White Fluffy Stuff?

[Brannie1877]

So a weird development in my tank...I cleaned and changed the gravel and ornaments in my tank about 2 weeks ago. And now I'm noticing white "fluffy" looking stuff in piles all around the tank...it kind of looks like the white batting that you would use to fill a stuffed animal.

Anyone know what this is? Or what causes it? Or whether it's toxic to my fish? Because I'm pretty fond of the little guys (my boyfriend and I have named them all, and refer to them as "the kids").

Thanks!

 

[FroggyFox]

When you feed does some of it find its way down to the bottom of the tank?

What kind of fish do you have?

It sounds like you're describing either eggs of some sort, or more likely decaying food or matter on the bottom. Either way I would probably be sure to take the white stuff out next time you vacuum your gravel. Technically it probably won't HURT your fish, but if you leave it in there it can cause water quality issues.

 

[Brannie1877]

Yes-- the filter seems to knock the flakes down to the bottom...I have a couple bottom feeders, and the other fish seem to either pick at the food on the bottom, or this white stuff.

3 tetras, a platty, and 2 catfish-like things-- one that swims upside down half the time (still haven't really figured out what kind of fish it is), and I think a Cory Catfish...I had inherited them from a friend who moved from Maine to Alaska, so I'm not real sure.

Thanks a bunch...I hadn't seen this stuff before the past week or week and a half, so I was concerned (have had the tank set up since mid October). I'll make sure to suck it out when I clean the gravel (some of it's even sitting on the plastic plants in the tank...) and will try feeding less food a couple times a day instead of one feeding-- maybe less of the food will sink to the bottom.

 

[MrBungle]

i get this when i use stress coat. im not sure if its exactly what you have but i think its the aloe in the stuff or whatever replaces the slime coat.

 

[FroggyFox]

i get this when i use stress coat. im not sure if its exactly what you have but i think its the aloe in the stuff or whatever replaces the slime coat.

Not sure where you got that...I highly doubt it had anything to do with stress coat.

Brannie that sounds like a great plan. Most people feed their fish way more than they need. My fish get all they can eat in a few minutes once a day, about 5-6 days a week, they dont even get fed every day and they're fine.

Maybe try to feed it more slowly instead of just dropping it all in. You might look into getting some bottom feeder tablets for the cory and the upside down one (could it be an upside down catfish?) to feed one of those every 3 or 4 days so you can concentrate on feeding the flake food to the ones who really eat it and you wont have to feed nearly as much.

 

[romeoharvey]

I think you had the same thing I did, my solution was to feed less and add in a couple of scavengers. And also using a scraper everytime I saw the white suff reforming. I don't think it's harmful to fish. And keeping the light on longer might help.

 

[Mahamotorworks]

I think that it is just uneaten food. I had the same problem when I use Shrimp Pellets. The fish wouldnt eat all of it and it would turn in to mold looking white stuff. I cut back on what I feed with it. Adding a bottom feeder will help they will at what your other fish dont.

<AJA

 

[Brannie1877]

Thanks for the input...less food seems the way to go...and I'll have to look into the bottom feeder tablets. I fed them less yesterday, after a day off, and they seemed quite interested and ate most of the food, from what I could tell...I fed them today (about 24 hours later) and they seemed to be watching the food float down to the bottom of the tank. I guess I've been guilty of dropping in some food, and walking away without really paying attention to how much they were eating.

My friends that gave me the fish called it an upside down catfish, but I was hesitant to do so here Never know if that's a technical term or just what they happened to call it.

 

[Brannie1877]

Also, in response to what someone else said...I haven't used Stress Coat. But thanks for the idea. I'm thinking it's decaying food from over feeding them.

 

[allconfused]

I'd check your water quality.
I had this happen to one of my small tanks a few years back and I lost almost every fish before I figured out what it was.

if it's what I think it is it's a fungus that grows on decaying food, and this fungus produces ammonia LOTS of ammonia.

I would do a water change if I were you as the ammonia level will just keep going up until you get every piece out.

I got some anti-fungus stuff from my pet shop which helped a bit but by the time I put it in it was too late.

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