Brown stuff growing on new Driftwood?

catfishacr

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jun 3, 2014
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Iowa City, IA
Hey, I bought some driftwood a few weeks ago and have been letting it soak. Today I went to put it into the new tank and saw some brown fuzzy looking stuff growing on the wood. I wasn't able to get a picture but found a picture online that is almost identical.The reading I can find shows its nothing harmful and should go away with time? I wanted to see if this is accurate and if anyone here had anything to add? Thanks in advance!


 

noside

Gambusia
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Mar 6, 2014
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It's nothing to be concerned about. Pretty sure it's remnants of sap I've seen it plenty of times while soaking drift wood but it especially comes out with the manzanita woods. It will eventually go away.
 

krichardson

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Jun 19, 2006
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I've thrown away pieces of wood that I have had for years because that brown stuff all of a sudden popped up.I tried scrubbing and drying the wood and the stuff would reappear after I put the wood back in the tank.It looks like fungus of some kind but seems to be harmless.I didn't like the looks of it so I chucked the wood.
 

Lusus_Naturae

Fire Eel
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Oct 7, 2010
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I had it crop up on some grapevine I had in a tank. It also had some white fuzzy stuff too. It didn't last long once the highfin pleco (gibby) found it. He cleaned it up fast. A few weeks later I didn't see any more starting up again.

Previously if I was just soaking it in a tub, I'd rub it down with salt to get anything off the surface. A few washes and the salt would be gone anyhow.
 

krichardson

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I'll have to try and keep those two remedies in mind in case I come across a nice looking piece in the future.
 

HarleyK

Canister Man
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Plecos love it - I assume you don't have a pleco in your tank?
This is good reason to get one :)
 

MilitantPotato

Candiru
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Jul 19, 2006
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The only issues I've read are if it smells like it's rotting when you take it out of the water is the sap is rotting, which can cause water quality issues. Otherwise it's just ugly, but goes away with time or a fish that eats it.
 

catfishacr

Gambusia
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Jun 3, 2014
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Iowa City, IA
Thanks everyone. I took it out let it dry and then scrubbed it good. Nothing smelled bad so hopefully no sap issues. I will be adding a pleco, so if it grows back hopefully my pleco will do some grazing:)
 

Psylant

Fire Eel
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May 24, 2011
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I have heaps of this stuff in my tank. It's harmless and plecos devour it. I have a divider in there right now. One half has a pleco, one half does not. The side with the chocolate pleco is gleaming. The side without, covered in this hairy brown algae.
 

the lion who ate the sun

Plecostomus
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Mar 11, 2014
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You can also take a turkey baster and blast the surface of the wood during a water change. Position your hose in the right place as you blast and you can get it all. I have to do this with my huge piece every so often.
 
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