mold in vials

[prey]

Can anyone elighten me as to why I *only* have scary brushes with white fuzz in my *small* containers? I have been using a peat/vermic mix and am in transition to CocoSoft in vials and cups. But can someone tell me why I can keep big, deep containers so little ventilated as to retain 80% humid. at ~80F without adding water for 2 weeks, whereas I have over-ventilated vials and cups that dry out in 3 days but want to molder immdediately? I thought it was still, stale air that allowed mold. I didn't think it seemed like I was dampening their peat any more than the big boxes. Weird. If CocoSoft doesn't do it then I'm considering purely inorganic material for vals and cups.

P.S.
I always remove food boluses and errant prey material. If I fail to identify a brown bit, it tells me by fuzzing over in 2 days in said small containers.

 

[BLS Blondi]

Mold

Here's is your answer: the air is stagnant. For "cotton" mold to grow, a few things are needed: organic substrate, high humidity, little sunlight, and stagnant air (ex: your bedroom, when the door and windows are closed). If the air is fairly still, there's your problem. As far as what you are describing, the soil may appear dry, but it is apparently moist enough for mold to grow. I had this happen to me once. The reason why it happened to me, is a bought a HUGE bag of peat, that I used for a few T tanks. Within two days, it looked like the cage had a snow fall. The surface was covered with it. So getting substrate with mold spores already in it will lead to it as well.

 

[prey]

thanks

I see. I'll put a small fan in there plus exchange air more in the room. That explains why they can dry out so quickly yet molder, nonetheless, with no unreasonable humidity, ever. I hadn't thought of stagnant air existing when there's enough container ventilation as to dry so quickly (2-3 days?). It's the whole room? The room smells fine to the human nose and is very dry, but I'll get some more air exchange in there. In the summer here in Florida, I can probably just keep the window cracked.
Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Hedorah99]

I see. I'll put a small fan in there plus exchange air more in the room. That explains why they can dry out so quickly yet molder, nonetheless, with no unreasonable humidity, ever. I hadn't thought of stagnant air existing when there's enough container ventilation as to dry so quickly (2-3 days?). It's the whole room? The room smells fine to the human nose and is very dry, but I'll get some more air exchange in there. In the summer here in Florida, I can probably just keep the window cracked.
Thanks,
Jeff

The air is not stagnant in the room, its stagnant in the vials. You need ot increase the amount of ventilation in the vials, i.e. more airholes.

 

[prey]

i just said

As I was saying, I already have the vials ventilated way more than most people ever do. They go from being almost too wet for the species to bone dry within 3 days. That's the whole reason I was puzzled that the vials still want to molder but the large containers that are far less ventilated don't mold. I'm thinking about chalking it up as contamination in the peat from the beginning.