New Aquarium - Found White Fungus - NEED HELP!

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Brian_Nano12g

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Jan 13, 2010
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Location
Arizona
Okay.. so I got a new Nano Cube and to speed up the process of cycling I think I just shot myself in the foot! I got a rock and some media from a friend's establish tank. It's been like 6 days now since I set the tank up. I noticed today that there was a white cloudy fungus growing on the rock! I immediately removed the rock and gravel vac'd the area. I did a brief internet search of this and found that this "white fungus" statement:

"If you see white fungus growing on your aquarium plants, you should remove the infected plants immediately. This type of fungus can be very harmful and even fatal to your fish. It can quickly spread to the mucus membranes and other sensitive areas of a fish, so it is important to treat your water and your fish as soon as possible. Ask your local pet store to recommend the best treatment based on the types of plants and fish in your aquarium."

I didn't take a picture and instead went into PANIC MODE to get rid of it. This is what is looks like though (but not nearly as much in this pic): CLICK HERE

So my question is what do I do? I haven't stocked any fish other than 2 cherry barbs. I want to make the environment safe.. Do I need to treat the tank with something? If so, what? After treatment, will the tank be safe or did I permanently mess things up? PLEASE HELP!!! :confused:
 
Calm down, it's all going to be OK :).

Most likely there was some organic matter on the rock that started to grow fungus. Removing the fungus from the rock is all that is needed. Your fish are going to be fine.

I'm not sure of the source that you got that quote from, but I don't think I'd be going back to there for anymore advice..
 
Thanks for the swift reply guys. I feel a little better. I just got to thinking that even so I removed the rock, there would be microscopic fungal particles floating around in there adhering to new parts of the tank to colonize (this was my panic mode speaking in my head BTW..haha). Anyway, is there a preventative measure that I should consider to add to the water to eradicate the risk (i.e. something with Bay Tree extract or Rid Fungus)?
 
its not a risk. uneaten food will grow a moldy looking substance on it, probably what it is. i honestly would just suck the "fungus" out and forget you ever saw it
 
Scrub it off with a toothbrush (intended for cleaning tanks, not your teeth) then vacuum it out. It's a normal process. I wouldn't treat with anything as that stuff can kill off the bacteria you want to live in your tank.
 
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