Fungus / Mould ???

[Clinton Hogben]

Really strange one here
I have noticed what looks like white powder on top of the substrata in places and under my L Para's hide / log the weird thing is it fluoresces under a green light! Oh er missus
very pretty it may be, thousands of pin*****s of light but is this likely to be some form of fungus / mould starting
I have dropped the humidity from 80% down to about 60% over the last month and increased ventilation and the spider seems a lot happier and more active than she was in high humidity as the air was getting stale and its only since then this white powder has appeared
could it be dead fungus now the humidity has dropped ?

Like i say the spider has never been more active and happy than she is at the moment so its not effecting her in any way, but should i play safe and change the substrata ( currently about 4 months old ) completely even though she will sulk for ages

Any thoughts

Clint

[Tom Forman]

sounds like your air was beeing kept too stale.

When I started reading about T's I got really confused when I read that tarantulas need a certain humidity. They really don't.

Imagine people selling plants starting to say: this plant needs a humidity of 70%. No, any plant just needs a little water in the pot and it will do fine at any humidity . Too much water and the plant "drowns", too little and the plant wilts.

AS long as your T has got a moist burrow, the humidity inside the enclosure doesn't matter that much.

And like you have discovered they prefer it well ventilated and less humid.

The one really important thing you have to do is make sure the spider is never exposed to complete dryness for too long but complete dryness for a few days once in a while is not bad at all and will prevent any mold forming.

If you have ever kept newts you'd really see what I am talking about. Newts need to stay moist but they prefer sitting on land instead of in the water. So they sit on land till they need rehydrating, go into the water, then chill out on land again.

Hope that helps.

And ps: I would remove any of that mold. I got a bit growing on my coconut hut recently and got rid of it with a cotton bud, then covered the area with some soil to stop more fungus growing.

I would not remove the whole substrate, just keep it on the drier side for the next week.

[Colin D Wilson]

If it is fungus, it looks like a job for the good old woodlouse. About a dozen woodies in a 12 x 12 floor area tank will keep the fungus down nicely.

[Phil Rea]

Could it be a thin layer of web? My A. crinirufum has laid a thin web over about 1/3 of her enclosure. I thought it was mould or fungus initially, until I looked closely at it.

[Jimmy Dale]

If it is fungus, it looks like a job for the good old woodlouse. About a dozen woodies in a 12 x 12 floor area tank will keep the fungus down nicely.

I can't say enough good things about these woodlice, they eat poo, mould, bits of uneaten cricket etc. This means you don't have to go disturbing your T all the time by scooping out handfulls of substrate. I got about 10 off R.Gallon a year ago and put them into culture (just peat, oak leaves and root veg peelings in a tupperware) now i have an inexhaustible supply which i pinch from to put into my spider boxes to keep them clean.

If you're not familiar with the species its Trichorrhina tomentosa. They're a small soft bodied white woodlice usually sold as food for small amphibs. You shouldn't have too much trouble tracking them down. Most of the online T sellers have them. If you're really stuck then send some pms around here, someone may have some spare.

[Jimmy Dale]

the weird thing is it fluoresces under a green light!

It's mad how many things glow like this. As a bit of an amateur mycologist i've found loads of moulds which glow al the colours of the ultraviolet rainbow! Have you got a blacklight? Go and shine it round the kitchen and bathroom in the dark. Mmmmm

[Andrew Ferguson]

It's mad how many things glow like this. As a bit of an amateur mycologist i've found loads of moulds which glow al the colours of the ultraviolet rainbow! Have you got a blacklight? Go and shine it round the kitchen and bathroom in the dark. Mmmmm

Want one cheap and have some fun at the same time? Get down to Toys R Us (other toys shops are available ) and buy a Dr Who Sonic Screwdriver with a UV light. It only shines a small bit rather than flooding an area but works just as well.

Just my handy hint for the day.

[Phil Rea]

I bought a cheapo UV LED torch from Hong Kong off ebay (for six quid if I remember correctly). Works an absolute treat

[Clinton Hogben]

Could it be a thin layer of web? My A. crinirufum has laid a thin web over about 1/3 of her enclosure. I thought it was mould or fungus initially, until I looked closely at it.

Hi phil
Im sure its not web it just looks like white powder in places but glows like mad under green light.
With my little baby(7" L Para) you can see the web everywhere when she bothers, goes mad with it at times covering everything and then stops again ??

Clint

[Clinton Hogben]

It's mad how many things glow like this. As a bit of an amateur mycologist i've found loads of moulds which glow al the colours of the ultraviolet rainbow! Have you got a blacklight? Go and shine it round the kitchen and bathroom in the dark. Mmmmm


I can't say enough good things about these woodlice, they eat poo, mould, bits of uneaten cricket etc. This means you don't have to go disturbing your T all the time by scooping out handfulls of substrate. I got about 10 off R.Gallon a year ago and put them into culture (just peat, oak leaves and root veg peelings in a tupperware) now i have an inexhaustible supply which i pinch from to put into my spider boxes to keep them clean.

If you're not familiar with the species its Trichorrhina tomentosa. They're a small soft bodied white woodlice usually sold as food for small amphibs. You shouldn't have too much trouble tracking them down. Most of the online T sellers have them. If you're really stuck then send some pms around here, someone may have some spare.

Hi Jimmy
Ive only recently noticed it since i fitted a daylight balanced tube on the viv for spidy to give her day/night seasonaly adjusted
It did say on the tube that the colour balance was biased toward tropical to bring out green in foliage but it didnt say if it was 5600k or not
perhaps thats why these spots of light are showing up now under an additional green light source

strange

I will have a search for some woodlice on the net as i have no local specialist shop in Newmarket will ordinary garden woodlice do the job?

Clint

[Clinton Hogben]

thanks

Thanks guys cheers for all the responses to my little glowing probem
I think in the first instance i need some woodys to try before demolishing her home as she is settled and happy
If anyone knows a cheep supplier for just a few woodys (only one spider tank so dont need many) or has a surplus supply they need to give a home to hint hint

All the best for now

Clint

[Peter Lacey]

I sourced some of these a little while ago, the tropical variety, but decided against a purchase for the time being.
All my enclosures are dry substrate and I read wood lice need moisture as they breathe through water. I had intended to follow up on that info and perhaps proceed with a purchase. I'll have a look to see where I might have found the source.
I believe you can use garden woodlice just as well, I put them in the CWD enclosure but he munched them el-pronto! What you need to do though is make sure they're free of pesticides, in the winter they seem to be harder to find.

[Colin D Wilson]

I only keep and use the garden variety, when you get them from the garden then keep them in quarantine for about 10 - 14 days and feed them rotting veg / fungus etc, they will de-toxify in that time if they have any chemicals harboured.
I have woodies in even the driest rosea tank (with water bowl) and they do fine, they need to keep their gills damp this doesn't take much water at all, they just replenish from the water bowl over night.
Hope this helps

Colin