not sure what is growing in my tank...

[stpetece]

Hi there...

I have a 100 gal tank and over the last few days I have noticed this black feather like stuff spouting out of the top of my drift wood, rock and silk plants. It looks like little tufts of feathers and I am unable to find anything on the internet that resembles it. I have tried to take a picture, but for some reason it always turns out blurry.

has anyone experienced this before??

Thanks

 

[hc8719]

i cant really tell, kinda sounds like that thick algae, but its black?

 

[Jchillin]

Sounds like black brush algae (BBA). Is in separate small tufts?

 

[stpetece]

that is exactly what it is...i looked up black brush algae and found a picture of it....

what am i supposed to do with it? is it dangerous?

 

[toddnbecka]

It's only offensive to the eyes, not harmful to fish. There's a huge display tank at the lfs that is loaded with that stuff. The driftwood became completely covered, really didn't look too bad. The tufts growing on the acrylic are another story though. It's ridiculously difficult to remove, even the biggest mag-float magnets aren't up to the job.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

If you want to get rid of it on the driftwood and ornaments, here's what you can do. Go to a store like Safeway and buy a small bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide 3%. It's very inexpensive. Fill a small bucket with water and add the whole bottle of HP and dip the driftwood and ornaments in the HP for 15-20 minutes. Then place back into the tank, no rinsing necessary. that will take care of the driftwood and ornaments for you. And within a few days it will start to dissolve away.

 

[stpetece]

well as long as it isn't harmful to my fish, i wont bother it...kinds looks neat. I was just worried that my fish were in danger.

Thank you for all your help, as always!!!

 

[jcarlilesiu]

I personally can't handle seeing the stuff in my tank. I usually take out my large peices of drift wood, put them in the bath tub, and fill it with sculding hot water. Leave it in there for about 15 minutes, remove and place back in the tank. the tufts turn grey in a day and are gone with in three