# Green mould now. On wood hide.



## Akidhood (Jan 7, 2014)

I now have green mould on my front of my spiders hide. It's dry in there now but was a little damp when I first set it up. The thing is I think she might moult soon because I can see a dark patch on her back and she didn't eat this week. This could be because I used locusts tho not crickets. So, I don't really want to go in moving all her stuff about stressing her. Could I try brushing it off with tooth brush? I'm afraid of spores just spreading onto the floor if I do tho. Should I use anything to clean it with??? Advice please


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## Snake Island Reptiles (Feb 6, 2014)

Re-do her whole tank ASAP that could kill her if its spreading.... any way what T is it ... u need a spot clean.... that could turn out illness even death from what iv learnt over the years :gasp:


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Snake Island Reptiles said:


> Re-do her whole tank ASAP that could kill her if its spreading.... any way what T is it ... u need a spot clean.... that could turn out illness even death from what iv learnt over the years :gasp:


I've seen mould in enclosures and it won't kill a healthy tarantula. It is however a sign of stale humid air. There's no need to blitz the tank, mould occurs in the wild and they do just fine. 

[It's also a sign that whatever you are using for decor is not going to last.]

OP: Just get some springtails and woodlice, they eat fungi and mould and will help the enclosure clean. 

Unless the mould physically takes up the entire enclosure your spider will probably carry on as normal. 

Assuming that it is a species that likes it moist and humid of course - what species is it?


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## Snake Island Reptiles (Feb 6, 2014)

And make sure u buy ur woodlice or either make sure no chemicals r in them :no1: Good Luck


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## Spideypidey (Jan 23, 2014)

I only know of one place to get the tropical woodlice for vivariums / terrariums but there could be other paces: Dwarf white tropical woodlice starter culture of 25-30 £3.75p plus post from rickslivefood.co.uk. Will breed fast and establish themselves, will keep mould and fungus at bay and will provide a snack for your Tarantula.

Edit: Sorry didn't answer the OP: To clear mould and fungus from the hide remove it and boil it for a few minutes. Always best to boil anything that can be boiled before putting in the enclosure.


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## martin3 (May 24, 2011)

Going by the OP, the enclosure is a dry set up, but not completely dry when spider/furnishings were put in, 
If you wont to, then ''rub'' the mold of, replace & allow the enclosure to dry out,
As said in other posts it not going to kill your spider so don't panic, no need for a fresh substrate or anything else, just let it dry.
You may need to check that you have enough ventilation in the enclosure, these thing happen...no biggie...


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

I wouldn't go nuts trying to sterilize anything either, as it seems to just provide an open playing field for whatever spores are in the air to have free range of the tank - can lead to a mould explosion. The worst mould I've ever had has been as a result of sterilizing everything first, so I never bother anymore...

Although, if it's an arid species it can be useful to dry the substrate out first, and as has been mentioned, perhaps check the ventilation.

I have some species which require a more humid environment, and use a combination of spot cleaning, good cross ventilation, and clean up crew bugs such as those mentioned by others here - works great


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## rikki446 (Nov 24, 2011)

I dont use isopods tbh I just increase The ventilation you may have to mist a little more than usual but you are not likely to have mold problems that's how I keep all my species that require more humid conditions If it's an arid species then keep the enclosure s little dryer and again plenty of ventalation I have never had mold problems with this method any mold should also die off


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## Spideypidey (Jan 23, 2014)

The OP isn't really all that specific and all we have to go on is "spider". It's not unknown for newbies to have a dry setup simply due to the fear of mould. I have quite moist and humid rain forest environments with ProRep Spider Life substrate for my Salmon Pink Bird Eaters and I've never seen mould with that setup. In fact the only time I've seen it was when I used Coir which I got rid of rather quickly. Maybe it's due to the Exo Terra terrariums and/or the substrate.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

I can send the op a pot of CB uk woodlice for their enclosure for the cost of postage . They work a treat on mould


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## rikki446 (Nov 24, 2011)

Is he/she using exo terras ? Dont have any mold problems in mine you would have to saturate the substrate to get mold in mine I find they are great for humid species I've kept humid species on coir and never had issues as long as the ventalation is adequate


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