I have 2 baby pacman frogs in a 20H gallon aquarium, split with a divider, and an under tank heater to provide heat and humidity to the tank and substrate. My problem is, that the tank is very warm and humid- but after a few weeks of cleaning the entire enclosure (sanitizing, removing all artificial plants, and completely changing the bedding (exoterra plantation soil)- I get tiny white little bugs that I can see crawling around the tank!! They don't seem to harm the frogs but they're disgusting, and I don't want the frogs to live in an unhealthy environment. This has happened twice now. In addition, there seems to be a little bit of white mold on the terrarium moss (also exoterra) due to the warm/humid conditions of the tank. Last time this happened, I completely replaced the moss as well. What are these white little bugs/mite things? Are they harmful to the frogs? How can I prevent this from happening again? How can I prevent mold from growing on the moss? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!
Hello, all of this is normal in a warm humid vivarium. The white bugs are mites and are harmless. The mold will eventually subside and only come back periodically. This is all healthy and doesn't require cleaning everything.
Yep just as NW Amphibian Rescue said, having mites and other little critters in the soil is normal. Also it can and usually is very beneficial to have "live" soil that possesses little arthropods, annelids and other critters, because they help cycle the soil. The arthropods and worms will also help form some nice fertile soil, that will allow for planting some real plants. Adding real plants would help with absorbing some of the excess water, make the substrate even healthier and make your cage look better as well.
Last edited by Kurt; April 6th, 2010 at 02:48 PM.
im having a little bit of white mold problems as well, I guess im in the same boat as you, and I DONT need to clean it, as this is an OK thing. cool
I also have white fluffy looking mold in my tank, it surrounds my two bromeliads. Should I reduce the amount of water inside the plant or add heat under the tank?
Thanks
MOst likely there is rotting material such as dead, drowned fruit flies or some other insect amongst the leaves of the bromeliad. Just check the plant from time to time for said materials and removed them when sighted.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)