Mold Problem

MEXICOYA415

Arachnobaron
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Last week I set up a new enclosure for my two H. laoticus and it seems to already be developing mold. The enclosure is a ten gallon tank with about 5" of coco fibre on the side with the hides. It slopes down and gets to about 3" through out the rest of the tank. I included a piece of driftwood on the lower part of the substrate in a way that they could dig a scrape if they wanted to. The heat is kept at about 80 to 85 f in the day and 70 to 75 f at night.

Humidity is at about 80 % give or take through out the day and night. The tank has a screen top and provides plenty ventilation. So the problem seems to be by the wood where they have dug a scrape. It seems to be spread out through the scrape in patches. So my question is how do I keep it mold free without removing the wood. Is there any sort of non-toxic mold remover :?

Should I use a different type of substrate. I never had this problem before and I don't think it would be healthy for them not to mention unsightly. Sorry for the long post but any recomendations would be appreciated. THX
 

JungleGuts

Arachnoprince
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sometimes they will leave a little ball of remains from their meals which could be a source of mold(expecially if mold is in the area that they eat).
 
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MEXICOYA415

Arachnobaron
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sometimes they will leave a little ball of remains from their meals which could be a source of mold(expecially if mold is in the area that they eat).
I haven't fed them yet, but what really pisses me off is the fact that I just barely set it up and it's already molding. I've never had develop this fast and I don't really wanna dry out the enclosure or get rid of the drift wood as they seem to enjoy it.
 

slimtim454

Arachnoknight
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This happened to me too. I made sure the substrate around or under the enclosure was dry then spray around it but not under it.
 

JLDomestics

Arachnoknight
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I have the same problem, but mostly in amphibian tanks. I have 2 scorpion tanks that have mold too and I spray them with a weak bleach solution and it keeps the mold away. Problem is I can't spray amphibian tanks with the bleach solution so they are always moldy.
 

MEXICOYA415

Arachnobaron
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I have the same problem, but mostly in amphibian tanks. I have 2 scorpion tanks that have mold too and I spray them with a weak bleach solution and it keeps the mold away. Problem is I can't spray amphibian tanks with the bleach solution so they are always moldy.
I would think a bleach solution might be a bit harmful. Am I wrong in thinking this or have alot of people had success with this?
 

Joodafoo

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Jan 30, 2007
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I seem to be getting some mold on the wood hide too, but i'd like to know if its bad for the scorp to live around it. Also i constantly get this white frosty stuff on the surface of the substrate. I dont know if its mold or not. Heres a pic.
 

JungleGuts

Arachnoprince
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I seem to be getting some mold on the wood hide too, but i'd like to know if its bad for the scorp to live around it. Also i constantly get this white frosty stuff on the surface of the substrate. I dont know if its mold or not. Heres a pic.
the blob of white stuff appears to be poop.
 

MEXICOYA415

Arachnobaron
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I don't think that's poop. The blob on the glass could be but the stuff on the substrate looks like something else. Especially since it's so much of it concentrated all in that area.
 

JLDomestics

Arachnoknight
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I would think a bleach solution might be a bit harmful. Am I wrong in thinking this or have alot of people had success with this?
A weak bleach solution, weak enough that it would be safe for a human to drink. It keeps the mold away and my scorpions haven't died from it. It would be a bit harmful with amphibians though, that is for sure.
 

Rigelus

Arachnoknight
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I use bleach in my tomatoe plant hydroponic setup to keep the roots clean and fungal free. The ratio is 2ml bleach to 1 liter water.

Plant roots are very sensitive yet my tomatoes show absolutely no sign of being affected by the bleach.
Therefore i would imagine a similar bleach/water ratio would also be safe for your scorpions.

My advice would be to try half that amount to start with and then play it by ear.....;)
 

MEXICOYA415

Arachnobaron
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Kool I'm gonna go ahead and try this. One thing though... one of my h. laoticus is burrowed very close to the moldy area should I try to remove him first or will it be ok to spray with him there ?
 

Rigelus

Arachnoknight
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If your hetro is just under the surface then i'd be inclined to remove it however if it's well down there then i don't think it'd cause any problems.
Your're only spraying the surface, right?
 

MEXICOYA415

Arachnobaron
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If your hetro is just under the surface then i'd be inclined to remove it however if it's well down there then i don't think it'd cause any problems.
Your're only spraying the surface, right?
Well all I can see are his pedipalps sticking out a little bit. I would have to remove the whole piece of drift wood to get him out. The mold is under that pretty and pretty close to him.
 

Rigelus

Arachnoknight
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Ok, then it might be an idea to remove the scorpion if for no other reason than to spare it the (possible) distress of your cleaning regime..
 

JLDomestics

Arachnoknight
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What is your bleach to water ratio for the solution?
For spraying the mold I use 5-10 parts bleach to 90-95 parts water.

For use in my rodents water bottles I use 1-2 parts bleach and 98-99 parts water.

For general disinfecting I use 15 parts bleach to 85 parts water.
 

JungleGuts

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ive recently had a mold problem in one of my tarantulas enclosures, which boggled by since ive kept tropical scorps and T's on cocofiber for years without a trace of mold...then after a few days of redoing the tank..i see mold:wall: :? . Anyway I dumped the substrait and the wood hide, cleaned the tank with soap and used disinfectant/bactera spray i got at petco. Next i replaced the substrait with some t-rex jungle floor or something and put in a plastic hide. That should take care of it for you also, dont wait to do it.
 

arachnonick2

Arachnopeon
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May 4, 2007
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I seem to be getting some mold on the wood hide too, but i'd like to know if its bad for the scorp to live around it. Also i constantly get this white frosty stuff on the surface of the substrate. I dont know if its mold or not. Heres a pic.

That white crusty stuff could be evaporates from the water. Do you live in a hard water area? If so its likely to be mineral deposits.
 
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