Driftwood

I would give the tank a good clean. 50% water change, gravel vacuum, algae scrape, etc.

Take the driftwood out and put it in a pot full of water on your stove. Boil it for about 10 min. Rinse it off and let it cool down before putting it back in the tank.

Be careful with the feedings from now on to keep water quality very high. Watch the tank for the next few days to make sure you get rid of any more fungus before it attacks your fish.

I totally have the same thing going on in my tank. I fishlessly cycled it, its been done with that for about a week. But part way through it I saw the same white stuff on the driftwood that it sounds like you have. Its white and spiderwebbycloudy like but when you pull it out its much like snot. Right?

Well I posted on a couple boards and was told that this was a fungus most likely, possibly a bacteria, and that it will go away as the tank stabilizes. It is harmless to fish.

So...I didnt do anything except scrape off as much as I could from time to time. Since I put the fish in, I only scrape it off when I change the water so I can vacuum up the pieces. And the fish is fine so apparently it is harmless. And my water parameters are good.

It is slowly going away. Each time I scrape it off it grows back more slowly and there is much less of it each time.

I boiled my wood first, so I doubt doing that will help you any.

Thats been my experience with it...basically time and good aquarium/fish-keeping practices will eventually do the trick.

HTH

I have the same thing going on and I’m using some Anit-fungus stuff. I need at least 2 more days to see if it’s going to help. But I’m glad to know it’s not hurting your fish. I had asked at one point and was told to treat with Malachite Green. So far it’s all most cut in ½ but I need 2 more days at this I think. But time will only tell if this works or not, until then I will be finishing my cycle and deciding to plant or a small school and some bottom feeders first.

gotnailed, please keep us posted on how the antifungus treatment works on this stuff and if it keeps it from coming back.

Ok I’ll let you know in a few days. I did over treat with the meds since the tank has 1 java fern that I pick out of another tank to shut up my girl friend but I’ll let you know in 2 days.

Speaking of driftwood.... should i by the expensive crap in the store, or go with a natural one. i live by a lake and have all the driftwood i could possibly need. Assuming i clean it and boil it and soak it first, would this be ok?

My step dad goes to a cove and gets his. He has never had a problem with it. I buy 2 peaces and have cotton looking fuzz on it. I’m treating it but it’s now looking like it’s not going to help. It’s too big to boil it. I think I’m going to get some cheap plants and the light for my tank and get a small school of fish and see what happens after that. I’m thinking that the ammonia might be helping it grow. Someone did say it is a bacteria and will now hurt the fish and will go away with some time. I have asked a few people at different stores and they don’t know.

I seem to remember this coming up in a thread not to long ago, or at least in a search I did not too long ago. I believ what was mentioned there was that this was caused by bacteria/microbes/whatever making an escape from inside the wood. The consenus, IIRC, was that it was harmless and would cease after a short time.

Try doing a driftwood search on the forums.

Tom