Growing and overcoming barriers

[reefknight]

Hi all,

Just a quick intro to my tank setup - it's a 50 gallon that's been up and running for about 3 months, with fish in for 4 weeks. I did a full fishless cycle before adding any fish, just to be safe.

Tank specs are as follows: temp is set to 25c, pH is around 6.6, and I've got the following fish:
- 10 Hemmigrammus Bleheri
- 6 Hyphessobrycon SP 'orange bolivia'

Plant-wise, I've got Staurogyne repens and Pistia stratioes. I'm dosing liquid carbon and ferts daily, and trace elements twice a week. Lighting is provided by a Fluval Fresh and Plant 2.0 on medium for 6 hours a day.

Now, my question: I've got this growth on my wood (check the pics below) that just keeps coming back no matter how many times I scrape it off. What is it, what's causing it, and is it a threat to my fish? Any help would be great.

Cheers,
James

[mikko]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it, it seems pretty harmless to me. Let nature take its course, it'll either die off on its own or your fish will probably just peck at it.

[flamberg]

I've had this with new driftwood too. Manzanita's a prime example - it grows the stuff when I first add it. It's nothing to worry about, just a normal part of the process. Give it a few weeks and it'll probably be gone.

[reefknight]

Thanks for the input - I've been doing some more research and it seems I've got a type of algae on my hands. It's this soft, greyish-brown stuff that's got a bit of a hairy texture to it.

[willie32]

I've come across this growth before, and more often than not, the fish will just graze on it. Someone once mentioned it might be the last bits of sap from the wood, but I'm not sure how accurate that is. Anyway, nice to see you around again reefknight, been a while since some of the old crew popped up on the forum.

[reefknight]

I've come across this growth before, and more often than not, the fish will just graze on it. Someone once mentioned it might be the last bits of sap from the wood, but I'm not sure how accurate that is. Anyway, nice to see you around again reefknight, been a while since some of the old crew popped up on the forum.

Thanks willie32, good to see you're still around and thanks for the input.

I've thought about adding a True SAE to deal with the growth, but it's not exactly compatible with my South American fish. Plus, I've heard they're notorious jumpers, which isn't ideal for my open-top tank.
I'll give it a couple of weeks to see if the issue resolves itself. If not, I might consider adding some Otocinculus or similar.

I've got a hunch that whatever this growth is, it's thriving on the ferts and carbon. So, I'm planning to introduce some Cabomba, which we all know grows rapidly in these conditions. Hopefully, it'll outcompete the growth for nutrients and starve it out - although I could be completely off the mark here.

Regards
James.

[willie32]

I've also just returned to the forum, nice to see some familiar faces again. Considering your South American setup, I think whiptail catfish could be a good alternative to otos - they're gentle on plants and can help with algae. The LDA 010 Red Lizards might be a suitable option, depending on your tank size. Alternatively, if you're willing to break biotope rules, nerite snails are great at cleaning up algae and do a fantastic job in my tank.

[reefknight]

Thanks willie32, appreciate the suggestions - I'll definitely consider the whiptail catfish or nerite snails, even if they don't fit my South American theme. If they do the job, I can always remove them later, so it's worth a shot.

[grizzlon]

I think it's a fungal growth, not exactly the prettiest thing to look at. I've had experience with it before and otos, nerite snails, tiger barbs and even shrimp will feed on it. Alternatively, you can remove it manually with a toothbrush, followed by a large water change to get rid of any remaining spores.

[pennyplus]

Hi all,

Just a quick intro to my tank setup - it's a 50 gallon that's been up and running for about 3 months, with fish in for 4 weeks. I did a full fishless cycle before adding any fish, just to be safe.

Tank specs are as follows: temp is set to 25c, pH is around 6.6, and I've got the following fish:
- 10 Hemmigrammus Bleheri
- 6 Hyphessobrycon SP 'orange bolivia'

Plant-wise, I've got Staurogyne repens and Pistia stratioes. I'm dosing liquid carbon and ferts daily, and trace elements twice a week. Lighting is provided by a Fluval Fresh and Plant 2.0 on medium for 6 hours a day.

Now, my question: I've got this growth on my wood (check the pics below) that just keeps coming back no matter how many times I scrape it off. What is it, what's causing it, and is it a threat to my fish? Any help would be great.

Cheers,
James

I'm guessing it might be a fungus or mold growth. Had something similar on the wood in my shrimp tank. Picked at some of it, left some alone. It's since cleared up, don't see it anywhere now.