Need Help Dealing With Mold

[rice]

Hi, I have a ceratophrys ornata and i have tin foil on the screen lid to help keep in humidity and heat. The only problem is that mold grows so I end up taking the lid off to dry it out and get rid of it. That doesn't work too well. How can i increase air circulation dramatically and deal with mold? Can i attach little fans to the lid? Should i add leaf litter and springtails? A response or two would be helpful.

[k5MOW]

I would also be very interested in this question. Because I am setting up my first frog terrarium. I will be using clear plastic instead of the tinfoil to allow UVB light in. Eventually I will get a glass top.

Roger

[Heatheranne]

Springtails and Isopods will help, but it depends on the extent of mold. Larger frogs seem to be annoyed by the movement of small insects within their substrate. I believe it is because they are more sedentary and like minimal movement themselves. Dart frogs on the other hand are constantly in motion so the springtails and isos rarely crawl on them.

White mold will actually spore and then die off relatively quickly within a few days. Black mold and if seen in or on the substrate should be removed, tank cleaned and new substrate used.

How often are you changing your substrate and which type are you using?

Larger sedentary frogs' substrate with no false bottoms and no drainage system to remove urine and waste should be changed monthly. Turning/mixing the substrate around helps a little.

[deranged chipmunk]

Ventilation is key to keeping mold at bay. Poke some holes into the tin foil to allow some of the stale air to get out.


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[deranged chipmunk]

I would also be very interested in this question. Because I am setting up my first frog terrarium. I will be using clear plastic instead of the tinfoil to allow UVB light in. Eventually I will get a glass top.

Roger

UVB lighting will not penetrate glass/plastic/plexiglass/lexan. It's shortwave radiation with cannot penetrate these substances. UVA is a long wave and will barely penetrate glass. Only a very minute portion actually gets through. This is why you don't receive a sunburn being indoors.


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[Krispy]

I ran into this issue when i first vanjacked my fogger. Almost all my tanks are living so moisture, mold, and airflow are always on the brain/being measured here.

That darn loopy chipmunk is right. While a small circulation fan would help, it would also hurt you at the same time, drawing out humidity with air. Perhaps less foil, or holes, or even no foil and a new heat source.

Sometimes just a fan not too far from the tank helps. How have/do you sterilize the item(s)?

Is there a certain item that keeps molding? Or is it tank wide? Knowing the tank contents may help figure this out. I cant tell you how many mold issues ive had with pet store organic(wood, moss, etc) items... its a bad deal so i refuse to buy them anymore(except for cork)

[deranged chipmunk]

That darn loopy chipmunk is right.

Haha, every now and then, the tequila wears off and I get one right lol

It's just a matter of keeping it simple.


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[Krispy]

Haha, every now and then, the tequila wears off and I get one right lol

It's just a matter of keeping it simple.


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Lol hey the wife says im simple all the time!

[rice]

I am using gravel as a drainage layer with mesh over that and then ecoearth. I have heat pad on the side and have a cutout in the tinfoil for a 5.0 uvb which i recently just added because I'm adding a pothos since she's too big for solid hides. I replace substrate about every month and a half. I mix around the substrate when ever it looks all flat and really packed down. It is white mold but doesn't really seem to go away it just grows. I do scoop it out then i let the thin top layer of ecoearth dry out.