# White fungus/ algae



## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

So a buddy of mine stopped by the house today and asked if he could check out my tank..... Of course I say, no problem. As I am showing him the tank, he tells me that there is some sort of white fungus or white algae (he wasnt sure) in my tank. Apparently it is all over the glass? but I do not know what the hell he is talking about. Does anyone have a clue? or has anyone ever heard about something like this??


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

i have it growing on my drift wood in bush like clusters, i think its some kind of algae but could never put a name to it, i've read that its non-toxic but still looks kinda ugly


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

Yeah idk what it is, even if it is non toxic, it still aggravates me. I just wanna get rid of it lol


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

Sounds like beard or hair algae... they can be VERY stubborn to control. Best bet is to scrape it off and physically remove as much of it as possible... There aren't many/any algae treatments that are effective on it. if it's on decor, soak them in bleach water, then use a dechlorinate like prime to soak it in before returning it to the tank. If it's beard algae, the bleach will kill it, but not remove it from the decor (requires some scrubbing). I personally picked up a UV Sterilizer to keep it under control once I got rid of it.

Another way of ridding the beard algae is with true chinese algae eaters (plecos will not eat the stuff), but if you're like me and have a large, mean rhom in the tank, algae eaters are not an option.


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Rough996 said:


> Sounds like beard or hair algae... they can be VERY stubborn to control. Best bet is to scrape it off and physically remove as much of it as possible... There aren't many/any algae treatments that are effective on it. if it's on decor, soak them in bleach water, then use a dechlorinate like prime to soak it in before returning it to the tank. If it's beard algae, the bleach will kill it, but not remove it from the decor (requires some scrubbing). I personally picked up a UV Sterilizer to keep it under control once I got rid of it.
> 
> Another way of ridding the beard algae is with true chinese algae eaters (plecos will not eat the stuff), but if you're like me and have a large, mean rhom in the tank, algae eaters are not an option.


I have a 32'' piece of driftwood that was covered in hair algae, only i had 2 plecos to do the dirty work









I would never use any bleach on any decor or anything, thats a no no.


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

I have been scraping it off my rock and i mean it comes off easy but not off the glass. I have read it thrives on nitrates and phosphate, nut I am not sure.

For me plecos or Chinese algae eaters are not an option. my p's have eaten one already, a catfish, and a large crayfish, so yeah that's out lol.

I cant imagine that puting bleach on anything that will go near the tank is good. What is the process used for bleaching tank decor??


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

65galhex said:


> I have been scraping it off my rock and i mean it comes off easy but not off the glass. I have read it thrives on nitrates and phosphate, nut I am not sure.
> 
> For me plecos or Chinese algae eaters are not an option. my p's have eaten one already, a catfish, and a large crayfish, so yeah that's out lol.
> 
> I cant imagine that puting bleach on anything that will go near the tank is good. What is the process used for bleaching tank decor??


I'm not saure what the process is, but i know someone who just scrubbed ther decor in bleach and water, and then give it a good rinse and scrub. Needless to say, they never told me how it went, so i'm guessing it went horribly wrong


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

Murphy18 said:


> I'm not saure what the process is, but i know someone who just scrubbed ther decor in bleach and water, and then give it a good rinse and scrub. Needless to say, they never told me how it went, so i'm guessing it went horribly wrong :nod:


I just finished stating that I did it... with large pieces of decor (not actual, natural wood). The key part is to soak/rinse with a dechlorinator, which I also mentioned. Guess what? It went FINE. I didn't do that on a whim, I am one person that does thorough research before doing something that I have reservations about. If YOU do some research on beard algae, you would find the same thing.


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Rough996 said:


> I'm not saure what the process is, but i know someone who just scrubbed ther decor in bleach and water, and then give it a good rinse and scrub. Needless to say, they never told me how it went, so i'm guessing it went horribly wrong :nod:


I just finished stating that I did it... with large pieces of decor (not actual, natural wood). The key part is to soak/rinse with a dechlorinator, which I also mentioned. Guess what? It went FINE. I didn't do that on a whim, I am one person that does thorough research before doing something that I have reservations about. If YOU do some research on beard algae, you would find the same thing.
[/quote]

I was just saying i had the exact problem as 65galhex, although mine was not on the glass, just on the driftwood (natural wood).
My 2 plecos made it spotless.

And also people do refer driftwood as decor dont they?


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

what if i have natural driftwood? is the process still the same?


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

65galhex said:


> what if i have natural driftwood? is the process still the same?


Plus this is the latest edition of algae/crap on my glass. Now it is rust brown colored and I have no idea what the hell it is...

Oh yeah, sorry for the extremely crappy quality of the picture as I took it in a panic with my cell phone..


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

I think its ''brown algae'' I've read that it occurs if you have low lighting in your tank, how many watts do you have?
To get rid of it you need to increase the lighting.


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

^^^ I agree with Murphy. When you do change your bulbs, you may want to also consider getting the lights on a timer... you don't want to leave the lights on for more than 10 hours per day. IF you enjoy looking at your tank, you can schedule it for during your normal viewing hours.


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

Its a little less than 2 wpg and I have the lights on for no more than like 8 hours a day but no less than 6 hrs a day.


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## Wide_Eyed_Wanderer (Aug 22, 2006)

Try increasing the wetness of your water, sounds like your water is not wet enough yet.

only kidding


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