White hair on driftwood...what will get rid of it?

[JPA]

I've had a piece of driftwood in my tank for about a month and a half. It's covered in a white, hairy substance (some areas just have short bristles, but others have long clumps).

I bought a wide-mouth pleco a couple of weeks ago thinking that it might take care of it, but the pleco seems completely disinterested in that piece of wood.

Does anyone know what this is? I've read other posts that suggest it's not algae and that it is not harmful, but I'm still not sure what it actually is and how to get rid of it (even if it's not harmful it is still unsightly).

Also, I just saw two snails in the algae, and I'm pretty sure they were bumping uglies. That doesn't really have anything to do with the problem, I just thought it was weird.

Thanks for the help!

 

[DragonFish71]

I'm not sure what it is exactly, but I do know it is harmless and very normal. It will clear up after a few weeks or you can take it off manually by using a brush. I use a toothbrush that I bought just for using in our tanks. You can scrub it off and let the filter suck it up.

 

[mfdrookie516]

its a type of fungus. alot of bottom feeders will eat it. it happens every time i put a new piece of driftwood in a tank, but goes away fairly quickly

 

[joy13]

You can also use hydrogen peroxide to clean it. If you just can't stand it but it is best let it disappear on its own or get a fish that eats it if that is in your stocking plans something like a molly or oto cat.

 

[WhiteDevil]

Hair or cloudy like a mucus like SNOT?

If its stringy then id be interested in a pic if its like a snot, itll go away, just decom from the element exposed layers of the new wood. I am assuming this is a new piece and not a piece that cam directly out of water, correct?

 

[JPA]

If its stringy then id be interested in a pic

It is definitely hairy/stringy, and not like snot. Here is a picture, although it did not come out well at all (the blurry part in the bottom is the white hair)