Excessive mold on dart frog vivarium decor

The Problem

Mold is a double edged sword; it is necessary for the vivarium to run properly, but when left unmanaged, it can be a huge detriment to your vivarium. When kept in check, mold is a beneficial organism that helps to break down waste and other materials. It is natural and all vivariums have some level of mold. However, some materials are great catalysts for mold, which can lead to dangerously high amounts of mold because the microfauna that consumes mold in your vivarium can not keep up with its growth. When considering new decor for a dart frog vivarium, there is a lot to take into account. Materials will be exposed to extremely high humidity; this constant high humidity can cause these materials to break down quickly and provide a perfect environment for mold to explode. Many woods such as grapewood may look great, but they can eventually contribute to excessive mold.

The Solution

When you find that mold is growing excessively on decor, you can first remove it with RO water, paper towel and Josh’s Frogs Terrarium Cleaning Sponge .

Move the animals to a temporary holding container until the decor is cleaned.
Use the sponge to scrub the mold off with RO water using the paper towel to gather all of the dirty water and debris.

However, if your decor is the problem, the excessive mold will come back. If this is the case, remove any decor made of materials that are susceptible to growing excessive mold. These can be replaced with materials that can hold up to the extreme high humidity of a dart frog vivarium. Cork , Manzanita , Live oak leaves and magnolia leaves are decor we suggest. This is because they hold up well in the high humidity of a vivarium. Grapewood is a poor choice in a humid vivarium, as it will rot and grow mold as it quickly decomposes.

Josh's Frogs