I was waxing enthusiastic recently about these cheap glass jars I got from Crate and Barrel. Well, I woke up today to discover plenty of mold in the two newest ones - both for spiders needing higher humidity. I thought I drilled plenty of air holes in the lids (see photos of the two), but something obviously is wrong. I was trying to strike a balance with the blue fang in particular, since web resources indicate it wants higher humidity...
Substrate is a mix of peet moss and "orchid mix", both organic and both from the Vivarium. It was lightly moistened before being packed into the jars, but not so moist that you could squeeze water out of it by any means. And I cleaned both thoroughly with dish soap before adding substrate and spiders.
Coco fiber has been suggested, but that's partly because of its moisture retention properties; has anyone had experience with mold in this sort of setup?
PC
Bonobo
i avoid using bulk substrate from stores . Chances are its sitting open for who knows how long and how its been handled and cross contaminated . Remember mold comes from spores that have found their way into the media , its not a spontaneous result of simple humidity and it thrives opportunistically in low air movement area and i also find it likes it cool at least the types that trouble our moss, barks and other woody substrates . Getting your own bag and keeping it somewhere dry and clean wont guarantee it mold proof thats up to its origins and your husbandry. but it is some damage control. Putting a modest amount of ventilation on the sides could help - as well as temps on the warmer but still appropriate spec . And coco fiber really is Bomb
