Blue Mold?

LeadedCactus83

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Hey folks! Before I start off, I will say I did use the search function lol! There wasn't anything in recent threads that covered this particular situation, so here we go:
My B. vagans has been in her enclosure since March 16 of this year (since her arrival.) I left the lower layer of her substrate damp and the top layer bone dry to give her the option of her own climate control. All was well, she dug a burrow that she hangs out in after she patrols around her tank, but most times I see her, she's close to the top or out on the dry sub.
She has a nasty habit of leaving her bolus' in her burrow and webbing them into the walls where I can't reach them, and she is fiercely protective of her burrow, diving in nearly every time I move the lid, and standing guard at the entrance, giving the occasional threat pose. Stubborn as a mule
I didn't think too much of it since her tank is well ventilated, and most of the lower layers have dried out, the exception being her burrow (for some oddball reason.) I always check her tank every day, but I went on a week long trip and my brother came by to check up on her. He said all was good, so I didn't think anything of it, until I noticed today there was blue mold (or fungus?) in the corner of her burrow. (I didnt do my daily inspection for the past three days because I was still pretty tired from my trip and travelling, so a bit of neglegence on my part.) Most of the cases of mold I see in tarantula enclosure are white/greyish or yellow, not vibrant blue.
Anyone seem anything like this? How did you deal with it? Did it harm your T? Should I remove all accessories and replace them to prevent another outbreak?
Thanks ~Cactus
20170528_200321.jpg 20170528_200330.jpg
 

Anoplogaster

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I've had that before in both a Euathlus sp. enclosure and a G. pulchripes enclosure. I let the sub dry out completely, and it went away. Never came back, and it never harmed the Ts.

Yours seems to be growing right where the moisture layer begins, which makes sense. You don't really need to add that moisture layer. Just give the spider a water dish, and keep the sub dry all the way down.
 

LeadedCactus83

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I've had that before in both a Euathlus sp. enclosure and a G. pulchripes enclosure. I let the sub dry out completely, and it went away. Never came back, and it never harmed the Ts.

Yours seems to be growing right where the moisture layer begins, which makes sense. You don't really need to add that moisture layer. Just give the spider a water dish, and keep the sub dry all the way down.
You left it to dry out and it went away? No sub replacement?
 

Anoplogaster

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You left it to dry out and it went away? No sub replacement?
Didn't need to replace. I've seen the same sort of mold growing inside of coconut shells before. I suspect it's something that rides in with the coco fiber. Changing the sub might not get rid of the issue.
 

LeadedCactus83

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Didn't need to replace. I've seen the same sort of mold growing inside of coconut shells before. I suspect it's something that rides in with the coco fiber. Changing the sub might not get rid of the issue.
Any suggestions on how to dry out that corner? It's stayed damp the entire two and a half months, and I don't have much of an idea besides taking out that corner of sub and replacing it with dry stuff...
 

Ellenantula

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If it were me (and assuming from picture yours isn't a tiny sling) I would let it dry out completely. You may still have the spots but the spots should die out.
 

Ellenantula

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Any suggestions on how to dry out that corner? It's stayed damp the entire two and a half months, and I don't have much of an idea besides taking out that corner of sub and replacing it with dry stuff...
Is your home's humidity particularly high? Does the enclosure have enough ventilation?
I am surprised it has not dried out in over 2 months time.
 

LeadedCactus83

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Is your home's humidity particularly high? Does the enclosure have enough ventilation?
I am surprised it has not dried out in over 2 months time.
Nah, I live in a 30-40% humidity climate (less in the winter.) It's not nearly as damp as it used to be, but it's still retaining some water. And there is PLENTY of ventilation. I have a temperary lid (since my local glass shop messed up and I'm making one at work) and it has loads of holes.
(and assuming from picture yours isn't a tiny sling)
She's about 4", maybe a bit bigger
 

Ellenantula

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Osmosis seems to not work in your home -- 2.5 months???
I never recommend substrate changes. And especially if it would destroy a beloved burrow. But I am almost thinking you should dig that corner out now if its been 2.5 months and not dried yet.
Weird.
 

LeadedCactus83

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Osmosis seems to not work in your home -- 2.5 months???
I never recommend substrate changes. And especially if it would destroy a beloved burrow. But I am almost thinking you should dig that corner out now if its been 2.5 months and not dried yet.
Weird.
Yeah, I don't want to wreck it, but she could dig a new one, and I could get a larger log for her. I'm mostly worried about how badly she'll freak out. She's sitting in there all tucked up, like she knows and is in protest or something lol
Maybe if I'm careful enough I could just dig out the blue bits and save most of the burrow.
 

Anoplogaster

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If you're worried about it, I'd say to dig out that corner. But honestly, that mold didn't hurt my Ts, probably because it wasn't out in the open. I'm not saying it's completely harmless (because I don't know for sure), but my experiences were that it didn't seem to negatively affect my animals.
 

LeadedCactus83

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If you're worried about it, I'd say to dig out that corner. But honestly, that mold didn't hurt my Ts, probably because it wasn't out in the open. I'm not saying it's completely harmless (because I don't know for sure), but my experiences were that it didn't seem to negatively affect my animals.
I'll take your word that it won't affect her, but she's redoing the tunnel as I type so maybe that's a sign she's not completely content with her living conditions. Maybe a bigger log would suit her better, so I might just dig that corner out anyways. Thank you for your advice! I appreciate it!
 

Andrea82

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If your ventilation is only in the lid, that would explain why it is still damp. To get it to dry faster you should add some holes right about substrate level. :)
 

Andrea82

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Unfortunately, the tank is glass, so that's not an option.
I'm not a fan of glass tanks for this exact same reason. B.hamorii (ex smithi) is an arid species and likes it dry with just a waterdish. Your enclosure has insufficient ventilation, in combination with damp substrate. This means the humidity is too high, which your B.hamorii doesn't like very much ;)
You are already adjusting the screen lid from what I've gathered, which is good. I guess if you insist on keeping it in this tank, you should take out the substrate and replace it with completely dry sub, and make sure you don't spill water when filling the waterdish.
 

LeadedCactus83

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I'm not a fan of glass tanks for this exact same reason. B.hamorii (ex smithi) is an arid species and likes it dry with just a waterdish. Your enclosure has insufficient ventilation, in combination with damp substrate. This means the humidity is too high, which your B.hamorii doesn't like very much ;)
You are already adjusting the screen lid from what I've gathered, which is good. I guess if you insist on keeping it in this tank, you should take out the substrate and replace it with completely dry sub, and make sure you don't spill water when filling the waterdish.
She a B. vagans and from what I understand they have a wider tolerance for various humidity levels, since they are found in Florida as well as Mexico. She is my first tarantula so I've been learning on the fly and observing her behaviour. She seems pretty content with most things, eats like a horse and hasn't had a need to molt yet, so all in all, I think I'm doing okay.
It's just this one mishap that's fixable and everything should be fine. I'll be picking up another bag of sub and drying it out thoroughly before I dig out that corner to remove the mold.
I was also under the idea that top ventilation is dryer since most humidity escapes nearly immediately out the top and cross ventilation helps retain humidity. Is that wrong?
And I don't have access to a nicer tank since I live in a little town that doesn't have too many pet stores and shipping is a money suck.
 

Andrea82

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She a B. vagans and from what I understand they have a wider tolerance for various humidity levels, since they are found in Florida as well as Mexico. She is my first tarantula so I've been learning on the fly and observing her behaviour. She seems pretty content with most things, eats like a horse and hasn't had a need to molt yet, so all in all, I think I'm doing okay.
It's just this one mishap that's fixable and everything should be fine. I'll be picking up another bag of sub and drying it out thoroughly before I dig out that corner to remove the mold.
I was also under the idea that top ventilation is dryer since most humidity escapes nearly immediately out the top and cross ventilation helps retain humidity. Is that wrong?
And I don't have access to a nicer tank since I live in a little town that doesn't have too many pet stores and shipping is a money suck.
Oh wow, my apologies for mistaking it for a B.hamorii, i think i confused it with another thread. :shy:

The cross ventilation ensures there is air flow on all levels, from what i've seen, and is the ventilation which has the preference. It doesn't have to have 50 airholes in each side, but a simpel metal plate with holes in it at the front and one on top, for example. With only on top, there is no circulation. Argh, I'm a bit struggling with the language here, sorry, I hope my post makes sense.
B.vagans has a wider tolerance yes, but I think as moist to the point when there is mold...is too much, and it is also an indicator that there isn't enough airflow.
 

Andrea82

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I don't understand this sentence
'she hasn't had a need to molt yet so all in all I think I'm doing okay'
The spider not molting is not a sign of good or bad husbandry ;) but maybe I misunderstood the sentence?
 
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