isopod colony mushrooms

[MallShoggoth]

Basically what it says in the title: white mushrooms have started growing in one of my isopod colony enclosures. The isopods seem to be doing okay and I've spotted some babies so I'm guessing they're not too affected so far. Still though, I'm wondering if it would be preferable to try to move them to a fresh enclosure, or if it's fine to leave them in there.

 

[MallShoggoth]

here are the mushrooms in question





and also some gratuitous pods

 

[The Snark]

So what's the problem? Many species of isopods rely on fungi. Fungi breaks down the cellulose in wood which the isopods then eat. Dry rot windowsills and such is a isopod banquet.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

As Snark says, completely fine. Isopods live in the same environments that breed fungi - they've evolved to tolerate and/or make use of common fungal species.

 

[The Snark]

An interesting scenario.
Up in the fog belt on the coast of northern California there was a low key war on isopods. Everywhere wood was rotting there were the critters which were blamed. The local exterminators contributed to this, making quite a lot of money exterminating the pests. One particular incident was noteworthy when a large two story house sank down about three feet in a matter of days. The owner started digging out under the house through a crawl space, realized the damage was extensive and ripped out the floor. Millions of isopods were revealed The main supporting timbers had all evenly rotted away and the house settle down to the floors and walls on the dirt.

Local home repair persons and a contractor were brought in to undertake repairs and started spreading the word. The isopods were simply opportunity feeders and the culprits were several species of virulent dry rot fungi which plagued most of the houses in the town. They put the word out to watch for isopods which were harmless and were telling the homeowners they had a serious dry rot problem.

 

[MallShoggoth]

An interesting scenario.
Up in the fog belt on the coast of northern California there was a low key war on isopods. Everywhere wood was rotting there were the critters which were blamed. The local exterminators contributed to this, making quite a lot of money exterminating the pests. One particular incident was noteworthy when a large two story house sank down about three feet in a matter of days. The owner started digging out under the house through a crawl space, realized the damage was extensive and ripped out the floor. Millions of isopods were revealed The main supporting timbers had all evenly rotted away and the house settle down to the floors and walls on the dirt.

Local home repair persons and a contractor were brought in to undertake repairs and started spreading the word. The isopods were simply opportunity feeders and the culprits were several species of virulent dry rot fungi which plagued most of the houses in the town. They put the word out to watch for isopods which were harmless and were telling the homeowners they had a serious dry rot problem.

okay I think it's hilarious that people would believe isopods were responsible for wood rotting/crumbling since I've never seen those anywhere that didn't seem like it was already a welcoming environment for them (i.e. definitely not in clean and dry wood)

 

[The Snark]

okay I think it's hilarious that people would believe isopods were responsible for wood rotting/crumbling

It's just like people leaping on conspiracy theories. In the above, the presence of isopods were a smoking gun if people didn't do a little research and get the real low down.
In all fairness the other contributor to the problem was powder post beetles, their larvae, which are seldom if ever seen. With Ed's collapsed house it was a study in decomposition. The powder post larvae drilled holes which facilitated the spread of the fungi. Under his house we had a 4" x 6" beam so rotted out Ed broke it by jumping on it. Dry rot had penetrated every inch of all the main structural beams under the house.
The fun was sliding CCA treated beams under the house and with massive jacks borrowed from all over the county, jacking the house back up nearly 2 feet. 24 foot by 44 foot house evenly jacked up.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

The fun was sliding CCA treated beams under the house and with massive jacks borrowed from all over the county, jacking the house back up nearly 2 feet. 24 foot by 44 foot house evenly jacked up.

Have done this. Can confirm: is fun. For very specific definitions of "fun" that include a lot of sweat and mosquito bites and swearing, but also a lot of cheering and beer afterward.

 

[The Snark]

Have done this. Can confirm: is fun. For very specific definitions of "fun" that include a lot of sweat and...

... the building inspector. A friend just up the street from Ed's place. We had dug out the foundation where it had failed, about a 6 foot trench, and were getting ready to pour some crete, Inspector comes by and tells us two 1/2 inch rebars. We had already drilled holes for three 3/4 inchers. Inspector came back three times, warning us no further structural work without a permit!
The next project was the roof hip had sagged. So we bought four 16 foot 6 x 12 beams which we laid out in the front yard and laminated into a 28 foot 4 by 12 with the aid of a quart of glue, a nail gun and the front right tire of his truck doing the clamping. Now all we needed was to cut a hole up in the attic, slide the monster in and close up the hole without the inspector catching on. Our tools were his truck and a rusty chain hoist for a come along. A night to remember. Come dawn the suspicious looking strongback in the yard was nowhere to be seen.