Is this normal?

[Fayanee]

I have set up a tank for my mother and none of my tanks have ever had this issue, but her tank ended up with what my research seems to say is Biofilm. It literally looks like a slimy white cloud on the driftwood.

Now I am unsure as to what we should do, the cycling is going as it is supposed to be going. There is no fish in this tank yet, but I had never seen that before.

Should we worry or what should be done to help?

Thank you all in advance.

 

[Colin_T]

If the driftwood is new and has a white film on it, that is fungus and should be washed off. Just take the wood outside and hose it off, then put the wood back in the tank.

New driftwood will sometimes do this and some brands do it more than other brands. The fungus can be poisonous or harmless. Unfortunately there is no way of telling which is which. Most people monitor the fish and see how they do. If the fish are fine with the drfitwood in the tank, it is not poisonous. However, if the fish start dying for no reason, or act nervous and skittish even though the water quality (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH) is good and they don't have a disease, then the wood should be removed.