[dtown]

This mold is out of control!! In some spots it looks like spider eggs. Its really thick in other spots. Can someone please help me identify this and let me know if its good or bad mold!! Really worried about it

 

[kgb]

was your tank seeded with springtails and isopods? Its fine if it was, they will eat it. But by the looks of it, you dont have springs in there or it wouldnt have gotten that bad...

 

[jbherpin]

This mold is out of control!! In some spots it looks like spider eggs. Its really thick in other spots. Can someone please help me identify this and let me know if its good or bad mold!! Really worried about it

Increase your air circulation and (re)seed with Springtails. This should correct the mold issue. If this tank is newly set up, mold will appear, dissappear, and then reappear, etc. If the viv is set up correctly, this will stabilize and go away. Some molds are active, and can benefit the system in regards to aiding in the breakdown of waste/detritus.

What substrate are you using? I use organic soil(say 80%), moss(10%) and dead leaves(10%). Mold is seldom an issue, even with new tanks when soil is the dominant component, at least for me. Is your lighting sufficient? Sometimes a wet viv under poor lighting is a prime soup for mold...

All my best!

JBear

 

[billschwinn]

I dealt with a mold on 2 shipments of spaghnum moss a few months ago that within 2 weeks of moistening it a mold grew throughout it looking like cotton growing through the layers of substrate and had a nasty sweet smell to it. It eventually did cause problems with my frogs and was real hard on juvies.

 

[cbreon]

Bill, can you elaborate any further? How was it hard on the juvies and your frogs? Thanks

--Craig

 

[jbherpin]

Bill, can you elaborate any further? How was it hard on the juvies and your frogs? Thanks

--Craig

Soiled moss becomes quite acidic. Some mosses "hold" better than others. Once moss goes bad, it's gone.

JBear

 

[billschwinn]

Bill, can you elaborate any further? How was it hard on the juvies and your frogs? Thanks

--Craig

The mold killed juveniles housed on it, the adults that were on it basically were not very active and some lost some weight.

 

[dtown]

I used the ABG mix. The viv has been going for about a month or so, and I just put the spring tails in today. I'm hoping for the best, it's just out of control in there....

 

[dtown]

So I doubled the light output with 2 5.0 bulbs, and I also am running a fan for 1 minute 4x's a day, and have a generous amount of springtails in there.... Is this the necessary steps to get my viv in the right direction??

 

[dtown]

I can't help but dig a little hole with my finger to see if the springs are alive and cruising around?!?! Complete NOOB manover here.... I just want these little guys to populate, take care of my mold, and clean up my viv... Is there a better way to check out my spring pop. in my viv???

 

[dartsami]

I use natural bacteria to seed tanks whenever I start new tanks or add new moss to old ones. The bacteria outcompete molds since they grow much faster. Heres a link to 'Biozmye':

Biozyme for Freshwater - 8 g | Bacterial Supplements | Water Treatments & Additives | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com

It contains nitrogen fixing bacterias which are good for the tank. Its a dry powder you can sprinkle underneath the moss.
This coupled with springtail seeding will keep the mold down.

 

[Freeradical53]

My RETF tank has a piece of wood (cypress) embedded in the background which has a Mold on it like "out in the forest wood eating mold". The tank got overgrown. I opened the top, took the mister out (still hand mist twice a day) and put some more springtails in. I can see the springs doing their thing. They could overpopulate, however, since the RETF don't eat them. However, the mold is subsiding somewhat and it hasn't affected the frogs so far..

 

[dtown]

My RETF tank has a piece of wood (cypress) embedded in the background which has a Mold on it like "out in the forest wood eating mold". The tank got overgrown. I opened the top, took the mister out (still hand mist twice a day) and put some more springtails in. I can see the springs doing their thing. They could overpopulate, however, since the RETF don't eat them. However, the mold is subsiding somewhat and it hasn't affected the frogs so far..

This might answer a question of mine... Should I leave the top off?? Or take it off during intervals??

 

[BethInAK]

I can't help but dig a little hole with my finger to see if the springs are alive and cruising around?!?! Complete NOOB manover here.... I just want these little guys to populate, take care of my mold, and clean up my viv... Is there a better way to check out my spring pop. in my viv???

Yes!
I have a large, not decayed leaf (dried leaf litter) underneath the food bowl that I sprinkle with yeast once in a while. If I want to check my springtail population, I just lift the bowl and I can see if there are a few springs or, a crapload of springs.

 

[Freeradical53]

This might answer a question of mine... Should I leave the top off?? Or take it off during intervals??

I don't really know. I took mine off but shielded part of the screen. The tank is drying but I think I may have to relocate the frogs. The male is not looking too good and stays in the lower half of the tank which is unusual.