HELP! Something growing on a plant

back2eight · #1 (**permalink**) 01-03-2006, 05:13 PM

I just found some small white spots ALL OVER some grasses that I have growing in my vivarium. So far it seems to be just on this one plant. I have no idea what it is, can someone help me? It is whitish in color and you can scrape it off. Also, I found some gunky looking stuff on a frog's head. I have no idea if the two are related. Could this be some kind of pest or what?

littlefrog · #2 (**permalink**) 01-03-2006, 05:59 PM

Could be a scale insect. Hard to tell without pictures. Either a smooth (hard or soft) scale of any number of species, or mealy bug (which are fuzzy, but also related to scale).

Take a cotton swab, dip it in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, and touch each spot. Dip the swab frequently in alcohol. That should do it. Normally I apply alcohol with a spray bottle, but you probably don't want to do that in a viv. If no animals are in the viv, then spray away, just make sure to ventilate the tank afterwards.

back2eight · #3 (**permalink**) 01-03-2006, 06:27 PM

Ok, if it is a scale insect, will it hurt the frogs? Will I need to take down the whole tank and clean it? Someone on another board suggested it could be fungus, but it realyl doesn't look like fungus to me, although I have conditions that would promote fungus growth. I am worried about the frogs being hurt by whatever it is, though.

littlefrog · #4 (**permalink**) 01-03-2006, 06:32 PM

Scale insects won't hurt frogs. From my personal experience with mealy bug (my nemesis), the frogs won't eat them, either. Or at least not enough to keep them in check.

Frognut · #5 (**permalink**) 01-04-2006, 02:27 AM

Powdery mildew looks that way and also flakes off. Grasses can get fungi very easy in a humid enviroment. You didnt mention the type of grass you were growing. Sedges (Carex) work ok in the viv and tollerate a high moisture enviroment. Pics would also help as well as type of grass.

back2eight · #6 (**permalink**) 01-04-2006, 02:43 AM

I sure wish I could show a picture. My husband lost our digital camera! I do not know the name of the grass, but I know it is tolerant to bog conditions. I bought it frog California Carnivores, and it is a grass that they sell to plant in with carnivorous plants, so it should be a good terrarium grass. It is a very, very dark green, so dark that it looks black. I have never seen this type of grass before. The conditions in my terrarium are perfect for mildew to be growing, so it makes sense that it could be mildew. Thanks for the help!

Frognut · #7 (**permalink**) 01-04-2006, 01:51 PM

the grass you described sounds like Ophiopogon planiscapus (Black Mondo Grass) Its actualy not a grass but a member of the lily family. I would still need to see it to properly ID. What lighting do you have? If it is Black Mondo grass it will need lots of light.

back2eight · #8 (**permalink**) 01-04-2006, 02:00 PM

I do have lots of light, I have a compact flourescent bulb of 135 watts, uses 30 watts. That grass we are talking about is showing new growth, as is all the other plants in there, and my sundews are growing like crazy and are sticky with dew all over them! If you know anything about sundews, you know they will not do that without suffecient lighting.