Not sure. Mine is well planted and about 5 months old but smells earthy and actually smells good. But I have a lot of ventilation too. I actually often leave a large (22" x 2") gap open for several hours per day so the air never really gets stagnant.

 

Do you have an air space in the bottom with clay pellets for drainage? Are you using RO/spring/distilled water, or just purified tap water? Also, do you wash your hands thoroughly and let no unwashed skin come in contact with the tank?

One think I did to increase resistance to bacteria (where stink comes from!) is to remove the frogs and mist lightly with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water, let it set for 15 minutes, then spray down well with purified water. The vinegar gets into the substrate but not on the frogs. It will probably reduce your springtail population a bit, but it will also provide some acidity to the substrate.

I do NOT recommend doing it on live moss, BTW. Also, this is only my personal experience---try at your own risk.

 

Yes, I have plenty of LECA substrate, and use only spring water. The screen top is 80% covered, 20% screen. Often my hubby covers that space with the light, though. He's very concerned about keeping the humidity up, and I'm wondering if we should be more concerned with fresh air. I am a work-at-home mom, so am available to mist all day, so moisture needn't be a problem.

The little guys eat and hide, and I catch them hopping about the enclosure from time to time, so they seem "happy". I want them to stay that way!

 

"Earthy". "Musty" are accurate descriptions.

I have vivs that have been set up for over three years and have never drained or changed the water and they smell fine

A lot of guys do not drain or change their tank water - ever.

If your viv is heavily planted and you have decent microfauna, then the composting process works remarkable well in the closed system.

No worries...

 

I'm familliar with the good, earthy smell of compost, and this is not it. I'm hoping that it's merely because it's a "young" tank, and the microorganisms haven't yet established themselves enough.

In my experience with aquariums, I know that the nitrogen spike that often starts "beginner's syndrome" occurs very suddenly. Being as inexperienced as I am, I need some help identifying the early warning signs of something bad, before it goes irreparably wrong. I know springtails eat mold, but are there bad kinds of mold to watch out for?

 

I have the same musty smell in my red eye tree frog viv. Witch is also a newer tank so you're not alone . I have been thinking the same thing as if the smell is normal or not . I have been to pet shops that sell herps, and smell horrible , which I do not trust or buy from . A lot of the herps they have just look sick I remember that smell and my viv smells nothing like that . Actually now that I think about it IT smell GREAT compared to that

 

What kind of substrate do you use? My auratus tank with leaf litter over coco fiber is my best smelling tank, my tree frog tanks are sheet moss over coco fiber, and they have a musty smell that I don't care for. I will be reworking them after I move.