# Neem Oil questions [ NO animals ]



## flyingSquirrel (Aug 22, 2011)

Picked up some neem oil today, but don't want to use it till I get some advice. There are NO animals in my paludarium yet, so don't worry about that. Regarding neem oil:

Does it really kill fungus? Only certain kinds of fungus, or all fungus?
How is it at killing mites and small bugs?
Will it kill moss? Will it kill mini sinningia?
Will it stain wood?
Can it be applied to substrate?
Does it eventually break down? Or will it permanently be in the tank?
Also since this is a paludarium, I wonder what will happen if the neem oil seeps into the water area...hopefully some water changes will eventually remove it?

I am having what appears to be a mold issue, and mites, and possibly spider mites. I am considering a dry ice co2 gassing for the bugs, but I thought maybe neem oil would handle the bugs and the mold?

Any advice, warnings, experience, technical jargon, etc is welcome!


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

I've never used the stuff, but why not set up some jars with small samples of the items in question and test it out to see if it dies off?

Also, to remove oils you will need a detergent, and some detergents are definitely not good for frogs. Oils persist for a long time after other things break down, so I do not think there would be an acceptable waiting period for introducing frogs or other animals as well. If it's only plants, maybe so. 

It will probably kill moss---most things will. Moss is very touchy. 

When you say mold, are you meaning a white, webby fungus that creeps over and kills plants/moss in your tank? It's very common, and this is likely a type of growth nourished by a lack of ventilation.


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## flyingSquirrel (Aug 22, 2011)

Susan, thanks for the reply. See below:



earthfrog said:


> I've never used the stuff, but why not set up some jars with small samples of the items in question and test it out to see if it dies off?


That's a great idea.



earthfrog said:


> Also, to remove oils you will need a detergent, and some detergents are definitely not good for frogs. Oils persist for a long time after other things break down, so I do not think there would be an acceptable waiting period for introducing frogs or other animals as well. If it's only plants, maybe so.


Good call...we'll see what other people's experiences are with it.



earthfrog said:


> It will probably kill moss---most things will. Moss is very touchy.


It's java moss. I can just grab a little of the moss and spray it, then see how it handles it over a few days.



earthfrog said:


> When you say mold, are you meaning a white, webby fungus that creeps over and kills plants/moss in your tank? It's very common, and this is likely a type of growth nourished by a lack of ventilation.


Yes that is it. It is a very very fine silky looking white fungus. Some of it looks like spider webs (spider mites?!) but some of it looks like a fuzzy carpet. Half of the top of the tank is open to fresh air and I have 2 mini computer fans. I am not sure how much more ventilation I can do


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

flyingSquirrel said:


> Yes that is it. It is a very very fine silky looking white fungus. Some of it looks like spider webs (spider mites?!) but some of it looks like a fuzzy carpet. Half of the top of the tank is open to fresh air and I have 2 mini computer fans. I am not sure how much more ventilation I can do


Just get an unbleached (brown) napkin and wipe it off. That and the ventilation are the best bet based on my limited experience. I have also tried using a dab of vinegar just on the fungus itself, but that may hurt some plants/frogs if it drips onto the background or gets into the water.


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## tahir tareen (Dec 17, 2009)

my experience is that most houseplants do fine with neem as long you mix according to directions or maybe even a bit dilute. 

Neem is better at taking care of insects than fungus i believe.

If no animals are going into it anytime soon then i think you'll be fine, neem doesn't persist on the plant for too long. like mentioned above a paper towel soaked in the neem solution may be a good idea on the worst affected plants, also the high humidity should discourage them from taking over. more than one treatment within a short period to kill off newly hatched should do the trick.

good luck, i hate pests and hate using chemicals (even though neem is natural) more.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I do need to mention one thing about Neem Oil that I don't think anyone has touched on - if you have not worked with it before PLEASE be careful and realize it can cause allergic reactions in some people. I wear gloves with any chemical (natural or otherwise - remember poison ivy is natural LOL) but you may want to check to see if you have a reaction to it before putting it on plants. Most sellers that use it on their plants as a preventative have that warning just to be safe.

If you are using Neem oil to treat a plant that will go into a display tank, I recommend treating it and taking care of all issues BEFORE being places in the large tank. I quarantine my plants just like I do my frogs (it also allows me to adapt them to the new conditions before going in). Ideally the plant should be "clean" of pests AND chemicals (natural or otherwise) used for them before going in the large tank. I usually don't worry about mildew and fungus issues in the larger tank because truly tropical plants in a good environment (high humidity and some air movement so water doesn't sit on leaves after misting more than 2-3 hours is a good rule) will largely be resistant to mildew and fungus. It's the subtropical and not even vaguely tropical plants we stick in the tanks that tend to be sensitive to mildew and fungus, because they are out of their "comfort zone" and their health is compromised (where touchy tropicals are actually strengthened and are resistant).

Mites and spider mites NEED to be taken care of before the plants are in the tank!! Spider mites largely will disappear in humid tanks as they like drier air and pray on high humidity plants in low humidity (like tropicals kept as houseplants) but I still give them a "bath" in an alcohol/water mixture with a drop of soap (which breaks water tension, allowing it to get in all the tiny crevices of the plant) and completely repotting it and rinsing off all old substrate. I have had this occur on jewel orchids freshly purchased on a regular basis. Mite treatment usually depends on the mite, but if they like humidity you definitely don't want them near the display tank!

Unless you have the top completely open, there is always more ventilation you can do. Paludariums provide much more humidity than the average terrarium because so much of the water is open to the air for evaporation. I've had completely open topped paludariums that still had pretty high humidity deep in the tank. Just keep inching the lid more open until the fungus starts abating. If this is a new tank, it could also be new tank syndrome where the fungus population is exploding, and that can take a few months to regulate anyways.


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