Substrate airing

Karbon · Post by **Karbon** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:16 pm

I was wondering if my substrate needs to be stirred up to prevent mold growth I'm always getting little white patches here and there like in a garden

aquav · Post by **aquav** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:01 pm

Is it really mold, or maybe saltwater deposits from misting?

Karbon · Post by **Karbon** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 8:00 pm

I don't exactly know I tried to take some pictures I'll get one up soon it's fuzzy though but totally white

Karbon · Post by **Karbon** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 12:53 pm

Thats the culprit right there.

tlivs · Post by **tlivs** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 2:35 pm

that looks to me like clover or chia
strange though, if you didn't put seeds in your tank

aquav · Post by **aquav** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:19 pm

Looks like mold, saltwater deposits would look more solid, not fuzzy.
I would try just moving the surface around a little bit, that way you don't disturb any potential molters, which will be further down.
You could take a small rake and rake the surface daily.
See if that does the trick.

tlivs · Post by **tlivs** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:27 pm

sorry are you talking about the things growing or the whitish stuff in the middle by that shell/rock

Karbon · Post by **Karbon** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:49 pm

The fuzz. The sprouts are chia I threw them in for laughs looks kinda neat but my crabs don't seem to want to eat them

If_Everyone_Cared · Post by **If_Everyone_Cared** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 5:03 pm

Switching to sand will eliminate this problem. Otherwise, you could decrease the humidity and temperature if that is possible and also change the substrate. I just had to deal with this problem with a similar substrate. I thought maybe it was just because I bought the cheap kind. May I ask what brand you used?

suebee · Post by **suebee** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 5:18 pm

you have to much moisture, also the chia roots might be rotting. Dig down a bit and give that EE a smell to see if you smell anything. I would also switch substrate to 5 parts sand and only 1 part EE. That should fix the problem.

tlivs · Post by **tlivs** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 7:44 pm

Karbon wrote:The fuzz. The sprouts are chia I threw them in for laughs looks kinda neat but my crabs don't seem to want to eat them

hahah k i was like that looks nothing like mold...
lol woops

sugarselections · Post by **sugarselections** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 9:16 pm

Did you originally expand the coco fiber bricks with fresh water or salt water?

Karbon · Post by **Karbon** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 12:31 am

Fresh

sugarselections · Post by **sugarselections** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 8:40 am

I think the fact that you expanded the substrate with fresh water may be causing your mold problem. Generally it's recommended that you expand it with salt water.

If you want to stop the mold without doing a major renovation, you may want to try mixing some marine salt into your coco fiber. Clear as many objects off the surface of the substrate that you can, grab some dry marine salt mix straight from the bag with your hand, scatter the salt in a thin layer over the top of the substrate, use your fingers to mix the salt into the top layer of substrate without going too deep so you don't disturb any crabs that are buried. Then just place everything back in the crabitat as it was.

This technique should eliminate your surface mold. It also a good way to reduce the number of mites/pest bugs during an infestation.

Post by **wodesorel** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 11:14 am

I had trouble with mold growing on some decorations when I had EE. I really think that the EE can sometimes help a little too much with the humidity.

It's also completely organic so it makes a good food source for molds and fungus.

Mixing in marine water should inhibit some growth, but what the tank probably needs is to have more air flow. There have been some DIY ideas on how to do it with mini-fans. Allowing more open screening on top can help, too. Of course the downside to that is normally the humidity will plunge. Sometimes it can be impossible to get both air movement and high humidity, unfortunately.