Should I ignore fungal growth?

[Arachnomaniac19]

I keep getting mold growing in my enclosures due to old missed boluses in my tanks. Over time some of the biological matter decomposes and spreads around the tank. Is it worth it to keep on removing the substrate, or should I just leave it? I've read that a lot of people keep it, and that most mold doesn't produce toxins and isn't going to grow on my Ts. Thoughts?

 

[Tarantula20]

This really depends on what type of T's your keeping and what type of mold and fungi are growing?

 

[Sana]

I ere on the side of removing the mold and a little bit of the substrate around it. I haven't ever had a serious mold outbreak and I'm hoping to keep it that way. I'm not interested enough in the fuzzy stuff to try to identify what kind it is and whether or not it's harmful to the tarantulas or to me. Faster and safer to just remove it.

 

[mistertim]

Do you have any pictures?

 

[magicmed]

Pics will help, I haven't had to deal with mold or fungI yet, but I would assume you probably want to remove it and some surrounding substrate. I would also try to target the reason it's growing in the first place. Mold and fungi grow in conditions that are too wet and stale for a lot of t. What species are we talking sbout? May need more ventilation and less dampness of the substrate

 

[cold blood]

I keep getting mold growing in my enclosures due to old missed boluses in my tanks. Over time some of the biological matter decomposes and spreads around the tank. Is it worth it to keep on removing the substrate, or should I just leave it? I've read that a lot of people keep it, and that most mold doesn't produce toxins and isn't going to grow on my Ts. Thoughts?

Mold is more often than not an issue of moisture and ventilation. The fact that its a continuous thing means you need to increase ventilation as your first course of action.

Mold its self isn't a big deal, just pick it out.

 

[EulersK]

Just an extra tip - a bit of sphagnum moss (or peat moss, same stuff) mixed into your substrate completely eliminates mold. It won't fix your ventilation problem, but it will fix the mold problem. I aim for 50% sphagnum moss in my mix for only two reasons: moisture retention and natural fungicide.

 

[Arachnomaniac19]

The mold grows in my Ts' burrows, and sometimes in pill bottles and deli cups. This is really more of a question of if mold is safe.

 

[EulersK]

The mold grows in my Ts' burrows, and sometimes in pill bottles and deli cups. This is really more of a question of if mold is safe.

Nothing you can really do about burrows (other than sphagnum moss, as I brought up), but the ventilation point still stands in those other enclosures.

Too much mold is bad for any living creature. A small amount of mold is nothing to worry about, just pick it out as you see it.

 

[viper69]

Perhaps better husbandry is needed here, instead of missing bolus? Or perhaps the T is so small, OR an OW, and some aspect makes it difficult for you to provide better care?

I see "tank" makes me think fish tank. One could always invest in providing a cleanup crew of inverts to handle the boli. There are tons of posts on this on the forum.

And while you are at it, you could adjust moisture/ventilation.

A few bits of mold won't hurt, heck a mod here grew a mushroom in his T's home, no issues. Why take the chance?