trying not to touch the sides with the food.
Mites are EVERYWHERE, not just your FF Cxs...they are here too. No biggie. Look for mites on the insides of the cup on the sides just under the lip. Small brown fast dots are easy to see. Use a magnifying glass. I use some glasses that wear like...glasses. Need to see up close.
If you get a CX with mites, remove it immediately and get it away from the other cxs. I take mine straight to the freezer. After a day or two in the freezer, then the microwave, I let cool and repopulate. I've had 1/2 of my CX's get mites and almost every single one - I turned around to again, be a vivable CX.
Some thoughts.
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Do you make your own clay? If so would you post the ingredient list, or point me in the proper direction to find it if it has been posted here previously? I ordered mine from Houston frogs and it seems to be working very well. I've only made two cultures and both seem to be booming after only a couple weeks, charcoal never did that.
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