How easy does coco fiber mold

[tristan4033]

So not that long ago maybe 10 minutes I was filling my waterdish and more water cam out that I would like.....maybe the equivalent to a Powerade cap and the sub is wet from its enclosure....is it going to mold or am I good

 

[user 666]

I have flooded enclosures - no mold.

I have had hermit crabs for years - no mold.

But then there was the one time I didn't clean up a T's bolus and three shades of mold grew on it.

so the short answer is - don't worry about it.

 

[Paiige]

I've seen mold twice in my eight years of using coco fiber.

 

[Venom1080]

it molds easily if kept moist for long periods of time. would never use it alone for a tropical spider. i mix it with peat moss. if its just a little bit of water, dont worry.

 

[Moakmeister]

With how my G. pulchripes constantly spills her water dish, my substrate would be wet constantly. I personally am probably not going to use it for her in the future.

 

[Spidermolt]

I've had mold issues before, usually its with humid species.

 

[Rittdk01]

I have zero tolerance for mold. My t stirmi got some mold on straight coco fiber with a bit of moss. I switched to jungle mix, which is made for tropical species. No mold on jungle mix. U won't cause mold from an over filled dish.

 

[cold blood]

Mold is often a ventilation issue as much as anything...mold means not enough.

 

[Jeff23]

I haven't seen mold appear on the substrate by itself so far. I do have problems with a fungus of some sort that grows on prey if I fail to clean them quickly. I think it might be myceluem but I am not sure.

 

[edesign]

I've had mold with cococoir many times even with my enclosure walls basically looking like Swiss cheese However, that was in the summer with no AC, a closed room (I do let fresh air in regularly), and a humidifier set too high. It still occurs now and then but to a much lesser degree. There's a fine balance with substrate moisture and mold in my case. Oddly enough, some enclosures that have less ventilation than others don't have mold issues (I'm not talking mold started from leftover boluses and such, mold that starts within the substrate).

It's still the only substrate that I use if that tells ya anything. It's not a huge problem these days. Just had a bit of a trial and error run in my new house with a dedicated invert room with differing room condition challenges depending on summer or winter. Go light on the water, you can easily add more a day or two later, but it's much harder and takes longer to dry it out.

I've had massive mold issues with peat moss though so I don't touch it these days. And it's even more hydrophobic than coco once it dries. Not to mention peat isn't exactly a renewable resource afaik so there's an ecological impact there as well.

 

[Charlottesweb17]

I have coconut fibre in both my lap enclosures, I grabbed hand culls and drained the water out like water out of a sponge until it was the consistency I wanted. Doesn't mild easily and holds moisture so well I don't have to mist a lot. Keeps the humidity nice too.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

It's all about ventilation, like cold blood said. Coco fiber per se, no matter the brand, isn't the cause. Imagine the classic 'dry set up' for the classic Theraphosidae that needs low humidity... don't remove that prey remains and nothing will happens in the short time.

Imagine the same scenario, same stuff for substrate, but with H.gigas, or other T's that needs a more humid environment/parameters for live: now if you don't remove asap that stuff, with poor ventilation mold will appear fast.