Tiny white dots in and on soil

[fish4all]

Wife took this one but it still doesn't show them very well. Hope it helps.

The soil is coconut coir and Worm castings.

[flybyferns]

Wow?
Very odd?
Are you sure it's not insect eggs ?

Have you look at them very closely, touch them etc?

I do not know what that is.

Lynn

[fish4all]

Well it has seemed to become clear it is a fungus of some sort. It has moved to the surface and formed into a sheet and some of it is turning yellow. I have seen this before with some plants I planted with the worm castings and eventually get a small yellow mushroom from them. Will these bloom, who knows. Hopefully it won't harm the frogs.

Anyone think that the frogs are in danger? Please let me know.

[Mentat]

Well it has seemed to become clear it is a fungus of some sort. It has moved to the surface and formed into a sheet and some of it is turning yellow. I have seen this before with some plants I planted with the worm castings and eventually get a small yellow mushroom from them. Will these bloom, who knows. Hopefully it won't harm the frogs.

Anyone think that the frogs are in danger? Please let me know.

Agree it looks like a Fungi. What is the humidity level in enclosure? Will your frog tolerate lowering it some?

The possible problem here is that you have a mat of them and when those Fungi release their spores in mass, your frogs and even your family respiratory system is going to be affected by it. Think about millions of spores stuck inside your enclosure with nowhere to go and your frog is in there with them. Then you open the door and breath... .

Well, I don't have ideas of what would eat Fungi in a terrarium. If you are setting another one, maybe you want to think about not adding the worm casings if you suspect it of harboring the Fungi. Then you can clean out this setting and start all fresh again. Terrariums like aquariums sometimes go through different biological stages and this plague could pass after a bloom; but I'm nowhere sure about that. Maybe some members with similar experience will add their comments. Good luck !

[DartEd]

I'd agree with the fungus notion. That looks like ore than isopods and spring tails could handle. I'd pull the frogs to a temporary habitat and dry out the environment or let the fungus play itself out. How's the drainage in the tank?

[fish4all]

Drainage is great, the hydroton underneath has no collected water in it that I have ever seen.

The tank has a partial screen partial glass lid on it. I doubt the humidity stays very high because the soil dries out somewhat if I don't spray it with water every couple days.

I have seen fungus on my houseplants which are all well drained. The humidity in my part of the state is HIGH for most of the year. Mold and fungus are an every day challenge so keeping mold and fungus out of anything that has a favorable growing environment is almost impossible.

I hope to be able to pick up the rest of the supplies to set up the new tank today. The frogs seem healthy right now.

Only thing I can think of for what caused this specific fungus outbreak would be adding wild caught isopods. They might have transported the fungus.

I guess the only good thing is the frogs are local species and should have dealt with it in the wild. I have seen similar white/yellow mold on wood and under logs but never the dots. Then again, the dots were more under the soil and the white and yellow film only formed on the top.

Hopefully it won't be a tiny fruit and I will be able to remove any true mushrooms that grow before they can develop spores. Exposure to the spores for people can't be any worse than breathing the air outside this time of year and it only gets worse util it dries out sooner or later, hopefully.

Maybe the fungus just wants to be part of the largest living organism in the U.S. that grows from Canada to Oregon underground, wish I could take it out and let be part of it instead of in my tank.

[DartEd]

Wild anything cold have caused it. I wouldn't go crazy setting up a whole new tank unless you planned to do it anyway. I'd just move the frogs to a safe temp housing situ, remove as much fungus as you can( wear gloves and a mask), and then add springtails and cultured isopods to the tank. They'll help keep everything in check. Once it's all gone, frogs can go back in.