Aquarium dustbunnies?

[Linsay]

Ok, I know they aren't really dust bunnies but that is what they look like. I have a growth or something on my frill especially but it is on all of my plants. When I try to remove it - it feels like mucus. My plants all look healthy.
My husband wonders if it is a byproduct of all the cloudiness we had in our tank last week.

I did take pictures of it but i'm unsure how to post them.

 

[Linsay]

I figured out how to add pictures - they are under my gallery

 

[PlatyLady]

Fungus? Mold? Either way, scoop as much out and do a nice big water change. That can't be a good thing.

 

[Linsay]

Unfortunately I just added Bio Spira and can't do a water change for a week! - On the up side my Nitrites just peaked so hopefully this is the beginning of the end of cycling for now!!

 

[QTOFFER]

If they are fluffy and white with a clearish fringe, then it is probably a fungus. Maybe you could vac them out without removing very much water.

Otherwise, it could just be an algae die-off.

 

[Linsay]

we HAD a really cloudy tank right before this - if it is an algae die-off will it go away on its own or do I have to try to clean it out - It is really really stuck to the frill especially!!

 

[QTOFFER]

I looked at your earlier thread and it seems as if you had a bacterial bloom - pretty common stuff in a newly cycling tank.

The gunk on your plants is probably dead bacteria from that bloom. The outer wall of bacteria is made of polysaccharides - the same component found in mucus - that's why it's so slimy.

Eventually, this stuff will break down/get eaten and be removed by your filter. Till then, it will just look gross.

If it really bothers you, you could try swishing the gunk off your live plant in a bucket of tank water from your next water change.

 

[Linsay]

Thank you so much for the info - how in the world do you know this stuff! That makes a lot of sense.
Seeing as my nitrites are finally going up and my ammonia isn't going up or down - I think I am just going to hold tight for now. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't anything dangerous for my fishy friends.

 

[QTOFFER]

Glad I could help. Hopefully this will clear away with frequent water changes and time. It sounds like you're pretty far into the cycle - just keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels and be prepared to change out some water if they spike.

 

[Linsay]

Yippee - the ammonia levels are heading down

We decided to just throw the frill away - I think the gunk kept it from getting good sunlight and it was looking poorly. Anyway getting rid of it cleared a lot of the white stuff from my tank LOL. It grew like wildfire so I think I will just buy another!