Flower Pot Fungus - IHEARTBUGS, INC.

Flower Pot Fungus

What are these yellow spores in my enclosure?  Most often those clusters of spores are flower pot fungus.  We all dread it when we see fungus or mold appear in our enclosures, but it is part of nature.  Flower pot fungus is unsightly, but it is usually harmless.  The fungus feeds on decaying organic matter in humid environments, and these spores can eventually grow into a bright yellow mushroom.

Neither springtails or isopods will consume the fungus, so when I see the spores, I will usually remove the spores with a plastic spoon or by hand if it can easily be grabbed.  Sometimes when there are a lot of spores, I let the mushroom form and then I remove the whole mushroom.  Also, l make sure to cut back on watering and misting since the fungus thrives in humidity.

Over the years, on occasion the fungus appears in my dart frog vivariums, and I simply keep removing the fungus as I previously described.  In my experience, the fungus runs its course over several weeks and then it disappears, sometimes reemerging after months or years or never recurring again.

Flower pot fungus has never harmed my dart frogs or clean-up crews.  It's just a part of nature that we observe in our bioactive enclosures.

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