Step by step set-ups
Culture springtails on clay
Spread damp clay in a cup, seed it, feed lightly and tap springtails out when you need them. Clay is the easiest medium to harvest from.
Set up
- You need clay powder or a similar clay blend, water (distilled or purified is best), deli cups with lids, and a butter knife and spoon for cups of 32 oz.
- Mix two parts clay powder to one part water into an even consistency.
- For 16 oz cultures and smaller, spread a dollop of wet clay over the bottom and halfway up the walls.
- Optionally add a tiny vent hole in the lid with ultrafine mesh glued over it, or stick an adhesive vent over it. Ventilated clay needs watering more often.
- Seed with a well populated culture from a reputable source. Take only half to two thirds of the springtails from the source culture so it keeps breeding while the new cup gets going.
Keep it damp, not wet
Keep clay damp but not wet. A little clay should stick to a finger when you touch it, and there must be no standing water.
Water the clay with one or two drops from a pipette, so you do not get it too wet by accident.
Feed and harvest
Feed every 3 to 7 days, and make sure all food is eaten between feedings. Baker's yeast works as well as most foods, according to Frog and Frond.
To harvest, tilt the whole culture and tap the springtails out where you need them. A couple of sharp taps on the lid first knock them away from the lid and rim.
Clay cultures tend to decline slowly. The point where a new culture makes more sense usually comes around or after 6 months, though some keepers still use cultures more than a year or two old.
Keep reading
Species in this guide
- Folsomia candida Common White Springtail A pale, eyeless springtail with a long jumping organ. It is the standard laboratory species for soil toxicity tests and the most common starter culture for bioactive tanks.
- Coecobrya tenebricosa Tropical Pink Springtail The Tropical Pink and Tropical White springtail of the hobby, a pale, fast-breeding species long sold under the wrong name Sinella curviseta.
- Start your first springtail culture
- What to feed springtails and why not moldy rice
- Expand and renew springtail cultures
If something goes wrong
Sources for this guide
- 1
Springtails US
Link works · Retailer
Cited at Materials Required; Setup Instructions; Setup Instructions and Care; Care and Harvesting.
- 2
How To: Starting a White Springtail Feeder Culture on Clay
MI Beneficials
Link works · Retailer
Cited at Inoculating a new container; Mixing clay; Moisture.
- 3
Calcium Clay Springtail Cultures FAQ and Care
Frog and Frond
Link works · Retailer
Cited at How wet should the clay springtail cultures be kept?; What do I feed the clay springtail cultures?; Feeding out; How long will the clay cultures last?.
Reviewed Oct 22, 2026