haplopelma species mold problems.. please advise.. kinda urgent.

bloodred1889

Arachnoknight
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Jul 12, 2005
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hi all.
ok so i just had to take my cobolt blue out of her tank because i found some more mold, or fungus. if i had a picture id show you but i dont so ill do my best to explain.

its yellow and fluffy. this time it grew on some wood in her tank which i took out, at the moment im drying out her tank while she is in a temp tank.
while cleaning her tank though i noticed some small mite like creatures in her burrow, which i have cleaned out too.
i dont want to dig up her whole tank and have to start again, she seemed settled :(

i am confused as to what to do, everyone thinks diffrent.
the tarantula keepers guidebok says keeping your haplopema spiders dry is ok for them even though they are tropical, but alot of other books and ppl say they need it to be real humid, and this is why the mold grows and the mites start.
what are your opinions, how do you keep your cobolt blues and thialand blacks?
i know there not swamp dwellers thank god!
and what should i do, totally redo there tanks, or put them back in and not worry about the mold, as some ppl say its harmless, as they have mold in the wild, so it wont effect them.
i just want them to be happy and healthy.
my cobolt is eating great, my minax hasnt eaten yet or started a burrow, she just stays in the corner, another question maybe but any advice on how to make her comfortable enough to burrow, the substrate is the same as my cobolts so its fine for burrowing.

sigh im just so anxious, stupid i know but ive delt with scuttle fly before and thats how my last H.minax died, didnt clean out the dead food from her burrow... :embarrassed:

so anyone?
im sorry if im annoying with all the questions but this is a serious matter so please give me your wisdom :D
maybe some pictures of setups would help too :D...
ok im pushing it....:eek:
 

Ictinike

Arachnobaron
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House her on something dry like paper towels for a day or two with a water dish (depending on size) and clean the enclosure by throwing out the substrate completely and cleaning with hot water the tank and any fixtures you might have.

Let them dry thoroughly and re-house back in the enclosure with new substrate.
 

bloodred1889

Arachnoknight
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ok.
so can i ask are you on the side of people who think mold is BAD?
i know thenatural said in a thread he thinks its harmless.
im not being a dik im just curious.

thanks for answering :)
 

Warren Bautista

Arachnoprince
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I don't think mold that will grow in a relatively humid tank with decent air circulation is bad. Tarantulas have mold in the wild, and they've been surviving for hundred of millions of years. :eek:
 

bloodred1889

Arachnoknight
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thanks for your opinion, im thinking maybe that way of thinking is right, not experienced enough yet though, in the past ive re-done my tarntulas tanks, and always treated tropical T,s with real humid tanks, but the tarantula keepers guide and looking on this site are making me realise most tarantulas can be kept much drier and be fine and happy.
but again thats a book and everyone has diffrent opinions.

btw calling seanbond, you keep alot of haplopelmas and pet holes what ya think?
and what shell i do with my H.minax? she is missing one leg, but its healed that woudnt be making her not well would it?
 

JimM

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I don't think mold that will grow in a relatively humid tank with decent air circulation is bad. Tarantulas have mold in the wild, and they've been surviving for hundred of millions of years. :eek:
I think most of the hysteria around mold is unnecessary.
I have mold show up now and then, and I seldom worry about it. I'll remove
it when I have time but I don't consider it an emergency.

In 25 years I've yet to lose anything to mold.


I guess I'm saying don't necessarily ignore it, but don't panic either.
 

bloodred1889

Arachnoknight
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thanks jimM for opinion, im thinking the same, is there a type of mold that is dangerous?
i know mites and flies are bad.

MO: the minax is about 3-3.5inches
 

JimM

Arachnoangel
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thanks jimM for opinion, im thinking the same, is there a type of mold that is dangerous?
i know mites and flies are bad.

MO: the minax is about 3-3.5inches
I couldn't tell you anything about different types of mold, just that despite claims of possible issues, I've never seen them develop. Of course I don't let mold get a food hold either.

Years ago I had an adult H. lividum that was living in a very small enclosure that was absolutely overcome with mold spores in the substrate. I was going through some tough times and wasn't caring for her very well. In the end, months later I finally cleaned out her enclosure and she was non the worse for wear.
NOTE - I'm not saying this was good, or that this is proof that no mold has ever harmed a tarantula. For me though it was evidence enough that I needn't panic when a small amount shows up in an enclosure. I use lots of wood/bark, so it shows up now and then. No worries.
 

seanbond

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I think most of the hysteria around mold is unnecessary.
I have mold show up now and then, and I seldom worry about it. I'll remove
it when I have time but I don't consider it an emergency.

In 25 years I've yet to lose anything to mold.


I guess I'm saying don't necessarily ignore it, but don't panic either.
I couldn't tell you anything about different types of mold, just that despite claims of possible issues, I've never seen them develop. Of course I don't let mold get a food hold either.

Years ago I had an adult H. lividum that was living in a very small enclosure that was absolutely overcome with mold spores in the substrate. I was going through some tough times and wasn't caring for her very well. In the end, months later I finally cleaned out her enclosure and she was non the worse for wear.
NOTE - I'm not saying this was good, or that this is proof that no mold has ever harmed a tarantula. For me though it was evidence enough that I needn't panic when a small amount shows up in an enclosure. I use lots of wood/bark, so it shows up now and then. No worries.
i agree with all of this. right now i think i have some mold that jus popped up in one of my tanks but i never worry about it. u dont have to keep them over the top humid just mist every 1-2x a week and i pour warm water in once ever 2 weeks. hope this helps.
 

Nicole

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I keep my avics in vivariums, and have little spots of mold here and there occasionally on the cork bark or plants. I don't think it's too big of a deal really, but I still seed all my tanks with springtails just in case. They eat the mold, leftover bits of food, etc.
 

BCscorp

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No need to panic but, I would err on the side of caution and thoroughly dispose of the substrate and clean the enclosure. No one has put up one shred of evidence as to if this is bad mold or not other than anecdotal evidence about it in spider enclosures. Letting molds sporulate in your house is bad due to possible adverse affects on your health, whether its toxic mold or not. Why dice with something you cant even name?
I find that doing the technique of pouring water down the side of the enclosure to moisten the deep substrate is better than misting and soaking it through as molds seem to get started quicker that way. The top inch or so of substrate being able to dry helps alot and the burrower can go where the moisture is if need be.
 

bloodred1889

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I keep my avics in vivariums, and have little spots of mold here and there occasionally on the cork bark or plants. I don't think it's too big of a deal really, but I still seed all my tanks with springtails just in case. They eat the mold, leftover bits of food, etc.
what are springtails?
id be interested in anything that can live with a tarantula and eat mold :D
 

bloodred1889

Arachnoknight
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I would err on the side of caution and thoroughly dispose of the substrate and clean the enclosure. No one has put up one shred of evidence as to if this is bad mold or not other than anecdotal evidence about it in spider enclosures. Letting molds sporulate in your house is bad due to possible adverse affects on your health, whether its toxic mold or not. Why dice with something you cant even name?
I find that doing the technique of pouring water down the side of the enclosure to moisten the deep substrate is better than misting and soaking it through as molds seem to get started quicker that way. The top inch or so of substrate being able to dry helps alot and the burrower can go where the moisture is if need be.
i know what you mean, its a subject that causes debates.
ive took the mold out and the top layer of substrate and dried it out over night, the spider is back in and is looking fine.

i wonder has anyone got any pictures of mold types that you find in tarantula tanks, might be helpfull to put a name to them.

thanks for advice though everyone :)
 

AmbushArachnids

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Haplopelma like it damp. Try to keep the cage well ventalated. My first one used to lay in the water dish. Actually molted in it once. Try to scrape the mold off the top when you see it starting to grow. IMO its harmless. :}
 

Londoner

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sorry if im being dumb, but are you saying i should put some woodlouse in my tanks so they help with mold and pests?
wont the tarantula eat them if they come near her?

because im totally willing to give it a try, can i get some from the wild?
or can i get some from a reptile shop?

thanks anyway :)
Plenty of people keep woodlice in their more humid enclosures to act as an organic clean up crew. They do seem to be quite effective and on the whole are ignored by the T

I don't use them personally, but there are some places in this country where you can order them online. If you want more info, do a search on here with the words "pillbugs" or "rollie-pollies" (sp.?).

Hope that helped some.
 
Last edited:

curiousme

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We use isopods(pillbugs, rollie pollies) in our H. sp.Vietnam's enclosure and they take care of the mold if there ever is any, and the decaying plant material as it is a planted tank. I wouldn't collect them from the wild due to possible exposure to pesticides or fertilizers. Most people order them off the net.

IMO, don't change the substrate, it will just unnecessarily stress the spider more.
 
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