Not sure if it is Bacteria or fungal spores

[elroy49]

I have a 45G tank with one Oscar and a algae eater in it. I have noticed white stuff growing on my drift wood. It looks like cotton treads with smaller parts on top. What is it and how do I get it out of my tank?

 

[Lotus]

It's probably a harmless fungus. Is the driftwood new?

You can take the driftwood out and rinse it off, if you want, but it will probably disappear on its own.

 

[elroy49]

Thanks

I had the drift wood a while I was thanking that. I had another algea eater that had a sore on its tail the fungus attached it self to the tail. He lost the tail a week later. Then he died 4 days later. If I boil the drift wood and sc rud it off with a brush would that help keeping it off the wood.*thumbsups *thumbsups

 

[Lotus]

Yes, it would help.

The fungus on the wood and infection on the fish aren't the same thing. They could both be an indication of poor maintenance/lack of water changes, though.

If you see a fish with some kind of disease, it's best to treat it right away.