White fuzzy fungi

Would you post pics of the entire viv, including the top and ventilation?

Sphagnum moss is not suitable as a regular substrate, though some people use it in quarantine tanks for short periods of time.

Looks like part of the normal mold growth and cycling in process to me. Fun to watch for sure!

My first vivarium recently had this same issue and what appears to be the same type of mold. Both the white stringy kind and the green mold on my wood. It went away after about a month of cycling and addition of a clean up crew (springtails+white dwarf isos).

ohpaddy said:

I set up a small dart frog terrarium. White fuzzy fungi has invaded. What can I do? (At day H:80%, T:78F, At night H:100% T:65F). Little small green spots on the surface of the dry wood as well.

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You can use a diluted hydrogen peroxide, but if you already put creatures in there you probably want to just let it go away by itself. I had this happen in my new one, I used hydrogen peroxide which got rid of it, but it just came back elsewhere, eventually it just went away.


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The layer of sphagnum has no benefit, and holds too much water for frogs' feet and plants' stems. It is best removed and replaced with a layer of leaf litter a few leaves deep over the entire substrate.

It is hard to see in the photo, but there may be other issues to address. On the right side of the viv there is a depression, and the false bottom doesn't extend all they way. Is there a purpose for that? Looks like a problem spot, where water will wick up and keep the substrate too wet.

The frogs would benefit from many, many more climbing opportunities -- they are avid climbers.

What is the ventilation? Is there a fan built into the top (I see a cord). If so, is it screened off for frog safety?

That looks like a 10g fish tank. If so, considering a larger enclosure would be a good idea, both for floorspace and for vertical climbing. An 18 x 18 x 18 viv is a tolerable minimum size for Dendrobates species.

Socratic Monologue said:

The layer of sphagnum has no benefit, and holds too much water for frogs' feet and plants' stems. It is best removed and replaced with a layer of leaf litter a few leaves deep over the entire substrate.

It is hard to see in the photo, but there may be other issues to address. On the right side of the viv there is a depression, and the false bottom doesn't extend all they way. Is there a purpose for that? Looks like a problem spot, where water will wick up and keep the substrate too wet.

The frogs would benefit from many, many more climbing opportunities -- they are avid climbers.

What is the ventilation? Is there a fan built into the top (I see a cord). If so, is it screened off for frog safety?

That looks like a 10g fish tank. If so, considering a larger enclosure would be a good idea, both for floorspace and for vertical climbing. An 18 x 18 x 18 viv is a tolerable minimum size for Dendrobates species.

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I left a corner where there is no substrate and no drainage layer, to let water from the soil drain down and accumulate there, it is a little murky right now, but its just water. The frog sometimes goes to sit there in the morning before i mist so he seems to enjoy it like a mini bath.

On top there is just a lightbulb, I am planning to replace it with LED strips once they arrive. The only ventilation is holes in the side of the top lid, no fan.

In the future i definitely want to upgrade to a larger enclosure, this one is 20x40x20. My plan currently is to add more vegetation to this one like you said for more climbing chances, and maybe reducing the height of the substrate/drainage layers since they are taking up 1/3rd the height of the tank currently.

A better drainage plan would be to sink a tube through the substrate and drainage layer and siphon drainage water up through it. The frog may be hydrating there now because there is insufficient moisture holding structure (semi-porous hardscape) and plants (which transpire moisture to moderate humidity) and that's his least bad option.

Ventilation should be sufficient that the top layer of leaf litter and plant leaves mostly dry out within a couple hours of a heavy (enough that the substrate gets some moisture) misting but not so much that the viv gets dry. Fish tanks are notoriously hard to achieve that balance in, so hopefully the future viv (which should be a priority) is a purpose built vivarium that has both high and low vents to allow air to flow both in and out through convection.

I agree that the substrate and drainage layer are too high, but that would be less of an issue in a viv with better height (minimum 18", although many people prefer 24").

ohpaddy said:

I set up a small dart frog terrarium. White fuzzy fungi has invaded. What can I do? (At day H:80%, T:78F, At night H:100% T:65F). Little small green spots on the surface of the dry wood as well.

View attachment 296978

Click to expand...

I had the same thing in my terrarium, it went away by itself after a while (3 weeks give or take)