Live Springtail Culture — 100+ Tropical Springtails for Bioactive Terrariums

Live tropical springtail culture — the cleanup crew for any bioactive terrarium or vivarium. Springtails (Collembola) are tiny detritivores that eat mould, fungus and decaying matter, keeping the substrate healthy and the enclosure odour-free. Completely harmless to reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and live plants.

Quick facts

• Includes: 100+ live tropical springtails (Collembola), established and actively breeding
• What it is: Established culture on a cocopeat (coco coir) base, ready to propagate on arrival
• Best for: Bioactive terrariums, vivariums and naturalistic reptile/amphibian enclosures
• Ideal conditions: Warm and humid — approx. 20–26°C and 80–100% humidity; keep the substrate consistently moist
• How many to add: ~50–100 for a small terrarium (40–75L); 200–500+ for larger enclosures
• Feeding: Self-sustaining in established setups; supplement new cultures with a pinch of nutritional yeast or crushed fish flake
• Care level: Beginner-friendly and low maintenance
• Packaging: Supplied in a plant-based PLA bag made from plant starch rather than fossil-fuel plastic

Live arrival guarantee

Your culture arrives alive or we replace it. If there's a problem, email us a photo within 24 hours of delivery and we'll sort it out — no need to return anything.

Live cultures are packed the day they ship and posted Monday to Wednesday only, so nothing sits in a depot over the weekend. An order placed Thursday or Friday goes out the following Monday. We're not able to send live cultures to WA or TAS.

Care & FAQ

Will springtails harm my animals or plants? No — they only consume decaying matter, mould and fungus, never live plants or animals.

How do I harvest them from the cocopeat? Gently tap or scoop from the culture straight onto your enclosure substrate, or add a little water and pour the floating springtails out — they disperse and establish over a couple of weeks.

Will they escape into my house? No — springtails need constant humidity and won't survive on a dry benchtop or carpet.

How long do they last? Individuals live weeks to months, but a healthy colony sustains itself indefinitely.

What is the packaging made from? A plant-based PLA film derived from plant starch instead of fossil-fuel plastic. PLA needs a commercial composting facility to break down, so it should not go in a home compost bin or the kerbside recycling stream.

Pairs well with: isopods, for a complete bioactive cleanup crew.

New to springtails? Read our full springtail care guide.