Musty smell in crabitat/allergies?

[heliza]

Hi all!

I've recently gotten my first pair of hermies as an adult (after having them for years as a kid) and have been slowly putting together a good habitat for them and learning about husbandry thanks to the posts here.
My setup isn't perfect yet, but I think I've been doing ok- fresh and saltwater pools, 10 gallon tank, flukers sand mix for substrate. One thing I didn't anticipate, however, is that the weather where I currently live is already in pretty much perfect hermit range (the summers are brutally humid here) and that the natural humidity on top of the wet sand and air stone in the pool raised the humidity in the tank really high, up to the 90s%, according to my hygrometer. The tank started to smell very musty. Not like anything rotting or fishy, just like an old book or a damp basement. I've since turned off the air stone (and will start it back up in the winter when I will actually need it) and taken the plastic wrap off the mesh lid of the tank. The humidity has gone back to the high 70s%, low 80s% now.
I'm not really concerned about my new friends, as they both buried themselves pretty much immediately after I put them in the new tank and seem to still be tunneling around under there. But I am a little concerned for me-- I have really sensitive allergies and asthma, and that musty smell is often a warning for me that I am about to have a not so nice time.
I think if they weren't buried I would clean the tank out and start again with new sand, but I don't want to interrupt their de-stressing if at all possible-- although feeling like I have a big allergy trigger in a small apartment isn't great either.
Any tips on the best way to clean/air out the tank? Or ideas of how to prevent this from happening again beyond keeping the humidity down in the tank?

[Brian_T]

I don't know what others experienced, but when I first set up my habitat, it had a really strong mildew smell for a couple weeks and then it kind of settled into more of an earthy smell.

I don't think you can every eliminate the smell in a damp organic environment, but as long as it smells more like clean soil, I would say its normal.

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[wodesorel]

I have horrible asthma and allergies, and for my bedroom tank with my little Ruggie, I started off with straight sand that was wet down with drinking strength saltwater. That will really help stop mold growth before it starts.

I also had to swap out decor to find things that wouldn't grow mold or mildew. Shells, plastic decor, barnacles, and ocean driftwood I got from Alaska Hermit all passed with flying colors and makes for a pretty beach theme.

In my big tank I never cared and would just wear a mask while cleaning. (Disposable hospital type masks, like $3 for 20 at Walmart. I wear those to do anything dusty.) But I figured since it's the bedroom I had better make sure the tank was always okay.

You might want to wait for your guys to come up (usually under 2 months time) and swap things out then. Until you can, spraying with saltwaterfish in moderation will help. Just remember that while water evaporates the salt stays behind, so you can end up adding too much salt if you're not mindful of how much is going in.

If it's in the budget, a HEPA filter will really make sure everything is good. They weren't as crazy priced as I had thought. I ended up buying one for my critter room and it's insane how much it helps. I can work in there for hours now without a masks and nothing bothers me!

[heliza]

Thanks wodesorel, that is all very helpful information. Also interesting, Brian, that your tank normalized after a few weeks. I hope mine does the same! I must admit that I'm feeling pretty frustrated right now, so it's good to hear from someone who was successful in dealing with the same problems.

I do have a hepa filter and set it up near the tank. I will be swapping out some of the decorations that are starting to look mildewy and may be part of the problem, and start spraying with salt water. I will try my best to make it until they surface again, but I have a feeling I may need to intervene sooner. Living in a studio apartment doesn't give me a whole lot of lee way! But regardless I will try them in straight sand and salt water next time.

If anyone else has suggestions I will gladly take them!