I have a vivarium built currently with a little make shift waterfall and pond. This is my first terrarium/vivarium but I have a general idea of how to build them.
I am currently having issues with mold. It is growing very rapidly however I can reduce the growth if I take my glass top off and replace it with screen. However when I do that the humidity drops to about 70% which is most definitely not optimal.
Right now I have a false bottom made out of clay aggregate. In the front left corner I recessed the aggregate so I could make a "pond". On top of that I have a layer of screen, followed by a layer of filter pads. Then follows the standard substrate layer + moss + leaf litter.
In the back I have a Rio aquarium pump that pumps water up a clear tube. That tube has holes drilled in the end to make it drip. I put aquarium gravel underneath the area of the waterfall so that it would not soak the substrate layer. I should also note that the substrate layer is above the water line.
So how can I reduce my amount of mold? I have read that I may be over-watering however if I water any less my pump will not have enough water to continue operating. There has to be a way to do this right!
Any advice is appreciated. Obviously I need to take everything out, bleach, and start again. However before I do that I need to figure out what I am doing wrong. I will include some pictures
Water level is really low due to me trying to stop the mold!
