[Angieownsbatman]

Ok, my 29 tall Auratus viv has been INVADED by mold!!!!! >.< Mold on the coco-hut, mold on a piece of frog poop sitting on a leaf, mold on the moss, mold on my drift wood..... Stupid question, but will it go away, or do I have to completely redo my viv? Also, I bought one of those fiberglass screen tops because I was told the metal kind will rust, but the fiberglass screen seems to have rusted!! I don't have any pics, but on my wood there is not only what appears to be white mold or a white fungus, but a mustard-yellow fungus thing going on! Am I gonna have to redo the whole thing? :?

 

[StevenBonheim]

How long has your tank been set up? Mold is normal for a fresh tank and its usualy nothing to worry about. 8)
What kind of lighting do you have? Moss usually needs very bright light to do well in a viv so maybe its moldy because its no longer thriving.
As for the rusty fiberglass screen.... fiberglass screen cant rust so maybe its some sort of red colored algae? Is the screen wet? Maybe someone else can help with that.

 

[Arklier]

Mold is not a problem. It will go away once the nutrients on the surfaces are gone.

 

[Angieownsbatman]

Yes, the screen top is wet. There's saran wrap over top so it could be algae maybe I think. The tank was completely a month or so before Christmas so.......like late November-ish. The moss has been dying more and more because I've got a 25 watt on top of my tank. I want to get brighter lighting but i'm kind of broke. So...don't panic and don't tear down the tank? Sounds good to me. Thanks!

 

[Dancing frogs]

...sounds to me like someone needed to sell some fiberglass screen!

Were the screens pre-made? If you think about it, most screens you find for sale for windows should be fine...why would people want window screens that rust?

For special order screen, that may not have been thought of for windows, etc, you need to be more careful. For example, if you order some fine gauge screen because you're worried about fruit flys getting out, make sure it's weather proof stuff.

As far as the mold, as has already been mentioned, mold isn't really a big deal. Most of my vivs will have a big spurt of mold growth a week or two after setting them up, after which it usually clears up by itself...usually helped along by springtails.

 

[Dunner97074]

How's the humidity inside the tank? How is your soil drainage? If the moss is constantly wet and not allowed to drain it will slowly die off. A glass top and a brighter light may also help in addition to soil drainage. But I wouldn't tear down the entire tank.
Mike