Mopani wood fungus... Is this the BAD kind?

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Kannan Fodder

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Set this tank up about 4 days ago, had soaked the wood for a couple weeks. Very little tannin leach, but what little there is hasn't really discolored the water.

The fungus started showing up yesterday. Used a baster to try to vacuum it off, but it's not working. I have plants attached to the wood, just tucked into natural crevices, not tied on. Is this the bad fungus, or is it the normal kind? I have snails in with the betta, and they haven't touched it. Betta is acting normal, eating very well, no signs of distress.

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Byron Amazonas

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Unfortunately you can't tell without microscopic examination by a microbiologist. At least, I am not aware of any external way to tell...and it was a microbiologist who explained this to me. There are many species of fungus in the world.

I would keep a very close eye on the fish (a Betta) and at any signs of trouble, such as increased respiration, gulping air, lethargy, remove the wood. I also noticed cloudy water, quickly. You may be OK, just be prepared.

I believe the deadly fungus is more common with other types of wood such as perhaps manzanita (if I've spelled that correctly) and particularly grapewood which I gather is really bad for this. I believe I had the grapewood. Others with Mopani say that snails and even some fish will eat fungus from the wood.

Byron.
 

TL1000RSquid

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Can't answer for sure but it looks similar to growth I've had before on new pieces of mopani went away on its own after a couple weeks or so.
 

Kannan Fodder

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I've been keeping a close eye on the tank, and everything seems fine. The betta is active, alert, eating very well, and seems perfectly normal. I feed betta pellets in the morning and thawed frozen brine shrimp or bloodworms in the evening. He happily chased down his shrimp last night and gobbled up his pellets this morning.

The tank water is only very mildly discolored from the residual tannin leach, and I soaked the wood well before using it. I did not boil it, but used hot water to soak it, changing it out twice daily at first then once daily as the tannin leach became notably less.

Byron, you cautioned about grapewood, and I'm guessing you mean wood from grape vines/plants. Here's a thought... Grapes have been shown to be toxic to dogs, affecting the nervous system. No one fully understands why they are toxic, but now on the list of "Foods To Avoid" for dogs are grapes and raisins.
 

Kannan Fodder

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Update.....

I got a nerite snail yesterday, as well as a black mystery snail. Put them both in the tank, and the nerite immediately went to town on the fungus. Fish still being a typical betta, everything else appears perfectly normal.

Originally I had put ramshorn snails in with the betta to help with uneaten food, and they've totally ignored the fungus.
 

Rbishop

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If that is true Mopani, it will take years to get water logged and will bleed slowly for the entire time, ever so lightly. The wood is so dense, you don't have to soak it all to get it to sink. If it didn't sink instantly and/or it is leaching enough to discolor however slightly you did water changes, it isn't Mopani.
 

Kannan Fodder

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It was sold as mopani (Zoo Med brand sold at Petsmart, Petco, and thru various online retailers), and it is heavy for its size. It sank when I put it in the bucket to soak it. It leached quite a bit for several days, but isn't much now. The water is very lightly discolored, but nothing really bad.

Haven't done a substantial change yet as this is a nano for a betta, and I just set it up.
 

fraviz

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Put a little plecos and watch it clean it up.
I has happened with manzanita too. My plecos were happy too

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