@dsed That’s why I love this community because we can offer opinions without anyone taking offense! 
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Absolutely agree. I just didnt want to come off like I was being rude🙂
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Id love to use paper but the enclosures are in my home so coconut really helps eliminate odors completely. My friend at florida red tails uses paper and it’s so convenient.
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No never!!! You are never rude! 
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Personally when I use reptichip or simliar I break down the brick like most people do. Then I let it sit in my ball python room until it drys out to my preference. I make sure to stir it up once or twice a day to prevent mold. I leave the lid off the tub it is in also. If I want to use it right away I bake it until it is dry enough to use. I personally do not use it damp in my area. My room is at 40 percent. With a big water dish it is way to moist for my tubs. I mist to add what humidity to the tubs I want after I dry it out. I make sure to break down the bricks a week or two before I do tub cleans. Then I use the damp new broken down brick to replace substrate when I spot clean.
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I have never had mold issues with my reptichip. Even though I have definitely oversaturated my blocks. There’s never been an issue that I’ve ever encountered. My best advice is to add less water than you think you want, and then slowly saturate the parts that you want.
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What does it look like to you? Maybe just dirt? I’ve always heard that scale rot looks like a little spec of dirt so that’s why I panicked. All the images ive seen of scale rot are severe cases, I can’t find one like a really minor stage. Also can I put paper towels under the retichip? Is there any benefits to doing that or disadvantages?
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I’m still trying to play around with vents, right now there’s 7 holes on each side of my tubs and 4 on top of the lid, about 1/4 some are a tad bit bigger. Unfortunately I don’t got a snake room and my house stays 69° year around I might turn the heat on in the winter when the wife is super cold lol. But I’m working on getting a rack with closed sides to keep the heat in
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Looks like minor imperfections on the scales that usually sheds out. I usually notice these imperfections on my light colored/pied ball pythons. Keep an eye out of course but IMO I dont see anything to warrant a change in your enclosure. I don’t see a benefit to putting paper under the substrate. Once your out of reptichip you can try other methods and see what works for you and your pythons.
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I appreciate your reply and opinion. I will keep a close eye out on them. I’ve had the retichip sitting out in the sun and it seems to be just perfect, not really damp at all, no water dripping out when I squeeze a piece, it’s still wet but not dripping wet
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I had similar problems with varying temperatures through the year and getting the level of ventilation right.
Varying temperatures: your right, I have contiboard racks with only one open side and yet I still had to insulate them to get steady heat production from the heat mats inside. The temperatures where I live vary here for 41C (105F) to minus 10C (14F). Well that’s an extreme from last year and my house cant protect from those differances of outside tempriture.
Humidity:, it took me ages to get the ventilation right. One thought, whats the gap above the lids. if its too small you will need more holes.
But as I said its a combination of both. Ventilation and internal heat and also external heat that affects condensation. Or the same with a moist tub with a much cooler side.
Think about a cold glass of beer on a hot day. You will get condensation. all the factors are relevant.
But like i said, it took me ages to get it right and i posted here in the beginning for tips like you.
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