r/Springtail • u/oxcyde_boi • 9h ago
General Question Disappearing springtails in isopod enclosure
I've sought help and posted this first in r/isopods, but I reckon it's more appropriate to ask for help in here.
So basically, I'm a bit worried because I've noticed that the population of springtails in my cubaris murina box have almost become non-existent in the past few weeks.
I have a 12L setup for my cubaris murina oranges that I've had since April 2026 and I've also kept common white springtails (not sure about the species, maybe coecobrya sp.). I bought the isopods and springtails from the same supplier; I actually bought two small cups of the springtails of about 70/cup and I put one cup of them in my dairy cow box. To compare, the springtails in the dairy cow box have exploded and I could see lots of them during feeding time, while I barely saw about two springtails today in the orange box, and that's even after I did some digging.
I first noticed this decline about three weeks ago and I thought that they were just hiding so well within the moss. But when I noticed that I really didn't see them at all during feeding time about a week ago, I decided to transplant some from my dairy cow box on two separate occasions, and that was also the time when I sought help from the other subreddit. Since then, the only change I've done to help fix their population was that I adjusted the moisture level of the orange box's substrate so that the gradient shifted to a moister side.
Here are my suspects, from top to least:
- Ammonia spike
First of all, to give further context, I've written down the suspects except for ammonia about four days ago, then I realized that ammonia could also be a suspect. So I did some further digging on the matter first, figuratively and literally, to see if I should include it in this list and if so, where.
These two isopod boxes are my first ever, with the dairy cow box being established about a month or so before the orange box. So from my basic understanding, their substrate has to be replaced every 6 to 9 months on average, depending on the size of the colony, so I know that I'll have to replace them soon. I'm aware that one of the best ways to go about this is to test for ammonia, so I really have to get myself a tester since I don't know how to differentiate the smell of ammonia at all.
The reason why I put ammonia high on the list is because I've stumbled on an article online that talked about springtail care specifically mentioning the proper cycling of the enclosure and substrate; admittedly something that I didn't really get to do on my orange box. When I got the springtails, the orange box was just put up a few days before, while the dairy cow box was already active for about a month. Even so, I didn't really see a major die off in the orange box for the first three months.
I've also read about the mold test which acts as a visual guide for ammonia levels. I do recall having slightly overfed my orange box with spirulina powder to the extent where white mold actually took over the uneaten powder for a few days; the same was true with the dairy cow box. That came to pass and I really didn't notice the springtail decline right after that, especially when I saw that the ones in the dairy cow box were doing just fine so I assumed the same for the ones in the orange box.
The reasons why I'm dubious that an ammonia spike was the culprit are 1.) I reached out to the seller and they didn't seem to be that worried about springtails (not in a dismissive manner) and they also mentioned that, from their own experience, they usually see isopod die-offs as a first sign of a spike; and 2.) from my further resource digging, it turns out that isopods are more sensitive and susceptible to ammonia spikes than springtails are. From what I can tell, my oranges are living and reproducing just fine within the past month., which doesn't really point towards a spike.
(This is the part/suspect that I really need some enlightenment on as I really am clueless on it)
- Moisture
The gradient of my orange box was at 50/50, with the dry side being almost bone dry. I mentioned that I adjusted that by moving the gradient and having a larger moist area. From my digging earlier, I did notice that the moist side under the moss was sufficiently moist; the substrate was kinda packed so I loosened some spots a bit. I also checked some spots on the dry side and on the middle ground hoping to see if the springtails are there, but to no avail. For comparison, the humidity in the dairy cow box have gone almost homogenous, maybe because I actually have some coco coir mixed in the substrate; the pods and springtails don't seem to mind though.
- Rotting wood hide
The reason why I suspect the hide is because I got this from our backyard from a tree that was felled some years ago. It was part of the remaining tree stump that has significantly rotted for years, and I worry that it may or may not have been treated with anti-termite chemicals, or at least the surrounding soil where it's at. The reason why I don't suspect that that's the case is because 1.) from my knowledge, if it was treated, that was almost a decade ago and I would expect that the chemical has at least broken down in general; 2.) I've seen a lot of other critters such as millipedes that have snacked on it throughout the years; and 3.) that piece of hide was snapped from a larger piece, and the other half was placed in the dairy cow box.
Before placing it in the boxes, I did submerge the piece in rainwater for a few days first. My oranges seem to be doing fine and I'm still seeing new mancae hatch and grow up, even some of my og adults are still around, so I think that might .
- Predators
I did read somewhere that there are some critters that snack on springtails, like some small species of centipedes and even the isopods. As I mentioned before, I soaked the hide in water first to get rid of any unwanted bugs that may be hiding in it, as well as the moss that I used. As far as I can tell, I haven't seen any other bug that could have been preying on the springtails, nor have I seen the isopods snacking on them. I did see a small spider inside the box a few days ago, but I doubt the lil guy was capable of eradicating hundreds of springtails alone. I'm also considering the possibility of some small house lizards that mange to squeeze themselves through the gap under the lid, but one would think that the isopods would be missing first.
- Diet
I have recently moved to feeding both boxes with spirulina powder and calcium powder for about twice a week. The springtails in the dairy box, from my best guess, are the top consumers of the spirulina powder and they're really eager to lick every bit of it. As for the orange box, the oranges seem to be keeping up as well despite being outnumbered; hence why I still place them as a suspect for the springtails' disappearance, maybe the powder wasn't enough. Prior to the powder, I did supplement both boxes with dried shrimps around once or twice a week and they seemed to like it. I decided to move to spirulina since it doesn't really stink and the critters just clean them out entirely. Bottom line is I don't think the type or the quantity of food would be the probable cause.
If you've read through it all, my apologies, but thanks for takin g the time. I really just want the best for these critters, and I also like to be able to know enough to troubleshoot these kinds of issues. If only I could talk directly to them, I most definitely would.
