what's on my drift wood ?

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catsish33

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2010
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Airzona
Just noticed this hairy growth on my zoo med drift wood looks like some kind of fungus? can any one tell me what this might be? this is in my 85gl tenecor i just started up on the 23rd of april, I have 2 pc of zoo med drift wood in my 240gl never had this problem before. nothing else in the tank has this growth on it. :screwy:

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Yes that is Fungus, In most cases it will go away with time. its happening because the wood wasnt leached or boiled properly (By looking at the picture it looks fresh and full of sap). Is this a new piece or has it been in there for a while? Also if its a soft wood then it will break down and mold as well.
 
It is a new pc of zoo med drift wood. I just put it in my water change can with a powerhead with some prime for a couple of hours. will this fungus harm my fish? can i save the wood or throw away ?
 
ooo and the wood is hard and it is heavy for it's size
 
I found this quote doing a quick search

"Sometimes when an enthusiast brings driftwood home, the temptation to boil it before adding it to their aquarium becomes too great to ignore. When they do this, they sterilize the wood and leave it vulnerable to fungal colonization. If this happens, do not panic! Two things to note:

1. This fungus is harmless to both fish and plants. In fact, many fish will seek it out to eat it. Yes, it looks unplesant but boiling the driftwood again and again to get rid of it is futile. This just restarts the cycle of colonization.

2. This fungus is temporary. Once the natural bacteria in your aquarium have a chance to get a foothold, they will colonize the driftwood and out compete the fungus. The fungus will then seem to disappear"
 
That is grape wood. I had the same thing and the fungus is harmless but mine didn't go away for a long time and I just threw it away. Also it gives off a sulfur smell. If you really want to use it then I suggest some large ramshorn or apple snails because they eat some of the fungus
 
mopaniaq.jpg
A beautiful two color African hardwood for aquariums or terrariums.
Smooth surface, textured detail, and unique mottled color adds interest and enrichment to habitats.
Use with plants to create the "naturalistic" look.
One of the hardest and densest woods available; sinks immediately in aquariums and unlike driftwood, will not rot!
Additional Information:
All natural wood leaches tannins, which discolor water and reduce pH levels. To minimize this effect, soak wood in a separate container, and change water daily to remove excess tannins. The wood will be ready when the water color goes from dark brown to a very light.
Adding extra carbon to your aquarium filter can help remove any remaining discoloration.


This is the wood i have sorry i thought it was drift wood but it's not. I have 2 of these in my 240gl and all i did was soak it for a while and never had this problem.
 
i had some of this recently in my paludarium... stuff disappeared within most 2 months... although it will vary from tank to tank how long it takes to disappear...

So in short, i would not get rid of the wood just because of a little fuzz... oh, and btw, you can try and pick some of it off manually, since it comes off really easily...
 
my fish ate all of mine off within a week. i wouldn't worry about it too much. i vacuumed some of it off during a water change too
 
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