Mushrooms growing in tarantula enclosure! Are they harmful?

[The Grym Reaper]

are you imp[lying you are getting spores on the breeze? I know yeasts can travel this way (see Belgian Sour Beer) but I am hard pressed to believe mushrooms spores are going to blow in to a home and get in ones terrarium. Coconuts being tropical aren't typically in mushroom heavy locales so while it may good material for the growth of mushrooms I do not think it is the source.

I've ended up with all kinds of weird crap growing out of coco fibre. Blue mould, black mould, mushrooms, various plants. If it doesn't blow in then it's already in there which means that they don't do a very good job of heat treating the stuff either.

 

[Matt Man]

I use some kind of potting soil (without pesticides or added fertilizers), but it looks more like coco fiber than anything. It's called turfstrooisels. I've seen some small insects in it so it's definitely possible the spores came with it but I use this substrate for all of my enclosures and this is the only one that grew mushrooms even though it's not the most moist.

if you do a search for 'Mushrooms in my Potting Soil' it seems pretty common (and also a sign of healthy soil). The less treated it is, the higher odds it is carrying spores.

 

[Dorifto]

I had the same in my vivariums, they are harmless for the T. They look similar to leucocoprinus sp.

 

[Matt Man]

great shots and a great match on type.

 

[Dorifto]

The top one is a screenshot taken out of a 4k video I made. You can see the spores flying

 

[Matt Man]

appears to be Leucocoprinus brebissonii which is poisonous. Tried to do as much research as I could. Common in Europe and N America in deciduous forests

 

[Dorifto]

appears to be Leucocoprinus brebissonii which is poisonous. Tried to do as much research as I could. Common in Europe and N America in deciduous forests

Yes, they are suspected to be poisonous, they could cause a stomach upset in humans.

My isopods love them, they devourish the mushrooms pretty fast. Knowing that my geniculata loves eating isopods and that she ate almost all of them and she didn't suffered any adverse reaction, I wouldn't worry to much.

 

[jay5597]

I had the same in my vivariums, they are harmless for the T. They look similar to leucocoprinus sp.

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Got to say this enclosure looks very cool with the mushrooms.

 

[Dorifto]

Got to say this enclosure looks very cool with the mushrooms.

Thanks!!

The bad is that they don't last too much

 

[Matt Man]

Yes, they are suspected to be poisonous, they could cause a stomach upset in humans.

My isopods love them, they devourish the mushrooms pretty fast. Knowing that my geniculata loves eating isopods and that she ate almost all of them and she didn't suffered any adverse reaction, I wouldn't worry to much.

good to know, and I was wondering what kind of T was in there. So the Geniculata can handle a tank that lush? I know living tanks are the rave in Europe, a lot of Americans would say "You can't do that" but clearly you can. If your Genic is eating Isos, I assume you are using a larger species

I have only done two livings, both were for arboreal species

 

[Dorifto]

good to know, and I was wondering what kind of T was in there. So the Geniculata can handle a tank that lush? I know living tanks are the rave in Europe, a lot of Americans would say "You can't do that" but clearly you can. If your Genic is eating Isos, I assume you are using a larger species

I have only done two livings, both were for arboreal species

Yes! Both the geniculata and the pulchra handle very well their enclosures, you only need to take some minor precautions.







They are not hard to maintain, I'd say the opposite, since the bioactive critters keep clean the enclosure, so you only have to water the plants and keep a good ventilation. I use porcellios (big ones), Trichorhina tormentosas, white springtails and earth worms and they work and thrive perfectly.

 

[Matt Man]

really lovely enclosures and I am guessing very happy Ts (to anthropomorphize). Planning on adding some Isos to mine. They have become harder to find here in the US during the quarantine. I'd have done a bunch of shows during this time and been able to score plenty. I was thinking of the orange Porcellio scaber because I could find them easier in the set up

 

[Dorifto]

really lovely enclosures and I am guessing very happy Ts (to anthropomorphize). Planning on adding some Isos to mine. They have become harder to find here in the US during the quarantine. I'd have done a bunch of shows during this time and been able to score plenty. I was thinking of the orange Porcellio scaber because I could find them easier in the set up

Thanks!!!

I suggest you to only use on adult enclosures, the big ones can be agressive eaters. I saw once a porcellio dragging a dying adult B. lateralis. Usually they stay away from the Ts, or webbed areas, but for precaution.

 

[KenD]

these spores have to coming with your substrate, I am guessing most of you are using some form of soil? because I don't think mushrooms are gonna show up with CocoFibre or Vermiculite? I could see them coming from Peat possibly, potting souls most definitely

I've certainly had mushrooms (similar to these) pop up in pure coco fiber, several times.

 

[Dorifto]

They can grow in almost every organic substrate. Spores are everywhere, so they eventually pop up if the conditions are given.

 

[myfavoritethingisspiders]

are you imp[lying you are getting spores on the breeze? I know yeasts can travel this way (see Belgian Sour Beer) but I am hard pressed to believe mushrooms spores are going to blow in to a home and get in ones terrarium. Coconuts being tropical aren't typically in mushroom heavy locales so while it may good material for the growth of mushrooms I do not think it is the source.

from Scotts. "
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I am sorry you were disappointed with Hyponex Potting Soil and that you have found mushrooms growing.. Our soils are specially formulated and tested to ensure that plants will grow their best. Keep in mind, however, that your plant's health is affected by many variables. Extremes of light, moisture, and temperature, as well as transplant shock, insects, and disease all can adversely affect plants.
Our soils are natural composted products that have not been sterilized or treated with any chemicals to kill off resident fungi or bacteria. Compost by nature will develop mold/fungus, some of which will develop mushrooms. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies/reproductive parts of fungi that can naturally occur in all growing mediums. Since there are hundreds of types, there is no way for me to know for certain what type of mushroom is growing in your soil. These naturally occurring fungi help break down the organic material so that plants can use the nutrients in the compost. The fungi that break down dead organic matter do not harm growing plants. As a matter of fact, the by products that they release will often help plants to grow. You can simply pull the mushrooms out and dispose of them." So I am guessing it is the potting soils.

Mushroom spores travel quite a distance via breeze (they'll actually create their own, interestingly enough). Even if they're not blowing directly into your house, they're blowing directly on you while you're outside and then you're bringing them in. You probably have spores with the potential to grow mushrooms all over your house, it's just a matter of whether they get in your enclosure and find a moist area they like.

The OP's substrate is probably on the too-damp side.

 

[Matt Man]

good to know, great info
considering how our habitats are typically indoors and only loosely vented I am amazed spores are coming in on the breeze but I can understand it