Is this some kind of mites?

[celestemaaarie]

Its small and fast, is this harmful for my tarantula?

 

[Conor10]

Springtails, beneficial and harmless. Mites are usually quite slow, and these jump around really fast.

 

[celestemaaarie]

Springtails, beneficial and harmless. Mites are usually quite slow, and these jump around really fast.

I don't get it, i didn't put any springtail in my enclosure, they just come out of nowhere

 

[Polenth]

I don't get it, i didn't put any springtail in my enclosure, they just come out of nowhere

Yep, you'll get springtails, mites, nematodes, fungus gnats and fruit flies in most enclosures with moisture. They all turn up eventually. None of these are an issue when they're the sort that lives in the soil.

Parastic mites and parastic nematodes are very obviously different as they will be attached to, or live inside, your tarantula. They're not going to be rushing around the enclosure.

Phorid flies can cause issues, but you'll only get those by leaving rotting feeders around.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I don't get it, i didn't put any springtail in my enclosure, they just come out of nowhere

The ones that people buy and deliberately put in enclosures are tropical springtails, these are your native species which are literally everywhere.

Parastic mites and nematodes are very obviously different as they will be attached to, or live inside, your tarantula. They're not going to be rushing around the enclosure.

Also, you're extremely unlikely to encounter either unless you regularly buy WC tarantulas.

 

[RoachCoach]

I don't get it, i didn't put any springtail in my enclosure, they just come out of nowhere

You really should nuke or bake/freeze substrate you get from the wild. There aren't really any wild mites that you will come across that are dangerous to your spider. Nematodes as @Polenth mentioned should be. They are only parasitic and predatory and should be very much avoided.
Edit: oh ya, and by that photo it is hard to tell which blurry spot you are talking about being what. But the blurry dark spot @ 12oclock looks like a springtail. The rest of those dark spots is anyone's guess.

 

[celestemaaarie]

You really should nuke or bake/freeze substrate you get from the wild. There aren't really any wild mites that you will come across that are dangerous to your spider. Nematodes as @Polenth mentioned should be. They are only parasitic and predatory and should be very much avoided.
Edit: oh ya, and by that photo it is hard to tell which blurry spot you are talking about being what. But the blurry dark spot @ 12oclock looks like a springtail. The rest of those dark spots is anyone's guess.

The other darkspot is some substrate that fall from the enclosure, i bought my substrate online, i did pour hot water and let it dry for a few days,

Thanks guys

 

[The Grym Reaper]

You really should nuke or bake/freeze substrate you get from the wild.

You shouldn't sterilise substrate full stop. It's a waste of time/effort and usually just results in a full-blown mould/mite infestation because you've killed off all the beneficial organisms in the substrate that exist to keep those things in check.

Nematodes as @Polenth mentioned should be. They are only parasitic and predatory and should be very much avoided.

The vast majority of nematodes are harmless detritivores.

 

[RoachCoach]

You shouldn't sterilise substrate full stop. It's a waste of time/effort and usually just results in a full-blown mould/mite infestation because you've killed off all the beneficial organisms in the substrate that exist to keep those things in check.



The vast majority of nematodes are harmless detritivores.

I really should put an addendum to my signature. I'm pretty hasty to recommend nuking/cleaning any and all substrate that you bring into your home. Which you should 100% do. But adding a cheap culture of fresh springtails should be the next step. I concede my wily description of nematodes as parasitic is overblown.
Soil ecosystems[edit]
Further information: Soil ecology
About 90% of nematodes reside in the top 15 cm (6") of soil. Nematodes do not decompose organic matter, but, instead, are parasitic and free-living organisms that feed on living material. Nematodes can effectively regulate bacterial population and community composition—they may eat up to 5,000 bacteria per minute. Also, nematodes can play an important role in the nitrogen cycle by way of nitrogen mineralization.[47]

One group of carnivorous fungi, the nematophagous fungi, are predators of soil nematodes.[63] They set enticements for the nematodes in the form of lassos or adhesive structures.[64][65][66]

5,000 bacteria per minute is impressive. Introducing wild substrate into your enclosures is still risky. I don't like nematodes. I'm not nematodist though. I love them when they keep my plants safe from parasitic fungus. Once it comes into my house, I need it to be sterile. If they can repopulate as we all know cysts can they will be fine. I don't want a booming population just jaunting into my clean enclosures.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I'm pretty hasty to recommend nuking/cleaning any and all substrate that you bring into your home. Which you should 100% do.

Again, I'm going to have to disagree with you, nuking substrates is unnecessary and creates more problems than it solves.

I concede my wily description of nematodes as parasitic is overblown.

Just a bit, more than half of nematode species are free-living and consume detritus/fungi/bacteria/smaller organisms and are beneficial to their environments. Of the parasitic species, about about a third of those parasitise plants. That leaves the nematodes that parasitise animals and most of those are host-specific. You are extremely unlikely to encounter the tarantula parasites that people in the hobby regularly cack themselves over unless you regularly purchase WC tarantulas.

Also, Wiki articles are not a reliable source of information.

Introducing wild substrate into your enclosures is still risky.

It's actually not unless you're taking it from areas that are exposed to pesticides/chemicals.

 

[Polenth]

To clarify, I did not say that all nematodes were dangerous. I said the opposite. The ones in the soil are nothing to worry about and people often don't even notice they're there (a lot of the "I have nematodes in the substrate!" turn out to be something else that happens to be long).

Recommending the nuclear option for regular harmless things isn't a good idea. It's a not a case of better safe than sorry, because being too clean is not good for the animals. You want a healthy community of microorganisms and that won't happen if you bake the soil every time you see a springtail or a bit of mould, just in case.

 

[RoachCoach]

To clarify, I did not say that all nematodes were dangerous. I said the opposite. The ones in the soil are nothing to worry about and people often don't even notice they're there (a lot of the "I have nematodes in the substrate!" turn out to be something else that happens to be long).

Recommending the nuclear option for regular harmless things isn't a good idea. It's a not a case of better safe than sorry, because being too clean is not good for the animals. You want a healthy community of microorganisms and that won't happen if you bake the soil every time you see a springtail or a bit of mould, just in case.

Again, I'm going to have to disagree with you, nuking substrates is unnecessary and creates more problems than it solves.



Just a bit, more than half of nematode species are free-living and consume detritus/fungi/bacteria/smaller organisms and are beneficial to their environments. Of the parasitic species, about about a third of those parasitise plants. That leaves the nematodes that parasitise animals and most of those are host-specific. You are extremely unlikely to encounter the tarantula parasites that people in the hobby regularly cack themselves over unless you regularly purchase WC tarantulas.

Also, Wiki articles are not a reliable source of information.



It's actually not unless you're taking it from areas that are exposed to pesticides/chemicals.

I go absolute bananas on anything I bring inside. As @Polenth said about phorid flies, they aren't very dangerous. But they are just another thing to compete for food and spread disease. I know if I'm digging in the garden with bare hands and then eat with them without washing I will be safe. But there is that slim possibility I catch that single parasite that I can host for. It's very slim, but you would be surprised by the amount of filthy kids that get pinworms. The conditions and opportunity have to align, but when they do. It is gonna be a hell of a ride.
Edit: I know I'm being neurotic, and I shouldn't be. Sterile substrate with introduced detritivores makes me feel warm inside. I grew up in the country eating dirt and wild berries that made my head literally swell up to the size of a watermelon (sumac, if you want to test the skills on your local E.R.) I prefer to err on the safe side. I don't bother with my moss and other propagation cultures though.

 

[Marlana]

I get springtails in my damp enclosures and I don’t bring anything in from outside. They are either finding their way in and native or they are in the substrate. I’m guessing native because they are also in my houseplants which I use a completely different substrate on. Either way I love them and just started trying to culture them as they seem to like my conditions more than tropical springtails I’ve bought. They are an important part of healthy soil.