Big problem: my driftwood is growing fungus, what should I do?

[Cyberian]

First of all, I got the driftwood from the local pet store. No, not one of those cheap small business stores. I got it from a big shopping mall.

Now, lets jump right into the problem. I got the driftwood for about 5 days now. And cherry-sized fungus are starting to grow.

They grew VERY fast! In the morning, it wasn't there. When I came home at night, I see this big *** cotton stuck on the driftwood.

What can I do to neutralize it? So far, I have dumped some aquarium salt in it and have turned the temperature up. Not sure if that's going to work. But just in case doesn't, give me some other solution. Other than tell me to throw it out. I spent quite a lot of money on that piece of wood.

[ChilDawg]

Okay, here's the prophylaxis for the problem: feed less.

Take out the driftwood, scrub off the fungus, and then put it back in the tank, and then feed less. This is opportunistic, and overfeeding causes the fungus to manifest itself...at least, if this is the same fungus that was described in AFM a few months back (and I think it is!)

[BK]

Is it the white/clearish fungus? in my experiences certain types of wood grow fungus more readily than others upon introduction into the tank. I am not an expert but i don't see how excess feeding is causing the fungus, its likely feeding off the driftwood as the wood sheds nutrients and begins to slowly decay in the water. Certain types of fish will eat the fungus. I wouldn't be overly worried about anything except how ugly it is and the rise in wastes (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate), if the tank isn’t fully cycled or it is a large piece of wood, as the fungus dies or is eaten by organisms in the tank and is digested.

good luck

[kveeti]

Read about this at The Skeptical Aquarist:
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/wood.html#fungiwood

[ChilDawg]

I'll defer to WetmanNY on this...go with the advice from "The Skeptical Aquarist."

[Cyberian]

No, it can't be overfeeding. The driftwood is placed in my 30 gallons, which is occupied by my two bichirs. I feed my bichirs feeder minnows, which no way it can be caused by overfeeding.

I have read the advice from Skeptical Aquarist. Not fully understanding it since I'm slow in English. So I basically just increase the light source to promote algea growth, and the algae will take care of the fungus? :confused: Right?

[ChilDawg]

Almost. Looks like the algae encourages stuff to feed on it and the fungus.

The extra nutrients in the water from the bichirs' diet may cause the same fungal growth as what you would see in overfeeding a community tank.