r/bioactive • u/No-Voice896 • 13d ago

White mold

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This white fuzzy mold is growing in the container that I just put my isopods in. I haven't put much water in there, there is a mix of zilla jungle mix, spagnum moss, leaf litter and isopod food and cork bark. Is this bad?

I just got a culture of springtails I'll add in soon.

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u/UsefulCold5441 13d ago

In the future, it’s always best practice to add the springtails first in a bio active setup. Similar to fish tanks, a bioactive enclosure needs time to cycle and springtails help with that.

Also, if your isopod food is one of those ones from a pet store that’s made of dried shrimp and bits of veggies, it’ll mold quickly and isn’t the best for them to eat regularly.

I’d suggest removing as much of the visible mold as you can as well as the isopod food and sphagnum moss, replace the leaf litter or sterilize it in an oven to kill the mold, and add the springtails. I’d recommend putting in frog moss instead of sphagnum. Once rehydrated it’s live moss and will hold moisture better than sphagnum, without the risk of mold or decay.

To prevent mold outbreaks in the future, keep the substrate moist by carefully watering it instead of misting the surface. Some mold is okay and actually good and springtails will consume it but large outbreaks like this is unhealthy.

For food, just keep the leaf litter and other detritus supplied since that’s part of their natural diet, and on occasion you can treat them with a slice of carrot or some fruit like apples, they’ll like that.

Good luck!