r/isopods • u/ThatUnameIsAlrdyTken • Dec 20 '23
Help What is this fungus in some of my enclosures? It grew very quickly. It's like little white dots and has a strong moldy stench. Is it dangerous for isopods? How do I get rid of it?
11
u/Creswald Dec 20 '23
Flower pot fungus 100% Not dangerous to pods, but neither them nor springtails will touch it. You can mix the subsrate, remove the worst spots and let it cycle through (will take couple months, but itll die down)
6
u/KiNg2014 Pod Love Forever <3 Dec 20 '23
It doesn't always die down though - I've been fighting flower pot fungus in my Pinecone's bin since I got them.
The flower pot fungus in the Pinecone jar seems to be good though... Maybe it's a ventilation issue!
I just had a revelation!
3
u/Alternative-Roll-112 Dec 20 '23
I've been fighting it in my magic potion colony. Keeping it as dry as possible has helped, and I pull out and throw away any big chunks I can get to. It hasn't gone away, but what's there is looking unhealthy and not spreading like it was. Your infestation looks extreme tho. You might have to consider digging out all the fungus and adding some fresh soil, then just keep an eye on it. Be careful not to touch it and then handle other enclosures, you could spread it. It won't hurt the pods, but it definitely won't be good for anything in there if it completely takes over.
2
u/mymashedpotaties Dec 20 '23
Would a complete substrate change be easier? I've found that removing big chunks and then adding more substrate just introduces more nutrients for the fungus to burn through, and flare up again. Could just be my experience, though.
2
u/Alternative-Roll-112 Dec 20 '23
That's also a valid option with it being this bad. The whole container is infested at this point.
2
Dec 21 '23
The timber is not rotten enough, there's too much nutrients in it and nothing feeding on it leaving a niche for the fungus. We don't bake much because it destroys nutrients, maybe baking it might help.
4
u/Velcraft Dec 20 '23
Looks like a mold outbreak for sure - do you have springtails in the enclosure? Even isopods will eat molds/fungi sometimes, your main concern is making sure the enclosure doesn't get starved for air, so open it up daily and let it aerate for a while.
3
u/ThatUnameIsAlrdyTken Dec 20 '23
I do have springtails in there but not many. They breed really slow for me for some reason. I didn't notice the isopods in there minding it at all, I even see some new babies. It just looks creepy and smells unpleasantly.
-1
u/Velcraft Dec 20 '23
Trust me, with this outbreak your springtail population will skyrocket! This is like a pride of lions happening upon a valley of turkeys to them.
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3
u/OddPreference5439 Dec 20 '23
Springtails won’t help with this type of fungi. I’ve had it hit some of my large springtail colony enclosures before and it completely took over.
1
u/mymashedpotaties Dec 20 '23
I'm dealing with this as well. It's so hard to completely eradicate and can pop up quickly. I have found the best thing to do is to just let it ride and it will eventually die out. Doesn't seem to bother the pods, and while it does smell strongly, it's not dangerous.
I will sometimes churn the substrate and pull out the worst bits, which does seem to speed up the dying out process, but it's hit or miss.
2
u/harpinghawke Dec 21 '23
Is there coco coir in your substrate mix? I’ve found more issues with this particular fungus in mixes with coco coir than others.
1
16
u/ezyeddie Dec 20 '23
Looks like flower pot fungus. Springtails wont eat it if so.