Stugy
Arachnolord
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2016
- Messages
- 649



The rough rule with fungi is you cannot control or eradicate it. There are fungi that can withstand direct exposure to UV indefinitely, spores that can survive over 220 degrees F, fungi that can attack and break down antiseptics, herbicides, pesticides, and even uranium oxide. Hostile environments to the fungi is the only certain method of control. IE, start over with clean, perhaps baked substrate and avoid excessive moisture as example.im kinda a noob but it looks like mycellium though @thesnark correct me if im wrong. though i am not quite sure how to control it
How should I bake substrate? I primarily use coco fiber.The rough rule with fungi is you cannot control or eradicate it. There are fungi that can withstand direct exposure to UV indefinitely, spores that can survive over 220 degrees F, fungi that can attack and break down antiseptics, herbicides, pesticides, and even uranium oxide. Hostile environments to the fungi is the only certain method of control. IE, start over with clean, perhaps baked substrate and avoid excessive moisture as example.
How should I bake substrate? I primarily use coco fiber.
Heheh the thing is, that mold is growing primarily in the enclosures that only use coco fiber lol. But I'll do what you said when I get home. What should I do if there are small organisms that are not native? Do I just bug spray 'em? One of the deli-cups with the mold has Sinella curviseta (springtails and not sure if they are native so I don't want to throw them away)Replace all the enclosures with fresh coco fiber, it's the only thing you can do as the spores have become well developed, whenever you use items from an unknown source (collected from wild) you should always bake it at 200c for 30mins or zap it in the microwave, I tend to use the microwave for small pieces of cork bark etc. The oven for larger pieces, after they've been well washed in the shower, mould is a killer so you need to do this immediately.......
Bugguide says they're native to all of North America, so you should be fine.Heheh the thing is, that mold is growing primarily in the enclosures that only use coco fiber lol. But I'll do what you said when I get home. What should I do if there are small organisms that are not native? Do I just bug spray 'em? One of the deli-cups with the mold has Sinella curviseta (springtails and not sure if they are native so I don't want to throw them away)
Few months old. Kinda funny because my super old coco fiber hadn't started molding yet xD all this mold is from my new substrateBugguide says they're native to all of North America, so you should be fine.
By the way, with regards to which enclosures it's in: it's often easier for one aggressive microbe to take over in sterilized substrate, which I bet the coco fiber is. How new is it?
This stuff won’t refuses to die. I’ve had containers with nothing but coco fiber and the mold (after the mold happened to kill anything in there, including mites) and the mold stays alive for months. I still have one of the original containers somewhere (was testing out how long the stuff will live) and the mold is thriving. Absolutely indestructible. Like I’ve said before, even my springtails and isopods refused to eat it. It survives without any water for god knows how long. Plus it’s hideous to look at.I don't worry about mold in terrariums, I get what looks like the same species in the coco fiber over here and I just let it grow and die out. Using my own head I asked myself, "What's so bad about this mold, all inverts we keep live and deal with it all the time in the wild, might even prefer being around it, millipedes eat some species, leave other sps. alone, it's really not a problem imo. I think most of us have a bias about it from being kids and hearing our parents say, "eeewwwww, there's mold on this food in the refrigerator, gross!" Molds probably even help break down waste in the substrate, I consider it a good thing actually but like I said, it could be a sign that what it's growing on, like a dead cricket, needs to be found and thrown out. What you see in your terr might be what the yellow mushrooms finally grows from as it matures. I used to get those yellow mushrooms and I just let them grow, I don't see them anymore though, no buggy probs with it.
Yup. It's not just the mold but the spores. Spores seem to tolerate dry heat >300F. And they are everywhere. Every inch or your house looking for woody material to thrive on/in.This stuff won’t refuses to die. I’ve had containers with nothing but coco fiber and the mold (after the mold happened to kill anything in there, including mites) and the mold stays alive for months.