Tiny white dots in and on soil

[fish4all]

I have a myriad of tiny white dots in the soil and now they are showing up on the soil. I would guess that they are some kind of mold or fungus but I want to make sure that this isn't something that is going to hurt my Pacific Chorus Frogs.

I can't get a picture of them for some reason, the spots never turn out visible but they are tiny and very numerous. Started out under the soil along the edges of the glass and have migrated to above the soil in numerous locations instead of just a couple. The migration says fungus to me and the regular round shape does too but I want to make sure. Have not heard of many fungus that live both under and above the soil line. There is also no signs of any kind of fruit production although it hasn't been long that they have been above the soil level.

I am going to be setting up the new terrarium for them as soon as the Laterite, clay balls and a couple other things come in. I don't want to set up the exact same if the mold/fungus is possibly dangerous to the frogs.

Could this be a problem that could be rectified by adding some springtails? I have tried local species of woodlice and rolly pollies but they always die and drown. The tiny species I have don't seem to do a thing for the tank but I don't see the tiny springtails for more than a day or two after adding them. I do have some of the composting worms, red wigglers, in the enclosure but I know it is not their eggs. They don't eat much in there anyway as there isn't much food for them. I might try a tropical species of woodlice sooner or later in the new tank just because they will have more room and a lot more hiding places, as well as it will be harder for them to get in the water and drown.

[flybyferns]

Hi Chris,
It's impossible to tell what this could be without a photo?
Having said that , white mold here and there ( especially on wood) is common and as a result of the warm/damp environment-It will cycle out.
It can't hurt to throw in some spring tails AND isopods as they come with their own little vacuums and get right to work!
Any enclosure that has soil substrate should have the janitor crews anyway

Both the isopods and the spring tails are easy to culture.
see- for some basic information :
Isopods at Josh's Frogs
Springtails - Feeder Insects and Supplies | Josh's Frogs

Lynn

[fish4all]

I will try again to get a picture but they show up as blobs and won't come into focus, maybe some better lighting or a flash in a darker setting.

Til then, it looks like perfect round white balls about the size of a small pinhead.

[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.

[fish4all]

New tank was planned so no biggy there. I will remove what I can and see if that help. Maybe a real good mixing up of the soil will break the cycle. I may have to keep this one going to see what it grows into, without the frogs of course.

[PlantFan]

Did you ever figure out what this is? I have the same issue, I put some plants in and started watering about a week ago. Its at about 60-80% humidity most of the time, and the soil is well-draining, not waterlogged (and I have a false bottom). I haven't been able to find many people with this issue, so I'm hoping you had a resolution!
I put springtails and isopods in about a week ago, so hopefully as they multiply they will chow down.

[bcreps]

I hate this stuff ..I get raging mad when i find it in the drainage holes in my plants. I hope someone can ID