[Redzies]

I've recently moved into a new basement suite and my lizard cages are suffering from it?! Ever since I've moved in I've noticed white cotton like mold growing around the bottom corners of my tanks in the substrate. I've cleaned the cages twice now and in about 23-27 hours the mold grows back! Anyone have ideas to prevent this??

I use Eco-earth coco fiber substrate, with moderate decorations and driftwood to help maintain humidity, I've cleaned all the decorations with 30% vinegar and 70% water. I do two moderate mistings in the night time, heating is a 50W infared bulb. My temp is 70 in the day and 65 in the night, humidity hangs at 60% in the day and upwards 80% in the night.

Should I mix the substrate different?
Should I add more/less decorations?

PS: I haven't tried putting pebbles under the substrate for filtration, I will be doing that tonight.

[Kristy]

Looks like you got a musty basement. Maybe just use papertowel substrate. Maybe the papertowels will dry out faster and you just need misting at night if the air is already moist/musty. Do you have a dehumidifier? I wonder if that would help the room, and not dry it out too much for the lizard. I noticed a piece of corkbark got to moldy in my tank once. I dont know if pebbles would keep the moisture in or not.

[Hannibal]

I'd just decrease your misting/humidity so it ranges between 70-50%, and make sure the substrate dries out some before remisting it. The higher humidity levels are breeding grounds for mold, so just lower the humidity some & you'll notice little if any mold at all. Just lower experiment with the humidity levels to determine what levels will work best for you. I currently keep mine between 68-50% and have not had a single shed issue since making that change in the spring.

[Redzies]

Thanks both of you for the reply. I'm currently gutting my tank for the third time. I'm laying down hydro balls and a nylon screen to aid in draining excess water from the substrate. I called a couple friends who are also lizard lovers and they said if this doesn't work try moving the cages to a room with more air flow. I will post an update later on in the week, I pray this will be the last time I need to reclean my cages in awhile.

[lauraleellbp]

Sounds like a good plan to me. Hopefully it works!

[Ozymandias]

If that help bu doesn't completely make it go away you might also consider picking up some spring tails and isopods to help.

[Redzies]

Well it's been over 30 hours now and there no mold to be seen! The cage seems to be going through its regular wet and dry cycles with no problems whatsoever. I'm thinking about adding a few night crawlers to help maintain the cleanliness of the substrate, will my geckos try to eat the night crawlers though?

[Hannibal]

There is that possibility.....I'd probably stick with the spring tails and isopods; they do better clean-up IMO.

[Redzies]

I'll look into those then! Can they be bought anywhere in a local city? Pet emporiums, garden centers?

[Spyral]

You can catch isopods at garden centers by moving potted plants. However, you need to culture them for at least 6 months to make sure they pass any heavy metals or other contaminants, so it might be better to look online for sources of isopods. Same for springtails, they're so tiny and there are so many types of microfauna you might not be able to identify the right kind.

I have had geckos eat the isopods, they're a great source of calcium. They may or may not try to eat the worms, but they, too are nutritious. Good luck with your tank and your geckos!