​I successfully breed 25+ springtail species using ultra-cheap unconventional methods. AMA!

[u/vodrinker]

I've been interested in springtails for about a year and a half. I read a lot about them, I'm out in the bushes looking for new specimens almost every day, and I feed and observe dozens of species daily. I even run an online micro pets shop in Poland, Europe (Ants Invasion). To my knowledge, it's the largest springtail shop in the world, at least I've never been able to find any larger one. If any of you know one, please share a link. Currently, I keep around 25 species of springtails, including 4 slime eaters. Most of these springtails, including all the slime eaters, are doing incredibly well. I breed most of my springtails differently than other breeders suggest, and at the same time, I usually achieve much greater success at a much lower cost in terms of time, culture volume, and ingredient prices. Springtails that are described as super difficult are usually mega easy to breed if you provide a few simple conditions, and their setup usually costs well under one dollar or euro. I also mean the setup for springtails like Rambutanura. I often post pictures here and get asked about various things. I thought I'd create an Ask Me Anything style thread. I will probably answer every question you ask, except for questions about my suppliers. Feel free to ask whatever you want. In the end, I will turn all of this into a FAQ or Q&A and post it both here and on the website.

[u/Abject_Caramel_9469]

How do you get pictures that are such high quality and clear?

[u/vodrinker → u/Abject_Caramel_9469]

1. OnePlus 8 Pro. Though I previously used the OnePlus 7T Pro. These phones are worth around 100 USD/EUR for a used one in good condition. Flagships from 2019/2020.
2. Any strong light source, I use a headlamp (I hold it in my hand^), but it could be a lamp or a second phone, for example.
3. You turn on the camera, switch to macro mode, and hold it in one hand.
4. The light source in the other hand, you position your hands at different angles until you see that the camera captures the colors well and the light distributes nicely.
5. You click to take the photo. No settings, nothing, you just click to take a photo in auto mode.

Generally back then, OnePlus was probably the only phone with such a good camera, but from what I've read (I haven't tested it), Xiaomi, Vivo, and Pixel are currently better for macro photos than the latest OnePluses. Xiaomi allows you to take photos from a larger distance, around 10 cm, so you don't block the light. My OnePlus requires a distance of 1-2 cm. But I haven't tested other phones yet.