Time for a sub change!

About a week ago I noticed a little bit of mold in one of my enclosures. I scooped it out (with ample substrate from around it to make sure I got it all) and then closed the tank. Next day, same deal. The day after there was no mold but I noticed some white strands (some kind of subterranean moss?) in the substrate which I removed. I kept scraping it out, and it kept coming back (both the mold and these little white strands) so I decided the best thing would be to remove all the substrate, sterilize the enclosure, all the hides and water dish and add fresh sub.

I wish I had taken pictures when I opened it up to start the change! In the 24 hours since I last checked it the "white strands" had grown from just a few specks to a mass of nastiness the size of half a tennis ball. In that same 24 hour period a batch of mushrooms (mushrooms!) sprouted, and the mold completely layered an area about 6x6 inches. I've never had this kind of problem before.

I'm curious if exposure to sunlight is a factor in the rapid growth? Normally I've kept my tanks out of direct light, but given my current living situation there's no closet or anything to put them in. The only tank to have this problem is between the window and my other 3 enclosures so it's the only one getting the direct light. Comments?

The white strands you saw must have been hyphae, which is the major life stage of fungus. Mushrooms are their fruiting bodies (like a flower to a plant), so something you did must have set them into breeding mode. I'm not sure if exposure to sunlight would have done it, but since spring is arriving, seems like it could be the right time for them to emerge. Being near a window might cue them into day and night temperature changes and natural lighting schedules that signal spring.

Moisture would be a big factor in the appearance of fungi. Is your tank wetter than normal? Maybe try moving the waterdish around so the substrate can dry out underneath. What species are you keeping in there?

Ollie

I've had problems like this repeatedly when using coco fiber in moist enclosures. Never had the problem with peat though...

I don't worry about it and think it's kind of cool when that happens but a sub change never hurts. People come up with assumptions like, "the spores will clog book lungs..", stuff like that but mushrooms and arthropods have been living together for millions of years so that doesn't make sense to me, ...though the cage is closed... but I haven't read any documented problems with it. I wonder what kind of cleansing system they have for the book lungs. Mammals have ciliated cells and mucous that bring the junk up, but what about book lungs? I'm sure somebody knows. Anyway, I usually get the yellow mushrooms in the coco fiber but I have gotten other things. Oh yeah and if I remember right:? , the mushroom is the "flower" or the fruit of the plant, the plant is underground.

It's been a few days and no new fungus! Other enclosures still look good, things are back on track.

@ Anansis

The substrate hasn't been any wetter than normal. The only change I can think of other than sunlight would be that I'm no longer using heat lamps. My roomie has the thermostat cranked all the time so the tanks are at a constant 75 @ room air temperature. Might vary from 73-77, but not much or often. The species is P.Imp. I know they could be kept a bit warmer but I can't be kept any warmer. A heat lamp in here would kill me! I really need a closet


@ lucanidae + Galapoheros

I always knew about that plant/flower thing with mushrooms, but it never really clicked before. This is why when picking mushrooms you break 'em off at ground level and don't take anything from below! This "Ooooooh" moment brought to you by: EcoEarth - Your fungus specialists!

I'm gonna look into peat. I'd hate see what that would have looked like if I hadn't check for a week or two. Yuck!

Edit: I looked up hyphae and found a photo that looks very similar to what I had in the tank.

I'm a believer of the "no substrate change" movement!

In fact I have some terrariums that have the same peatmoss/sand mix that I originaly used like 5-6 years ago (could be even older)!

Some of them have passed the fungus/mushroom era.
I think that now the chemistry inside the terrarium is just right, even feeder leftovers do not mold cause there are other micro-organisms that are taking care of them.

That's kinda cool. Low maintenance eh?

Have you added any type of scavenger to deal with leftovers or are they just "naturally" occurring?

And you said Peat moss/sand...is there anything special you're using like a specific source? I said before I'd hate to see what that tank would have looked like if it had a week or two in that condition. I don't know what my emps' tolerances are to mold etc but I can't see a blanket of fungus as beneficial to them

I use "weisse asseln" (Trichorhina tomentosa), as clean up crew for many years and they do a wonderful job.

Peat moss from a flower shop and sand from a nearby beach.

About those mushrooms now.
I remember i was cutting them down as soon as they appeared but I left one that grew HUGE (in size comparison with the tank ofc), after a week or so it felt down in its own and the cleanup crew had the feast of their lives ^^