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Using Springtail against mold

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maverick786us

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Columbus, GA
Based on my main article

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Thread 'My next aquascape'

Tomorrow I am going to buy the hard scape material for my next aquascape it’s a medium sized tank with dimensions 24 x 18 x 18 inches.

The hard scape will be 2 land masses on both sides of the tank. On the foreground there will be a river that will keep narrowing down as it passes between these land masses. Something similar to what you see in this video



But I don’t have that bonsai so I will try to create something like this using rocks and spider wood. When it comes to planting the hard scape it’s always going to be Anubias, Java fern, trident fern and...
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I am using Dry Start Method for the first time. It's been 14 days now and I can see mold emerging. In order to fight mold I discovered that using springtail is the best way to go. Finding springtails in gardens was nearly impossible for me so I bought them for $8.

They are so small that its was nearly impossible for me to identify them without using magnifier and I didn't want to take chance and end up hurting any by manually removing them from the case and place them in tank. So placed the whole case inside the tank open so they come out. The question is will they come out and do the job of cleaning agent or will they remain confined since that case and feed

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Just curious if you have the link for the springtails? They shouldn't be microscopic. Tiny but still easily visible. It's possible they're all babies but seems unlikely.

I've previously used them in all my emersed projects with good success!

In containers where they are hard to remove you can fill the container with water and they'll float on the surface of the water, which you can then pour out where needed.
 
Courtneybst said:
Just curious if you have the link for the springtails? They shouldn't be microscopic. Tiny but still easily visible. It's possible they're all babies but seems unlikely.

I've previously used them in all my emersed projects with good success!

In containers where they are hard to remove you can fill the container with water and they'll float on the surface of the water, which you can then pour out where needed.
Click to expand...
I bought it from a hobbyist in my neighborhood. You can buy it from people who make terrarium, because terrarium is prone to mold if it's too moist.They were visible but always hiding under those black rocks inside the containers. I thought they are very delicate so I didn't take any chance I was rather afraid that they might fly away from the container and disappear
 
Ouch ....

I filled the container with RO water and then poured the water in the tank. This is a dry start method but the river portion which lies on the lowest part of slope is flooded. I hope these tiny creatures can swim and make it to shore.

We as kids happened to dislike bugs and now I care about these tiny creatures like pets. Lol


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Interesting project but I'm afraid glutaraldehyde (so-called liquid carbon) is toxic to insects (though springtails are not insects but they are close I believe) and other organisms. In fact it is a sterilisation agent. Though the concentration for medical instruments is I suppose much higher than in aquarium products. Springtails normally just appear on the meniscus and floating plants in my aquariums, as if by magic.
 
Connswater said:
Interesting project but I'm afraid glutaraldehyde (so-called liquid carbon) is toxic to insects (though springtails are not insects but they are close I believe) and other organisms. In fact it is a sterilisation agent. Though the concentration for medical instruments is I suppose much higher than in aquarium products. Springtails normally just appear on the meniscus and floating plants in my aquariums, as if by magic.
Click to expand...
I used only few drops of liquid carbon, fertilizers, micronutrients and macronutrients in 200 ML water and after having springtails I was rather careful not to end up sprinkle water on them.

Before using Pressurized CO2 I used liquid carbon in my old tanks. I thought its a substitute for pressurized CO2 until I realized that its not effective and dangerous for the live stocks. Now I use it sparingly (10ML) a week in each tank solely to get rid of algae.

Though in DSM plants get CO2 free, but I thought that if I add littie bit of this liquid carbon, fertilizer, micronutrients and macronutrients in the water that I use to mist, It will benefit the plants. The grass is getting nutrients from the aqua soil, but the plants that are glued on the hardscape, and cannot extract nutrients from water, until I flood. So I feel, these ingredients that I mix in water will be the only source of nutrients for those plants.
 
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