Originally posted by TheSwede I this a tropics thing or does it happen all over the globe? I see that one of you is from Berlin. That does not sound very tropic to me. I am stationed i south of Sweden.
Fungus isn't limited to the tropics, although it's more commonly humid year-round there making it more important to combat.
The main factors are humidity (either in the air or damp, like from rain or fog) and darkness. Sunlight prevents it and can kill the spores. The 'white threads' people see in their lenses are the bodies of fungus spores which have 'hatched' and maybe already dead.
The big danger is that the fungus spore will stain or etch the surface of glass or coatings, which can be permanent. The white fungus threads are easily cleaned if you can successfully disassemble the lens. Glass etching cannot be removed.
So, store the lenses in translucent boxes without caps and insure they're always dry (40-50% humidity).
---------- Post added 01-31-23 at 01:23 AM ----------
Originally posted by TDvN57 I used to live in the tropics until a year ago. During the winter here in Berlin relative humidity is mostly above 80%, until temperatures start to drop below freezing. I assume this is still a threat to unsealed lenses, cold or not.
I was surprised to hear that humidity is so high in Berlin. Somehow, I just never pictured in my mind that Berlin was a humid place, although that simply comes from lack of familiarity.
I've heard the Ruggard dry cabinets you've linked to work very well and are silent. Glad to hear of another endorsement of that type of device!