Shrimp Dead... White stuff on wood, grey lines? What is this??!

[janky]

So I just recently pulled out the bulk of the gravel substrate that was in my tank and cleaned it all out really well. I changed probably 100% of the water by now, and re-oriented all the stuff in the tank.
Today, I came home and one of my glass shrimp was dead, in 2 pieces. I'm guessing this was due to my pleco or something? I can't imagine the tiny tetras I have tearing a shrimp apart.

I also noticed there are tiny white flakes all over my driftwood. Here's a pic

These weren't there a week ago, and they're all over. I don't know if it's normal or not.

I also noticed little grey "lines" that are very small, short, and thin. May just be fish poop for all I know.. but the one piece of driftwood that my pleco loves was covered in them.

It's hard to get a picture, but what I'm talking about is right in the very center of this piece... like a small grey worm-looking thing

Is this anything I should be worried about? The white flakes or the little grey things?

 

[JokerWx13]

i don't know about the white flakes but the stringy stuff is most likely poop. pleco's are known to poop in the same place lol (mine would keep it in neat piles) pleco's enjoy sucking on wood so that's probably where they relieve themselves

 

[Lainey183]

The little grey thing kind of looks like fishy poo. Is it moving?

 

[janky]

Its probably pleco poop...thats what i guessed, just wanted to be sure cause there is tons and I vac daily/EOD

the white stuff on driftwood looks like someone poured salt on it

 

[JokerWx13]

do you have a better picture of the white flakes perhaps? it's too blurry to tell what it is right now

 

[janky]

Not really, its hard to get a picture of I know that doesn't help.

To be descriptive, it really looks like someone took a salt shaker and just dumped some all over the wood. It doesn't move (I don't think?)

I'm just gunna keep up on the water changes and vacuum religiously for the next couple days.

this pleco craps more than any animal ever!!! lol... at least I know he's well fed

When I rearranged everything and took out the gravel, it brought out a whole MESS of nasty crap.. the water I drained out was literally brownish... filthy.
Maybe it's just residual algae or filth?

 

[JokerWx13]

its better to clean the gravel regularly then leave it alone for a long time then do it all in one go. if you do that, you're essentially digging up old poop that leads to an ammonia spike. as for the white specks, if it doesn't seem to bother anything, i guess all you can do is just keep an eye on it

 

[Lainey183]

Could they be eggs of some sort?

 

[JokerWx13]

if they were eggs, im pretty sure the other fish and the ghost shrimp would've eaten it