Is mold harmful?

[thorshammer]

Is mold harmful to my frogs?????

[Cindy Dicken]

Are you referring to mold in the vivarium?

If so, no.
Mold is a very common occurence in newly set up vivariums. The mold will usually dissipate within a couple of weeks. You can mist the mold to help disperse of it, as well as adding springtails, they love to feast on the mold.
Other than being unsightly the mold really posses no harm.

[kristy55303]

i agree and even asked dr.frye about it. it wont harm your darts and wont in ff cultures either he said...but dont culture from a ff culture or youll get mold again and can cause the culture to stop producing. kristy

[hobot]

I am admittedly do not know the answer to this question b/c it is very loaded. There are some known heath effects from certain mold species. There are way more unknown health effects. Understanding that microfungi are everywhere and can flourish in the same ecological conditions that dart frogs live in, it is likely there will be no ill effects observed if some mold is in a vivarium. Dart frogs are likely well adapated to survive in tandem with molds.

Having said that, horses have died from ingesting the toxins associated with mold growing on improperly stored hay. The most carcinogic naturally occuring chemical known to man is produced by a mold.

If the mold gets out of control, clean it up.

[busere]

I have a circulation pump (Accessible for removal and/or repair) that is in the water table, under my land side of my viv. It pumps water from the bio-balls, sends it via hose to the opposite side of the viv into the filtered water section. I use a Whisper 20i filter that is surrounded by rock that creates a really cool waterfall. This all keeps the water under my land section from getting stagnant by constant circulation. If you'd like to know how to hide a pump under your land section, it's not that hard...when you are first setting up your viv. If it's already set up...that can be another story. This has really kept the mold levels to a min.