Moldy Mopani?

MamaZelly · Post by **MamaZelly** » Wed May 21, 2008 2:54 pm

I've got this cool mopani stick that I really want to reuse from the old moldy crabitat, but I want to be sure I've disinfected it enough.....

I've boiled it in very strong salt water solution and microwaved it dry twice. Should I repeat that cycle a few times to ensure that it is mold free, or should twice be enough?

MudCrabDude · Post by **MudCrabDude** » Wed May 21, 2008 3:03 pm

Twice sounds good, although in my experience, mold has a tendency to return where it is not wanted....

But that's just me...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed May 21, 2008 7:51 pm

I've haven't tried the mopani, but some things are more prone to mold than others. I had a piece of grapevine that molded in a day any place it was touching the sand but nothing else has had that problem.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu May 22, 2008 10:15 pm

Okay, I must not be "in the know".... What is mopani??
Is it like drift wood? I've never heard of it.

If it's of organic nature, The others are right. Some things just mold, period. You can soak it, bake it, boil it and roast it but the mold still grows back. Very frustrating!
I guess that's why I will typically use man-made items or petrified organic stuff. It does not mold.... if ever.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:18 am

I have a ton of really nice grapevine... but if the humidity hits over 80 AT ALL, boom instant mold. It's nice... but not even really worth using since I end up having more problems with it. =(

MamaZelly · Post by **MamaZelly** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:53 am

Mopani is this really cool, twisted, multi-toned wood from Africa. I got it from the crabbage patch, so I thought it would be fine for the crabitat.

You can see it here: http://www.thecrabbagepatch.com/CL502.htm

Except mine isn't exactly smooth anymore since the boiling/microwaving cycles.....

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 23, 2008 8:22 am

OHhhhhh..... I've seen that stuff! Thanks for the link- Dah!
Do I feel silly?!! Oh well.
Yep, it should be just fine in your tat and I wouldn't give it another thought.

Kaylynne · Post by **Kaylynne** » Fri May 23, 2008 10:23 am

Took me a bit to find this.. but this is a GREAT idea by Dodgydutch!

dodgydutch wrote:Salt won't kill fungal spores - nor will boiling. If you don't get rid of the spores, the fungal growth will just keep coming back.

The only way to get rid of fungal spores is Tyndallization:

1. Take the items you want to get rid of fungal spores from and bake/boil them as you would normally to sterilise them.
2. Put them in a plastic bag, very loosely tied, in a warm place (airing cupboard, basement etc) for 24-48 hours.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for a total of 3 cycles, then, repeat 1 once more and you can be pretty certain that you're now spore-free and should have no more mold problems.

This method is designed for removing fungal spores from soils, but works with anything - I personally use it at work to remove spores from powdered sulfur!

How it works:

Spores are pretty much invincible when it comes to heat but live fungi are not. The first heat cycle kills the live cells then, when you "incubate" in the warmth for a day or two, you allow the spores to start to germinate into fungal cells, which are then killed in the second heating cycle...A full set of 3 cycles is needed to get rid of all the spores present usually.

Try it - it really does work! No more mold :O)

BTW - this should SO be a sticky!

MudCrabDude · Post by **MudCrabDude** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:59 pm

That sounds like a great tip!