branches in frog tank

[FrogLegs]

i went out in the woods today and picked up some really nice branches to put in the new frog tank. my question is.... one of the branches i got has like a mushroom fungus growing on the side of it. is this safe for the frogs?
the fungus looks to me like a mushroom on the side... i will go take a picture of it.
cheers

 

[FrogLegs]

picture of branches with fungus

heres the pic

 

[cris]

My guess would be it would be ok, but im not sure. I would also be interested to know for sure, there are some pretty funky looking fungi around an i think most would thrive in a frog tank.

 

[Lars K]

It's safe for your frogs.
As long as you won't have mildews in the enclosure it's ok.

 

[FrogLegs]

Mildews? to me it looks like there is mildew on the fungus.
how can u tell if there is mildew?

 

[FrogLegs]

and what does mildew do to the frogs?

 

[Lars K]

No, don't worry. You've got only normal mushrooms and no mildews.

 

[FrogLegs]

but how can u tell if it has mildew cause i have other branches with like moss on it. and i want to make sure i dont do the wrong thing.
cheers

 

[Lars K]

mildew can be toxic. The spores shouldn't come into the respiratory tract.
It can induce allergies to human beings.
I don't know what mildews would cause to frogs but I wouldn't find it out.

 

[Lars K]

show me a pic of the branches.
mildew normally is white and fleecy.

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

I spose mildew could cause respiratory problems with your frogs and possibly could assist in disease spread.
mildew can look like green to purple hair..some one will correct me if im wrong i hope.
Sooner or later the fungi breaks down and im not sure if the spores could cause health problems in a confined space like an enclosure.
Its a nice log and i'd take some pics of the frogs with or on the mushroom maybe, but id remove it before using the logs in the enclosure.

 

[FrogLegs]

i will have to do that tomorrow theyre outside in the rain.
but look at the pic i posted it has white on the outside edge. could this be mildew cause when you touch it, it like changes color.

 

[Lars K]

In my dartfrog tanks also sprouts some mushrooms from time to time.
The mushrooms don't harm the frogs and they are still healthy

 

[Forensick]

if you are really worried, cut it off, then soak in the bath for a week with bleach, then vinegar, then water.... kill everything, and no stress

 

[Lars K]

well, I would say no.
But if you're not sure if the mushrooms will harm
your frogs then you should remove the mushrooms.

 

[Lars K]

Make it like Forensick said and it will be fine.

 

[FrogLegs]

yeah i guess. i was just hoping that it would be ok. cause i only got that branch because of the fungus. i thought it would look nice in the frog tank. and it is alive still.

 

[cris]

Is it a good idea to bleach frog branches? i would have thought it would kill them :?

On another not one of my frogs is croaking now, i think its mixed up(middle of winter and not raining here) :lol:

 

[Lars K]

Is it a good idea to bleach frog branches?

upps, I read this over. Of course not bleaching!
But I don't think that Forensick means that seriously.
I would do nothing with the branch.
But when Frog Legs is afraid of the mushrooms he should clean
the branch and cut the mushrooms. Then he can wash it under
hot water and it will be fine.
(the temperature in my office is about 30 °C at the moment and it's really
hard to concentrate, sorry)

 

[angel_saza]

He's actually almost right

Bleaching the wood is fine just as long as it is rinsed with hot water a few times and left out in the sun for a week. This allows any bleach residue to dissipate. Or you could scrub the wood with undiluted betadine or diluted f10, rinse it a few times and leave it to dry.

Peraonally, I would scrub with undiluted betadine (a little goes a long way) and rinse it in stinkin hot water a couple times.