White algae? Need information please!

[d0nuT]

Hi guys! Long time no read huh?

Ok, I have a 20 galllon tank which at the moment is home to 6 panda cories. The tank was fishless cycled and everything has been fine so far *knocks on wood*.

About 2 days ago I noticed a very fine white fuzz on one piece of driftwood in the tank. (there are two pieces.)
The 'Fuzz' has now spread to the only fake plant in the tank and some of the gravel floor. It's got a fine hair quality to it and bulbous pearly spheres in it which look like trapped air maybe.
It's not adhering to anything living so far, none of the plants are affected. All the fish don't seem bothered by it, rooting in it like normal, some even sit in it!
Any info on what this is or how to get rid of it would be appreciated.

Thanks for your help!

D

 

[OrionGirl]

Where'd the wood come from? Unlikely to be algae, but there are a number of other 'things' that sometimes come from wood that hasn't been properly prepped for a tank. If you collected it yourself, or if this is wood that's marketed for use in a terrarium, one of these 'others' would be my first guess.

 

[d0nuT]

It came from....

Hi, thanks for your quick reply!

The wood came from my dads old aquarium, which has been stored for a few years in a cardboard box, it was soaked for a few days in rainwater to get it waterlogged and then transferred to the tank. The other piece of driftwood in the tank went through the same process and doesnt have any 'Fuzz' on it.
It's also on a quartz rock and on a small section on the floor. The tank was set up for a month with no fish and there was only a little amount of the 'Fuzz' before then. I was hoping that it would exhaust the supply of whatever it was living on and go. It did seem to be dying back, but since two days ago, (the fish were put in on saturday) I've noticed an increase in the amount of it. As I said before, the fish don't seem bothered by it, they're rooting around in it and sitting on it.
Do you know what it is or how I'd get rid of it?
Thanks for your help

D

 

[OrionGirl]

I'd pull out the wood and scrub it off. Sounds like it might be bacterial, since it started growing more when a food source (fish waste) was added.

 

[d0nuT]

Thank you so much!

Thanks ever so much for replying so fast! I'll do that at the weekend, when I do my water change, and let you know how it goes!

Thanks again!

D

 

[knowy]

it could just be me but i have this in my tanks as well and i believe it to be calcium or some other water quality minerals, i have what looks like, "sorry guys and gal's" snot growing on my BOG wood . i am sure it is some kinda minerals or trace elements in the water,. just my 2 cents worth :
knowy