Instant Mold

graphicdesign_r

graphicdesign_r

Tact is for the weak.
Oct 31, 2005
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In your nightmares.
Hmmmm...

Cleaned my tank two days ago (thoroughly , removed all ornaments, rinsed everything, 50+% water change, gravel vac, THE WORKS).

I have been using a gnarled oak branch I found in my yard and driftwood to make some air access for my red claw crab and cray. These pieces were cleaned well before being added to the tank, and had been in there several months.

The branch has since developed a large patch of white fluffy mold after being added back to the tank from (I imagine) airborne spores it picked up during the time it was cleaned... The driftwood shows none of the same signs.

Should I worry? :read: I just thought it strange it appeared after all this time!
 
I've never had to deal with it personally but the standard procedure I've seen is to use a toothbrush or some other equally soft bristles, and remove it that way. That and you can use bleach. I believe it's 1 per 20 parts of water.
 
I had the same issue, picked up a few pieces of oak to make some structure for the fish and air access for the crabs. Right after I started to get really attached to the way it looked a white fuzz started to form, about 2-3 days ago, and it continually got worse. I took all the branches out and they are baking at 200 at the moment (I have had them in the oven on the top rack for about an hour, keeping very close watch, with a cookie sheet on the lower rack to catch any bark that might fall down), I am hoping that will kill all the little hitchhikers that might be on them. I am going to take them out, let them cool a bit, and put them back into the tank before a new batch of hitchhikers can climb aboard. I will update in a few days.
 
note to self: don't put organic matter you find in your backyard, in your fishtank. no matter how clean you think you've gotten it.

oak is not native to tropical regions, so technically (and imho) it has no business in a home aquarium. it's exceptionally tannic as well... it might continue to drop your pH a little more than you want.

the mold growth might have to do with how long you let it out of the water... i had a piece of african root wood that i removed from my tank and allowed to air-dry... i replaced it about a week later, and it seemed to be growing stuff on it ever since, no matter how many times i take it out for scrubby-scrubs.
 
I think the snails ate it :laugh:

Not sweating pH I have so many shells in there raising it the wood won't have a negative effect.

The wood was out of the water maybe 30 mins. tops!
 
Most driftwood develops that white mold when first introduced to the aquarium. It'll go away in a few weeks. You can scrub it off, but it might come back anyhow. Think of it as an "aging" process.

I have bogwood and Malaysian driftwood in my tanks and I noticed that either more mold developed on the bogwood or it's just easier to see. I just left it and it went away on its own.

As for the oak, I've heard -- in passing -- of a few people using oak with no problems, but that doesn't mean problems don't exist.

Roan
 
Water changes and good maintenence will keep a tank happy and healthy for the most part, mitigating minor things like tannic acids leached from driftwood. That becomes a problem over time, but only if you neglect your WCs

My fish are MAD active right now....
 
Well, it has been a bit since I did my baking and all is well. I didn't burn the house down or ruin any baking sheets (the wife isn't mad at me : :clap: ) and the mold has not some back. The only down side is that the tannins in the oak gave me tea colored water after the branches went back in. The plants seem to be doing really well this week though.

I baked the sticks at 225 for about an hour and a half.
 
My Tank

Hey here's a rare shot of the tank. There's two large pieces of driftwood on the right. The oak branch is the thin branch stretching across the front. It is small so I am not worried about tannins. I just like having two ways up so the crab can reach the surface when the crayfish is haunting the driftwood pile (they stalk each other sometimes).

The mold has not returned, it disappeared quickly, I believe something in the tank ate it (snails, crab, cray, shrimp?).



Looking sparse on plants, my crab has been gardening again :laugh: I need more plants.
 
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