White hairs in my tank?!

stingray4540 · Nov 18, 2005

I just did a water change and pulled 3 strands of white "hairs" from the gravel and a couple of single strands that I noticed floating around.
they are about 2" long and white, and stiff enough to stand strait up when I pull them out.
What the heck are these?!

:mad2: Can anyone help me?

sumthin fishy · Nov 18, 2005

Do you have dogs? are they really "hair" or is that just the best term you could find to decribe it?

stingray4540 · Nov 18, 2005

Best word to describe it. Fish are the only pets I'm allowed to have at my apartment. They're stiffer than hair, kinda like a really soft bristle.

sumthin fishy · Nov 18, 2005

Have you used anything to clean the tank? like a brush, or something? Im really grasping at straws here. I assume if they are not living there should be no problem.

stingray4540 · Nov 18, 2005

Nope. There's a top on the tank and nothing has gone in there but a net, a syphon and my hands. And I'm not sure if they are living or not that's what I'm worried about. Could they be some kind of parasite? I have no idea how they got in there or what they are, living or not.

sumthin fishy · Nov 18, 2005

Sorry man, no clue. Best I can say is to get one under a microscope, but I know thats not something most people have laying arround. Keep an eye out for more is all I can say.

Emg · Nov 18, 2005

I find my dogs hair in some of my tanks all the time, even the tank with the tight lid on it. If you have a dog or cat, the hairs will find their way into the tanks in one way or another....my bet is it belongs to the pet...

stingray4540 · Nov 18, 2005

stingray4540 said:
Fish are the only pets I'm allowed to have at my apartment. They're stiffer than hair, kinda like a really soft bristle.

Like I said, no pets and stiffer than hair. don't know what it could be.

Fish Kate · Nov 19, 2005

Something we do at work when we can't identify a fabric, we take a thread...and we light it on fire (I work in a costume shop). For real -- dry one of these hairs out and light it with a match. If it smells chemically or kind of melts into a lump on the end, it's probably plastic and got there...maybe on some packaging? In any case, that wouldn't be anything to worry about, because most plastics are inert. But if it smells "natural" when you burn it and it burns up quickly, it's carbon based and may be decomposing in there, whatever it is.

stingray4540 · Nov 19, 2005

Thanks Kate! I'll try that. How are the bumblebees by the way?

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