Persistent mold in tarantula enclosure.

Pmurinushmacla

Arachnobaron
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Nov 26, 2020
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Hello, so I asked a couple weeks ago about brown mold in my tarantulas enclosure. People said it was nothing much, but it has gotten worse and lasted for quite a while. I've also noticed a new type of white mold growing on sides of the artificial wood. Clearly I'm adding too much moisture or this couldn't even be possible, as the plastic wood offers little nutrients for the tarantula. So what do you guys think I should do? Is this mold harmful, or could I just add some springtails and not water for a while and itll go away? If it helps, my p. Metallica that resides in this enclosure has not eaten for 3 weeks. I assume this is premolt, but I would have hoped he would have molted by now. It's not likely it's related to the problem but I figured I'd say something. (I know the pic isnt good quality but it's not webbing, you can see strands of it sticking out at random angles and as far as I know p. Metallicas do not web like that)
 

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BoyFromLA

Spoon feeder
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Unless you have this much of mold problem, you are pretty much okay, and be at ease.

83C9D86D-1A63-4F04-B2C9-A23DF8BF9A50.jpeg
 

Pmurinushmacla

Arachnobaron
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Unless you have this much of mold problem, you are pretty much okay, and be at ease.

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Aight thanks, I guess I'm really just overthinking it. Also, since you're here, my enclosure is pretty crowded outside, but on the inside of the hide he has a decent amount of space to molt. Will they prolong their molt if they cannot find a suitable place, or will they molt anywhere? I know I'm a little jittery, but this is my first experience with a sling.
 

Crazyarachnoguy

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You may need more ventilation, if it keeps molding. I personally am not ok with any mold, no matter the amount it should be removed.
 

The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
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@Ozthegreat What you appear to have there is the delightfully notorious Serpula lacrymans aka dry rot fungus. Drying it out won't help unless you are talking Sahara desert dry. A quick web search should turn up a few million hits on it and how to not cope with the crap.
Shades of Ed's house. In the end we took out the entire floor and replaced every beam and post in the place. A quick week fixing up the house for a new tenant that turned into an acheological dig comparable to the great pyramids coupled to engineering a sophisticated bridge that could span the Sargasso sea as we had the entire 2 story structure jacked up on blocks and pilings. Took 3 months.
 
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DomGom TheFather

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@Ozthegreat What you appear to have there is the delightfully notorious Serpula lacrymans aka dry rot fungus. Drying it out won't help unless you are talking Sahara desert dry. A quick web search should turn up a few million hits on it and how to not cope with the crap.
You could not have identified anything from that picture let alone a fungal species.
That white spot of fluff could be anything.
 

The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
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Are you serious right now?
The vote I just gave is for Irony of the Century. No matter how serious or sincere the person's posting, always ready with the glib, snide, flippant or facetious comment, asking if someone is serious?

@Ozthegreat I tended to leap to the dry rot conclusion since that stuff and it's close friends and relations are so darned common. Call it a hedged bet.
 
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