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Spice 1 · Kid Friendly
How the Spice System works
Kid friendly
Lower-risk animals a child can help care for, with an adult in charge. For watching, not handling.
CB: Captive bred
Bred and hatched in captivity, not collected from the wild.
Add-on notes
About this add-on
Temperate Springtail Master Culture with Clay for sale from Big Z's (Folsomia candida). Comes with a Spice rating and a care guide, and ships packed for the weather.
Flood the clay, tip the water line, and pour out hundreds of cleanup-crew springtails with zero digging
Folsomia candida, the temperate springtail, is the quiet workhorse of the invert hobby. This is not a starter scoop. It is a fully established, actively reproducing master culture seeded on baked clay instead of charcoal or loose substrate. The clay holds moisture evenly, never breaks down into muck, and lets you flood the surface so the springtails float clear on the water line. Pour off hundreds at a time straight into an enclosure with no digging and no mess, no stained fingers, no crumbling charcoal, no guessing at the dose.
Springtails are the ultimate low-maintenance roommate: they eat mold, leftover feeder parts, and boluses before any of it becomes a mite problem, and they never touch your animal. Beginner-friendly and forgiving, this culture just needs 65 to 78 degrees F, a damp clay surface that is never flooded, and a pinch of dry active yeast now and then. To seed a build, add a splash of dechlorinated water, swirl, and pour: 20 to 50 for a Baby Buddy or similar small setup, 50 to 100 for a Bark or Burrow Buddy, several hundred for a large bioactive. Check the care guide for full seeding and upkeep notes.
Full care is in the care guide. It covers enclosure size, temperature, humidity, feeding, molting signs and handling limits for this species. Read the Advanced guide, or the shorter Simple guide →
- Lane
- Spice 1 · Kid Friendly
- Source
- CB: captive-bred.
Temperate Springtail Master Culture with Clay (Folsomia candida)
Clean-up Crew
Keeper feedbackYour experience can help another keeper.
$19.99Master Culture selected
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Spice 1 · Kid Friendly
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Only 3 left
3 available right now
Ready to ship
At a glance
The quick read on this fella
- Adult size
- 1.5-3 mm long
- Venom
- None
- Wash hands after
- Type
- Terrestrial
- Ground dweller
- Climate
- 65-72°F · 80-95%
- Clay evenly moist, brief air exchange
- Feeding
- Tiny yeast sprinkle 1-2x weekly
- More once it's mostly gone
- Lifespan
- Culture ongoing
- Individuals live months
From our Temperate Springtail Master Culture care guide. Read the full guide
Live animals ship Mon to Wed
FedEx Standard Overnight $44.99 or Priority Overnight $49.99, both with the Live Arrival Guarantee; free overnight on orders $499.99 and up. FedEx 2Day $34.99 has no guarantee and needs a signed waiver. Pickup in the Phoenix area or at an expo is free (arrange with Big Z first). Weather holds are free and we message you first.
Live arrival support
Every order is packed for that week’s weather. Not sure if Temperate Springtail Master Culture with Clay is your spice level? Message us and we’ll talk it through.
Big Z's here to help
Not sure if Temperate Springtail Master Culture with Clay is your spice level? Message us and we’ll talk it through.
Care guide Shipping and Live Arrival Guarantee
About this add-on Add-on notes
Temperate Springtail Master Culture with Clay for sale from Big Z's (Folsomia candida). Comes with a Spice rating and a care guide, and ships packed for the weather.
Flood the clay, tip the water line, and pour out hundreds of cleanup-crew springtails with zero digging
Folsomia candida, the temperate springtail, is the quiet workhorse of the invert hobby. This is not a starter scoop. It is a fully established, actively reproducing master culture seeded on baked clay instead of charcoal or loose substrate. The clay holds moisture evenly, never breaks down into muck, and lets you flood the surface so the springtails float clear on the water line. Pour off hundreds at a time straight into an enclosure with no digging and no mess, no stained fingers, no crumbling charcoal, no guessing at the dose.
Springtails are the ultimate low-maintenance roommate: they eat mold, leftover feeder parts, and boluses before any of it becomes a mite problem, and they never touch your animal. Beginner-friendly and forgiving, this culture just needs 65 to 78 degrees F, a damp clay surface that is never flooded, and a pinch of dry active yeast now and then. To seed a build, add a splash of dechlorinated water, swirl, and pour: 20 to 50 for a Baby Buddy or similar small setup, 50 to 100 for a Bark or Burrow Buddy, several hundred for a large bioactive. Check the care guide for full seeding and upkeep notes.
Full care is in the care guide. It covers enclosure size, temperature, humidity, feeding, molting signs and handling limits for this species. Read the Advanced guide, or the shorter Simple guide →
- Lane
- Spice 1 · Kid Friendly
- Source
- CB: captive-bred.
What ships with this order Care + shipping
- A free care guide for this species
- A heat or cold pack when the forecast calls for it
- Tracking and an arrival window before it ships
- Message Big Z about your animal for as long as you keep it
Care guideSpice 1 · Kid Friendly
Matched care guide
View in Care Guides library
Temperate Springtail Master Culture
Folsomia candida · Spice 1: Kid Friendly. Master-culture cup: keep as the clean stock culture and harvest from it. Baby, Bark, or Burrow Buddy bioactive builds: seed in only when the resident species needs persistent moisture.
Folsomia candida
Temperate Springtail Master Culture
Big Z's Quick Verdict: A prolific white springtail culture that breeds reliably at cool room temperature when the medium stays evenly moist and yeast portions stay tiny. No bite or sting, but sensitive to drying out, overheating, overfeeding and contamination.
Group: Cleanup CrewsDifficulty: Spice 1: Kid FriendlySetup: Moist clay master culture, cleanup crewHandling: Transfers only, pour or brush, wash hands
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Care Snapshot
| Temp | 65-72°F, avoid direct sun or high heat |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 80-95%: clay evenly moist, brief air exchange |
| Setup | Moist clay master culture, cleanup crew |
| Substrate | Clay medium, kept evenly moist, never dry or flooded |
| Feeding | Tiny yeast sprinkle 1-2x weekly, more once it's mostly gone |
| Handling | Transfers only, pour or brush, wash hands |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Recommended Big Z's Setup
- Master-culture cup: keep as the clean stock culture and harvest from it.
- Baby, Bark, or Burrow Buddy bioactive builds: seed in only when the resident species needs persistent moisture.
Critical Notes
- Never let the clay dry or crack. Eggs and juveniles lose moisture fast, and a dried culture may not recover.
- Moist does not mean flooded. No standing water on the surface except briefly during a harvest.
- Overfeed and the culture sours. Use only a few yeast granules and remove spoiled food.
- Keep the master culture clean. Dedicated tools only, never return material from a display tank to the stock cup.
- A secure lid with fine mesh stops springtails jumping out, but too much open venting dries the medium and invites mold.
Care Basics
- Keep the clay evenly moist at all times, no dry cracks, no standing water.
- Hold 65-72°F, away from windows, lamps, and heat mats.
- Feed a tiny sprinkle of dry baker's yeast 1-2x weekly, wait until it's mostly gone before adding more.
- Open briefly for air during feeding, then reseal the lid. Cover vents with fine mesh.
- To harvest, add water, swirl, pour springtails into the target enclosure, then drain the cup back to damp.
- Keep a separate backup culture. Never return material from a display enclosure to the clean master.
- Wash hands after maintenance.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Granulated dry baker's yeast is the best food. Start with a few granules 1-2x weekly and scale to how fast the colony clears it.
- Remove old clumps and spoiled food. Heavy fungal growth, slime, or a foul smell calls for smaller feedings and a clean backup culture.
- Reproduces without males. Eggs often hatch in 7-10 days, first egg laying begins around three weeks.
- Crowding suppresses reproduction and makes contamination harder to manage. Split a dense culture before it crashes, and always keep a backup.
- Individuals live for months, but a master culture's value comes from continuous reproduction, not any single animal's lifespan.
Current Big Z's catalog: Yes
Folsomia candida
Temperate Springtail Master Culture: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A prolific white springtail culture that breeds reliably at cool room temperature when the medium stays evenly moist and yeast portions stay tiny. No bite or sting, but sensitive to drying out, overheating, overfeeding and contamination.
Group: Cleanup CrewsDifficulty: Spice 1: Kid FriendlySetup: Moist clay master culture, cleanup crewHandling: Transfers only, pour or brush, wash hands
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Snapshot
| Temperature | 65-72°F, avoid direct sun or high heat |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 80-95%: clay evenly moist, brief air exchange |
| Setup Type | Moist clay master culture, cleanup crew |
| Substrate | Clay medium, kept evenly moist, never dry or flooded |
| Feeding | Tiny yeast sprinkle 1-2x weekly, more once it's mostly gone |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 1: Kid Friendly |
| Handling | Transfers only, pour or brush, wash hands |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Enclosure Format / Size Class
- Lidded master-culture cup: the clean stock.
- Backup culture: keep one separate before routine harvesting.
- Seeded cleanup crew: added into compatible moist bioactive enclosures.
Warnings First
- Never let the clay dry or crack. Eggs and juveniles lose moisture fast, and a dried culture may not recover.
- Moist does not mean flooded. No standing water on the surface except briefly during a harvest.
- Overfeed and the culture sours. Use only a few yeast granules and remove spoiled food.
- Keep the master culture clean. Dedicated tools only, never return material from a display tank to the stock cup.
- A secure lid with fine mesh stops springtails jumping out, but too much open venting dries the medium and invites mold.
Simple Care
- Keep the clay evenly moist at all times, no dry cracks, no standing water.
- Hold 65-72°F, away from windows, lamps, and heat mats.
- Feed a tiny sprinkle of dry baker's yeast 1-2x weekly, wait until it's mostly gone before adding more.
- Open briefly for air during feeding, then reseal the lid. Cover vents with fine mesh.
- To harvest, add water, swirl, pour springtails into the target enclosure, then drain the cup back to damp.
- Keep a separate backup culture. Never return material from a display enclosure to the clean master.
- Wash hands after maintenance.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Preserve the clay medium rather than replacing it. Keep it evenly moist with no standing water.
- Add water a few drops at a time along the cup wall so it spreads through the clay without blasting animals off the surface.
- A covered cup slows water loss. Give brief air exchange during feeding, or use very fine mesh over tiny vents. Large open vents dry the culture and invite mold.
- Judge by look and smell: a smooth damp surface and clean earthy smell are normal. Cracks mean too dry, standing water or foul odor means too wet.
- To harvest, flood gently, swirl, pour the floating springtails out, then tip off excess water so the clay returns to evenly damp.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Granulated dry baker's yeast is the best food. Start with a few granules 1-2x weekly and scale to how fast the colony clears it.
- Remove old clumps and spoiled food. Heavy fungal growth, slime, or a foul smell calls for smaller feedings and a clean backup culture.
- Reproduces without males. Eggs often hatch in 7-10 days, first egg laying begins around three weeks.
- Crowding suppresses reproduction and makes contamination harder to manage. Split a dense culture before it crashes, and always keep a backup.
- Individuals live for months, but a master culture's value comes from continuous reproduction, not any single animal's lifespan.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Cosmopolitan cultured lineage, not tied to one wild locality. Commercial stock may include several genetically distinct lines.
- Habitat translation: Maintain a cool, moist, microbe-rich culture surface with controlled yeast feeding, brief regular air exchange, clean tools, and no persistent standing water.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Folsomia candida is an eyeless, unpigmented springtail, about 1.5-3 mm long.
- Culture conditions that work: about 68°F, continuously moist medium with no surface water film, and small dried-yeast feedings.
- Egg hatching fails above about 82°F. Keep the cup away from sunny windows, warm shelves, and post-shipping heat.
- For transfers, gently tap animals into place or use a damp fine brush. Dry fingers and static can strand them on the cup wall.
- Springtails do not bite or sting people or pets. If they escape indoors, collect them and dry out the damp area supporting them.
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