# White fuzz after cleaning driftwood



## dm76 (Mar 15, 2009)

I have a large piece of driftwood in my tank that has been running for 5 months. I had algae issues as it was becoming established and it seems to have come under control. The other day I removed the wood so I could vacuum everything really good and scrub it down and I had to retie some plants anyways. So I rinsed everything off while it was out. I am assuming that was a bad idea. Two days later there is some white fuzz on it which searching the forums looks like its some kind of fungus. I take it in the future I should not scrub or rinse the driftwood! I guess I just gotta brush it off and hopefully it goes away in a few days. Would adding salt help?


----------



## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

You need not add anything; in fact, adding salt is probably detrimental to your fish and your plants and will do nothing to solve the fungus problem.

Give it a week or two, and the fungus will go away on its own. While unsightly, it is not harmful.


----------



## dm76 (Mar 15, 2009)

Ok, I just pulled some off with my fingers. Guess I should have left well enough alone!


----------



## shellyluvsfish (Nov 25, 2009)

You should get some little Pleco's they are like magic when it comes to eating away at loose debris on driftwood. My guys are always busy keeping my driftwood and tank looking great. They never bother my plants or fish. Try somethingpshishy they have a lot of different types, sizes, colors and price ranges for Pleco's. They have a live chat on their website and I have always had all my questions and concerns answered in real time. They are also a good place for plants, and cheap. My orders have always arrived the next day.


----------



## dm76 (Mar 15, 2009)

I will check that site out. I was actually going to get some otos next to take care of any alage growing on the wood or plants. I like them because they are small, and I don't want anything that gets big like a pleco. And I don't really like plecos anyways.


----------



## DavidZ (Nov 17, 2009)

as stated get a BN, a picture would help!


----------



## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

x2 on doing nothing... i allways get white fungus / mold when i introduce new driftwood to my tanks. and yes it usually goes away on its own in a few weeks.


----------



## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

yup this is very typical, it goes away in a couple weeks like everyone said


----------



## dm76 (Mar 15, 2009)

Just so I understand why this happened, is it because I removed the wood and washed it with tap water? I know that you are to only wash the filter media with tank water, but I didn't think it would matter with this. Did I kill beneficial bacteria that was on the wood thus allowing the fungus to grow?


----------



## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

dm76 said:


> Just so I understand why this happened, is it because I removed the wood and washed it with tap water? I know that you are to only wash the filter media with tank water, but I didn't think it would matter with this. Did I kill beneficial bacteria that was on the wood thus allowing the fungus to grow?


Sounds right to me!


----------



## dm76 (Mar 15, 2009)

One more thing on this...

When you guys say it goes away, does that mean it will disappear on its own, or should I remove what is growing until it stops?


----------



## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

It goes away on it's own.

You can remove it if you want, but it'll take however long it takes to go away. Usually a 2-3 weeks, but don't worry if it takes longer. Just kind of something you have to live with.


----------



## Dr. Acula (Oct 14, 2009)

Same thing happened to me a while back. It looked disgusting, but I let it just do its thing, and slowly it lessened and disappeared. Being patient with ugly things in your tank sucks, but that seems to be an important aspect of this particular hobby. Ah well, it makes it more rewarding in the end, when everything looks clean and pretty and grown in.


----------



## redman88 (Dec 12, 2008)

i just moved the driftwood from my 20 gallon to my 55 gallon. it sat for a few hours in a bucket. now its growing the white stuff as well, hopefully the snails will go for it or the ottos but other wise i will just let it sit and go away.


----------



## DavidZ (Nov 17, 2009)

I do not think the Otos will go for that stuff, but easy does it.
Let it be!
BN might help a little, but don't think they love that stuff also.

What is with the salt, it is not a cure for all, in fact some believe that it should be used sparingly, just like my cardio guy says, easy with the salt.

The believe is, using salt in the tank all the time will diminish the purpose of using it when you need it(resistance).


----------



## DavidZ (Nov 17, 2009)

I do not know if all will agree, but there is no reason to scrub the tank all the time. There is a ballance in the tank that we all hope to keep.
Keep up with the good water quality and all will be OK.


----------

