persistant fungus problem i think?

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smooth_cannibal

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i have three tanks + 1 betta bowl (temporary because of the bad tank) running right now. 10g (problem tank) 30g, 55g.

since i set up the 10g i have had this odd weird fungus i believe running rampant. white cottony stringy stuff. almost like fiber fill clinging to every surface inside the tank. waves in the current. i made the mistake of cleaning the tank before trying to get pics.

this weird stuff was in the tank from the first few days i had it going and it has never left. it ended up being a hospital tank then all the infected fish died. i had to move the betta into the bowl so i could make a hospital tank. after the fish had all died i tore down the tank and started over. sterilized the tank/decor and let bake in the sun for a few days. i have no fish in the tank but i bought plants. about 25 leaves of java fern, ton of duck weed, and an anubias.

the same stuff has come back again. and the betta's bowl seems to be plagued by it no matter the water changes. the betta was in the problem tank when i moved him. i used established water from the problem tank but i changed and maintained the water very well and it doesn't help. the 10g gets at least 3 water changes a week and it doesn't seem to help.

at this point its been about a month since i restarted the tank.

anything i can do to get rid of this and not have to lose the plants. i only run the lights about 8 hours a day at most.

the weird thing is once i had noticed it the very first time i had definitely cross contaminated all my tanks and it hasn't shown up at all in the other tanks. especially the second time since i had restarted both the big tank i got all the disease in plus the hospital tank. it hasn't shown up in any other tank but the 10 gallon and betta bowl.

i would like to get the betta back in the 10g where he can be happy again.
 
i should mention too that after the first time with only having fish in the 30 gallon i didn't really keep too careful about my hands being wet between maintaining tanks and it still won't show up in the other tanks.
 
Hello smooth...

Small tanks are more of a challenge to keep clean than large tanks. There's so little water in a small tank, that the chemistry can change quickly and create problems. Fungus develops on tank pieces and driftwood when solid food settles into cracks or small holes.

You can get rid of those dissolved nutrients by changing out large amounts tank water every week. This will help maintain a level water chemistry. Ramshorn snails will also remove fungus and keep the rest of the tank cleaner.

Floating plants are helpful too. Brazilian water weed is one of the easiest plants to keep and thrives in nitrate rich water.

B
 
well i haven't introduced fish to the 10g again since i started it over from scratch. i didn't even cycle it yet since this fungus stuff has come back. i got the plants all in the mail within a day of restarting it so i just put the plants in so far

i haven't put any food in the tank even to start the cyle. the only food for the fungus i can think of could be some brown spots on the java fern but from i read those are the start of baby ferns.
 
i checked that out and doesn't look like any of that. the stuff in my tank is white like polyfill. i've been letting it run its course but it doesn't seem to be growing less.
 
Try spot treating it with hydrogen peroxide 3%. Turn off your filter, pull up 1-3ml of peroxide in a syringe, put syringe right up to fungus and slowly squirt. If you have a lot you can do an area a day. Leave filter off 20 minutes. Also if you can remove anything with it on it you can treat DW, rocks, and such with straight peroxide in a sink. Lay down paper towels in a sink, lay item that needs treating and pour straight peroxide over it. Take the wet peroxide soaked paper towels and lay over item being treated and let sit for 20 minutes. No rinsing needed, just put back in the tank.
 
well with no fish in the tank is there something i can just treat it with to get rid of it. and save the plants. perchance. i don't know how to about that. i've had a few plants before a long time ago and they always died. these are staying alive and i would like to keep them if at all possible.

i want to get going on a good cycle for this tank so i can put my betta back in his house and get him out of the bowl.
 
well with no fish in the tank is there something i can just treat it with to get rid of it. and save the plants. perchance. i don't know how to about that. i've had a few plants before a long time ago and they always died. these are staying alive and i would like to keep them if at all possible.

i want to get going on a good cycle for this tank so i can put my betta back in his house and get him out of the bowl.

The above post I wrote tells you how to treat it.
 
right but instead of spot treating it can i just dose the tank since there aren't fish. or soak the plants in a hydrogen peroxide solution and i can just dry out the tank again.

been cleaning good and it still seems to be in it. on another note could it be a bacteria bloom of some kind.
 
In a tank with no livestock you can add 8ml of Hydrogen peroxide to every 1 gallon of water. Turn off your filters before treating and leave them off for 20-30 minutes giving the peroxide time to work. Then simply turn your filters back on. That will literally treat everything in the tank.
 
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