r/isopods • u/angelofthecosmos • 1h ago
Help mold problem :')
just had this huge swath of white-footed slime mold spring up in my isopod tank practically overnight, and im a bit overwhelmed as to what to do about it. my tank is pretty new (less than a month old), and i added springtails to the enclosure about a week ago.
ive seen some folks say that mold is just normal for new tanks, and others say that you should use a q-tip with hydrogen peroxide to wipe off any moldy areas, though im not sure how to do that with the spaghnum moss.
any tips on how to deal with this would be greatly appreciated, because i am quite overwhelmed and i don't want to end up with a recurring mold issue. (i'm also hoping to avoid having to replace everything in the tank, especially since it's so new.)
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u/Life_so_Fleeting 37m ago
That’s some cool looking slime mould! Nevertheless, I can see why you wouldn’t want it taking over your enclosure. Yep, it’s perfectly normal for various kinds of moulds to bloom as the new ecosystem settles, & it will all eventually become balanced. I have also heard ppl use hydrogen peroxide to get rid of it, but have never needed to do this myself (I used to be a hobby/amateur mycologist in the past) - you can try wiping it off the log & removing the small pieces of moss it is on before resorting to more drastic measures. I cannot tell for certain from the pictures, but it may not have sporulated yet, so now is a good time to remove it. Keep doing this until the CuC are doing their job & munching mycelium & fruiting bodies. If you get the white ‘cobwebby’ looking mould (a pin mould type), you can remove it &/or turn it over into the substrate to hinder its growth & reproduction. Should the issue become seriously concerning, you can remove the log & sanitise it (boil or steam it) for several minutes.
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u/rooftopblueberries 43m ago
I’m not exactly a mold expert, but whenever I start a new tank some mold and fungal issues are bound to pop up until the springtail colony really gets going. This usually takes about a month after introducing springtails into an enclosure.
I would keep an eye on the mold and if it starts overtaking your tank I would remove and clean the bigger pieces until the springtail colony can handle it.