Springtails for sale.
Captive-bred cultures for bioactive tanks.
Bred in Las Vegas. Tropical White and Orange are the cleanup crew, the rest are kept for display, and every culture ships with a care card.
Thai Red SpringtailsLobella sp.from $30 
Which springtail should I get?
| Springtail | Look | Job | Care | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical White Springtails | White, 1–3 mm | Cleanup, fast breeder | Hardy, 65–80°F | Mold control, your first culture |
| Orange Springtails | Bright orange, about 4 mm | Cleanup, same pace as Tropical White | Hardy, 68–80°F | Cleanup you can see on dark soil |
| Thai Red Springtails | Red orange | Display, cleans slowly | Wants warmth, 72–80°F | Color on pale substrate |
| Red Thai Spiky Springtails | Deep red and spiny, does not jump | Display, eats slime mold | Advanced, about 68–75°F, damp | Collectors |
| Vietnam Spiky Springtails | Spiny, does not jump | Display, eats slime mold | Advanced, about 68–75°F, damp | Collectors |
Cleanup or display?
For mold control, pick Tropical White or Orange. Both breed fast, graze mold before it spreads and establish in weeks. Orange does the same job and is easier to see. Thai Red is slower and more sensitive to heat, kept mostly for its color.
The spiny Rambutanura (rambutan springtails) don't jump and feed on slime mold, so they won't clear a vivarium. They are collector cultures for experienced keepers.
Cleanup, not food
Springtails are too small to interest even a newly hatched mantis nymph. They belong in the enclosure as cleanup. For feeding, get fruit fly cultures.
How cultures ship
Orders placed after 8 AM Pacific on a ship day wait for the next one. A culture added to a mantis order ships free, and in the Las Vegas valley you can pick it up free instead of having it shipped. Cultures are outside the Live Arrival Guarantee, which covers mantises and isopods on Priority Overnight. Checkout tells you if your address can't receive them.
Frequently asked questions
How many springtails do I need?
Each culture is the count you pick: 25, 50 or 100. One culture seeds an enclosure up to about 5 gallons; a build of 55 gallons or more takes three or four. The care guide has the full sizing table. Springtails settle to the food available, so a bigger count or more cultures gets you to a working population sooner, not a bigger one.
Should I get springtails or isopods?
Most bioactive setups run both. Springtails handle mold and establish in weeks. Isopods are bigger and slower, and ours are display colonies; the two share an enclosure without competing. In a small, humid enclosure with room for only one, run springtails.
What do I feed a springtail culture?
A few grains of yeast or a handful of uncooked rice, and only when the last feed is gone. Overfeeding is the most common way to kill a culture. The spiny Rambutanura graze slime mold instead.
What are orange springtails called?
We list ours as Yuukianura aphoruroides, the species collembologists have identified in hobby orange cultures. Some sellers call them Asian Orange springtails, and they were long sold as Bilobella or Protanura.