New frog moss, white fluffy mold after 24 hours?

[rmarkham]

Hi,

I have the eco-earth coconut substrate because I eventually plan on planting live plants when little guy grows up, and I get him a larger home....
So, yesterday I got some frog moss, the kind that you soak in water, and it comes back to life. I soaked it, and wrung it dry, it wasn't dripping or anything, and put it on top of the substrate.
When I was checking on it this morning, I noticed spots of white fuzzy mold appearing stuff along the edge where the moss would meet up with the glass.. It was only on the edges near the glass.. so I took out the moss, and just have the substrate in there for now. I also removed any sections of eco earth that had the white stuff on it.

Did I do the right thing? How can I have frog moss, and not have mold growth?

I know alot of people use paper towels, but I do plan on having a planted terrarium and really liked the look of the moss

thanks!

[Poke]

I would ditch that moss imo not really suitable to crested living. Needs bright light with somewhat of a high humidty. It will get trampled and if you have mess geckos cgd will be sticking to that moss.

[rmarkham]

okay thanks! I'll just use the eco earth!

[Thundergeck]

Unless you have a bio-active substrate you'll keep having mold issues. If your gonna have a larger planted tank to house the gecko in, I'd recommend setting it up now. I'd loose the substrate in the geckos smaller tank for the time being and just use paper towels. Having the loose coco fiber in the smaller tank isn't the best idea. There is the possibility of accidental ingestion plus it makes it harder to find poop which will mold if not taken out immediately.

With a bio-active substrate you don't have to worry about remove feces, mold and other waste because the micro fauna living in the substrate will eat that stuff and clean the tank for you.
To create a bio-active substrate:
Put about 2-3 inches of large gravel or "Hydro Balls" in the bottom of the tank (this is for drainage of excess water)
Place a layer of nylon screen mesh on top of the hydro balls (to keep the following substrate separate from it)
Mix equal parts of coco fiber and fern tree fiber and about 1 tablespoon of activated charcoal
Plant your tank with suitable plants for the species that will be living in the tank
Add about 2 or 3 night crawlers per tank gallon or earth worms (I prefer night crawlers)
Add a culture of spring tails

I would let the tank grow in for about 1-3 months before adding any animals. During the grow in period remember to put some gecko poop or dead crickets into the tank so the spring tails and night crawlers have something to eat. Your also gonna have to light the tank. Some people swear regular incandecent bulbs do the job, I prefer to use a 2.0 reptile UVB bulb. Cresties don't need any UVB and plants don't really need anything higher than a 2.0.

If you use a fertilizer make sure its organic and non-toxic to animals.

If you want to have moss, I'd go with pillow moss. It's denser and more compact

[gaxmode]

sorry to revive old thread but can I also put dubia poop in there for the springtails?