# Vivarium safe Fungi?



## Keeferd (Mar 20, 2016)

I was just wondering if anyone had any success with Fungi in their vivarium. I think it would add a nice touch to have a few mushrooms sprouting here and there.


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## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

Your vivarium already has fungi - and almost certainly has several species of fungi that can produce mushrooms. The trick is making them happy enough to fruit. Mushroom-making fungi are terrestrial creatures that like moisture - but they do not like water-logged conditions. They also need a substantial source of food. Since mushrooms don't fix carbon they can't build themselves "out of air" like plants do. That means that to grow a mushroom, the fungus has to eat some part of your tank (in proportion). Woodchips or a large hunk of wood kept moist would be a good start for all-purpose food. I've never tried to get a specific mushroom to grow in my vivariums - but every one has had a few species and I find the amount of wood terrarium decor is positively correlated with mushroom diversity and frequency.
Oyster mushrooms are easy to get cultures of (and you can get warm-preferring species in pink or blue!) and they will readily eat all kinds of wood, sawdust, etc. There are even bioluminescent fungi you can buy cultures of...


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## Keeferd (Mar 20, 2016)

I used a few logs and bark from my backyard in my vivarium, but I boiled and baked the crap out of it to sterilize. I don't think any of the spores survived.


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## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

Spores are ubiquitous and airborne - and fungi would have also come along with any plants you've added. They're there - you just need to figure out what you need to do to make them happy. Even happy fungi, however, are not going to make mushrooms all the time - but unpredictable fruiting surprises are part of their charm...


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## PoisonArrow (Apr 8, 2016)

This reminds me of my old terrarium. Last year around June I was looking into my terrarium and out of nowhere noticed small orange mushrooms and wondered where they came from. I have never experiences this before but they did not seem to cause harm so I let them be. Eventually they disappeared on there own about a month later.


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## mfsidore (Oct 10, 2012)

In my first ever build I had some fungus grow off a branch I purchased from Josh's, me being afraid of death scrambled to figure out if it was deadly to humans, and I believe the answer was that somewhere around 98 percent of fungi that grows in a viv is completely harmless. Hope this helps


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## macuser (Oct 8, 2015)

you can add a piece of grape wood to your tank. it'll rot and mushrooms should grow from there.


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