Mold on substrate

Amanda81

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I believe I have a mild problem. I built a new leopard enclosure, I usually put in the substrate and hang the heating lighting same day, it's always happened that way in the past but this time I had something pop up while I was adding the damp Eco earth (I soaked the bricks in extremely hot water) so when I got all the substrate in I stopped and dealt w what popped up, I couldn't get back to the enclosure that day and the next day I was busy as well so it was 2-3 days before I got lights and heat hung. Even after I got it hung it was a couple more days before I had them up and actually running. The enclosure set for this time open in my tort room, the room stays pretty humid and warm but it does have a window that gets plenty of light through it. Well I started noticing this white fuzz on the top of everything. It's even in the terra cotta saucer I placed in there for a pool. I don't know what's caused it, if it's a fungus or a mold. If it's dangerous to the torts, or how to remedy the issue.

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1443646766.770646.jpg
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1443646779.668149.jpg

I have not put torts in the enclosure do to this.
Can anyone advise me what I did wrong? And how to remedy the problem ?
 

Jodie

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Interesting. My substrate never gets mold. Food pieces and debri will. I get mold in the plant trays I put in my closed chamber enclosure, so I added a small fan.
Maybe just all the moisture and no movement? I would scrape it off, and finish setting it up. I don't think it will come back once there is air movement.
 

TKL

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I've had the same experience in my closed chamber. After cleaning out all the fuzz and adding a fan, the mold stopped growing.
 

Prairie Mom

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I believe I have a mild problem. I built a new leopard enclosure, I usually put in the substrate and hang the heating lighting same day, it's always happened that way in the past but this time I had something pop up while I was adding the damp Eco earth (I soaked the bricks in extremely hot water) so when I got all the substrate in I stopped and dealt w what popped up, I couldn't get back to the enclosure that day and the next day I was busy as well so it was 2-3 days before I got lights and heat hung. Even after I got it hung it was a couple more days before I had them up and actually running. The enclosure set for this time open in my tort room, the room stays pretty humid and warm but it does have a window that gets plenty of light through it. Well I started noticing this white fuzz on the top of everything. It's even in the terra cotta saucer I placed in there for a pool. I don't know what's caused it, if it's a fungus or a mold. If it's dangerous to the torts, or how to remedy the issue.

View attachment 150626
View attachment 150627

I have not put torts in the enclosure do to this.
Can anyone advise me what I did wrong? And how to remedy the problem ?
Hello. I had the exact same thing happen when I was first setting up my closed chamber. I didn't have it in the water dish, but it was all over the substrate. I can't answer whether it' a mold or fungus, but it was the same exact white fuzz. I DID have a tortoise in there. Thankfully, I had no problems. I've also had the white fuzz on seed trays that I made too wet for too long.

My problem was caused by me overwetting the substrate. My guess is that because you didn't have the heat on, all the water stayed in the Eco Earth and didn't start to evaporate into the air in the enclosure. It took a little time, but I was able to get rid of the problem simply by not adding any additional moisture to the substrate and letting things dry a bit on their own. I still maintain humidity levels in the upper 80's without it being so soaking wet. I simply hand-picked out all the fuzz every day and eventually the problem stopped. Humidity levels stayed fine as it "dried" a bit.
 

Amanda81

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Hello. I had the exact same thing happen when I was first setting up my closed chamber. I didn't have it in the water dish, but it was all over the substrate. I can't answer whether it' a mold or fungus, but it was the same exact white fuzz. I DID have a tortoise in there. Thankfully, I had no problems. I've also had the white fuzz on seed trays that I made too wet for too long.

My problem was caused by me overwetting the substrate. My guess is that because you didn't have the heat on, all the water stayed in the Eco Earth and didn't start to evaporate into the air in the enclosure. It took a little time, but I was able to get rid of the problem simply by not adding any additional moisture to the substrate and letting things dry a bit on their own. I still maintain humidity levels in the upper 80's without it being so soaking wet. I simply hand-picked out all the fuzz every day and eventually the problem stopped. Humidity levels stayed fine as it "dried" a bit.
Ok thanks! I kinda figured that's what happen. I did leave the Eco earth wetter then I normally do because I had a lower 3" layer of peat moss and I figured some the water would soak into the moss from the Eco earth. I usually put my substrate, furniture, lighting and heating all in and have it up and going the same day but I had things come up, plus I hadn't got the plexiglass for the front of it yet so the entire front of it was open so I didn't want to run any heat, it would just be wasted, and that's the only thing I did different from the other 8 times I've set up new enclosures and I've never had an issue w existing enclosures. I picked out what I could, and then scooped the top layer off to be safe. I've got lights running, 16 hours at the present time and heat set at 90 so hopefully that will dry things out and it won't come back. I won't put any torts in there til I make sure.
 

Amanda81

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I added a fan to the room. I have all my enclosures set up in my "tort room". The whole room stays about 83-92, and humidity stays around 50-70%, depending on how often I am in and out, how many times I open enclosures, time of day so I added a fan to kinda circulate the whole room. My enclosures are pretty sealed up and I don't have a fan small enough to put inside the enclosures. Should this work or should I find a small fan to put in enclosure?
 

Odin's Gma

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I am currently dealing with the same issue in our new enclosure, and whether you call it mold or fungus it is unwelcome! I am been spraying mine with a dilute mixture of peroxide and water (about 2 T of peroxide per half gallon of water) to keep it under control until I could improve the air flow, which I just did today with a small computer fan installed inside the greenhouse.
Seen here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009DLW9RO/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
The above tips about not overly wetting the substrate and airflow are both solid.
 

Jodie

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I have 1 with a fan and 1 without. The humidity is always lower with a fan inside. I Would avoid it if you can eliminate the problem without it.
 

Prairie Mom

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Ok thanks! I kinda figured that's what happen. I did leave the Eco earth wetter then I normally do because I had a lower 3" layer of peat moss and I figured some the water would soak into the moss from the Eco earth. I usually put my substrate, furniture, lighting and heating all in and have it up and going the same day but I had things come up, plus I hadn't got the plexiglass for the front of it yet so the entire front of it was open so I didn't want to run any heat, it would just be wasted, and that's the only thing I did different from the other 8 times I've set up new enclosures and I've never had an issue w existing enclosures. I picked out what I could, and then scooped the top layer off to be safe. I've got lights running, 16 hours at the present time and heat set at 90 so hopefully that will dry things out and it won't come back. I won't put any torts in there til I make sure.
Everything sounds good to me:) You're doing more to resolve the situation than I did. I can't remember how long it took for mine to go away, but it wasn't stressful and resolved itself with the hand-picking. I really didn't have to make things very dry to get rid of my problem. I just needed to stop overdoing my watering in there. Good luck! Sounds like you're on way:)
 

Amanda81

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Thanks everyone! I quit putting any water on it, I'm scrapping it off as I see it, I am running lights and heat longer and higher, I got a fan going on the tort room now, and I'm going to use that peroxide water solution as well today. I figure since there's no torts in there yet I might as well go ahead and do everything I can to stop and hopefully prevent it from coming back.
 

ZEROPILOT

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This summer I had an issue with that mold/fungus and tiny mushrooms growing on the mulch in my out door pens. Presumably from too much rain.
I had to remove the mulch and replace it.
I'm not sure if it would have harmed them or not. But, yes. It's an indication off too damp.
 

Careym13

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I've had this problem as well in the past. I was keeping the top layer of the substrate too moist. Now, I dump enough water on the substrate to keep the humidity high, but not so much that my MVB can't dry out the top layer. It was trial and error at first...but you'll figure out what works for your specific enclosure :)
 

SarahChelonoidis

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I had mold grow and spread from a new plant I added that must have had spores lying in wait. I removed the plant and substrate with mold on it and after a couple of times of picking it out, it didn't return.
 

Amanda81

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So I quit putting water on the substrate, put a fan in the room and picked all the white fuzzy stuff out, used a peroxide water mixture and treated all the substrate and decor, within two days the entire thing was covered again. So
I took off the front panels of enclosure, turned heat off, got lights running 14 hrs day, I put a small ceramic heater in the enclosure itself and just turned the fan option on, I have the big box fan running on high pointed at the enclosure, I took all decor out, scraped the first inch of substrate off and three that out, mixed the remaining substrate up and I've had it sitting like this for maybe 3-4 days, this seems to have worked. I don't see any new fuzzy stuff this far. Fingers crossed that this has solved the problem.
I have never had this issue.
I set up a "hospital" tank for Ivory because she has took a down hill turn, it only has repti bark as a substrate and it was set up in a couple hours, lights heat everything and I noticed the same white fuzzy stuff a few days after it was set up. So I'm guessing it didn't have anything to do w any plants I put in the large enclosure. It wasn't a light or heat issue, and I barely sprayed the substrate in the hospital tank, I put a few live plants in the tank and wet their soil really well to up the humidity. I'm starting to think it's got something to do with the whole room, perhaps not enough air flow?
I will continue to run the box fan for now, I have a ceiling fan to put up in the room as soon as I can get my brother up to do it for me, once the ceiling fan is up and going I will see if the box fan is still needed. Air flow and damp environment is the only thing I can figure is perhaps causing this stuff.
 
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