# Stringy white fungus



## tflanag1 (Aug 8, 2006)

I finished planting my viv last weekend, and today I found a stringy white fungus growing on the substrate and part of a log.

The driftwood log was purchased from a pet store (it came sealed in a bag). The substrate consists of bed a beast, orchid bark and sand. The humidity in the aquarium is about 95%.

Has anyone else had this problem? How did you fix it?


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Fungus and mold all over the place is normal for a freshly set up tank... part of the reason you should set up a tank at least a month in advance isn't just to get the plants settled in, but also to let the fungus and mold cycle thru... you'll see a good amount of it over the next couple weeks, but it will come and go as the tank gets established, and after that fungus will only make occasional appearances


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## thong_monster (May 6, 2006)

This usually happens to new tanks some would call its "cycling" just like in aquariums (well sorta). If its bothering, you can give it a good spray or maybe add some springtails to the tank to consume it.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

It probably came from the grapewood you purchased (the stuff in the sealed plastic bag). That stuff is notorious for growing mold. Like Kero mentioned, its nothing serious or bad.

I'm not sure I would spray it with anything. Spraying it with chemicals would be harmful to the frogs (and possibly the plants) and water won't really do anything but help it spread.

Good luck.


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## thong_monster (May 6, 2006)

> Frogtofall Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 1:25 am Post subject:
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I meant with water of course. I sure no harm will come from that.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

thong_monster said:


> > Frogtofall Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 1:25 am Post subject:
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No, no harm but the water won't do anything but soak it up and help it spread. Always seems to get worse after spraying it with water.


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## thong_monster (May 6, 2006)

I guess it is different for each situation/type of mold then, I usually spray mold with some water and its usually gone by the end of the week (such as some mold growing on some cork bark in a new tank which happened to me). Arent some mold spores that are airborne and would spread even without water to wash them around (like in ff cultures)?

But yea, if it was in fact grapewood that tflanag1 put into his tank water would not help since that type of wood quickly breaks down in humid conditions. 

Tflanag1, do you have a picture of your tank?


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Yeah, I see what you're saying.


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## elmoisfive (Dec 31, 2004)

One thing you can try if you find that the molding becomes excessive is to stop watering entirely and open up the viv to air it out/let it dry out. I don't recommend this if all you are seeing is your standard cycling but I've one experience where for whatever reason, the entire viv molded over. There was this flattish white green mold growing over the entire LFS layer and up the glass....really disgusting looking. I'm pretty sure it came from the batch of LFS used because all it also started producing these incredibly large bright yellow mushrooms and I'm seeing those same mushrooms in other vivs using that LFS.

Anyway to make a long story short, after giving the viv a thorough airing out, the molding was tamed and the viv is now a well functioning setup. For a while there I thought I was going to have to tear it down because it wasn't your run of the mill new viv molding.

Good luck with your setup.

Bill


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## tflanag1 (Aug 8, 2006)

How long is it recommended to have the tank planted before adding frogs? I was thinking of waiting two weeks. After two weeks, I will also have a steady supply of fruit flies. If, after two weeks, I'm not noticing major fungus problems, would adding the frogs be Ok? Is this mold/fungus (in small, isolated amounts) even dangerous to the frogs?

Also, how long does cycling usually take?


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I usually wait a month minimum. There are multiple things going on in your tank, not just the mold cycle, your plants are also being established. Having your plants established means they can handle frog trampling better, as they are supported by root systems in the tank (at least, most plants are) by that point. You'll also have the time to play with temps and humidity to gauge how to handle them, and you'll have yet more practice with FFs!


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