Cottony White Fungus/Mold on Bottom

[richiestang_78]

I admit I have been neglectful to my tank the last few montsh due to losts of thing going on in my life. I checked my tank one morning to find that the tank had white cottony fungusor mold not sure which on the bottom which I think was caused by careless feeding resulting in overfeeding and food rot. My Cory died due to it but my other fish seemed fine. I decided to do a complete gravel wash and also clean the decorations due to large agae build up also got rid of the damn Under the Gravel Filter the guy sold me when i first bought my tank and didnt know any better. I moved my fish to another tank that is very clean due to only having one fish and they seem happy in it. Anyway I kept about 25% of the water and a few cup fulls of the gravel to save some of the bacteria. I drained the tank, scooped the rest of the gravel and washed it under hot tap water in a kitchen collinder/strainer. I replaced the gravel filled the with treated water and while it seemd qutie clean some particles still exsisted so i vacumed. My question is do I need to treat the water with anything chemical wise incase i didnt clean well enough and to kill any other fungus/mold that may be left?

I only have a few danios and a Gourami which i plan to get another to have a nice pair.

 

[An t-iasg]

The white substance on the bottom of the tank could have been leftover food that was rotting. It also could have been built-up gunk from the undergravel filter plates. It was a good idea to remove the UGF! Watch carefully for a mini-cycle - the ammonia levels may rise when the gravel and decor is disturbed. It's good that you kept some of the "dirty" gravel. Did you know your ammonia level before you removed the UGF? It's also possible that you had a low ammonia level from all the gunk trapped under the UGF, so even though you might see a small ammonia spike now, it was better just get rid of the UGF. What filter are you going to use now? Hang-on back filters, like the Aqua-Clear brand, are nice filters that have lots of room for media for the good bacteria to reside.

I don't think that you need to treat the water with anything, other than a declorinator, to kill the fungus. IMO, I don't think it was an true fungus, just the rotting food and other debris caught in the UGF. A true fungus can appear on diseased tissue, like if the fish has a wound. Cories, since they live close to the substrate, could be adversely affected by the rotting substance, but your other fish should be fine, like you said. Cories also like to be in groups. The stress from being alone may have been enough to weaken and kill him.

I think all you need to do is keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels for the next week or so.

 

[richiestang_78]

Thanks, yeah i figured it was something like that since only my Cory died. I am using a Whisper 40 and am so happy to be ridden of the stupid UGF and all the filth it brought. I dont know the amonia or nitrate levels and since I replaced most of the water im sure they are fine now.

Do you think I should give is a few days before I put the fish back in the tank or would it be fine to put them back in now? They're in a little 10 galleon with the one fish(cat fish dont know what kind) that keeps it clean

 

[An t-iasg]

I would go ahead and put the fish back in the "new" tank. Be sure to acclimate them to the new tank - don't just put them right in. I would get a large bucket or other container that was never used with soap, and put the fish in here with some of the 10 gallon's water. Put a cupful of the new tank's water in the bucket about every 10 minutes or so, and keep this up for about an hour. Then net the fish from the bucket and put into the tank. Then you can top off the 10 gallon tank, and probably the new tank will also need a little more water in it.

 

[richiestang_78]

Thanks for the help, my fish are back in a seem very happy. Aslo bought some Rummy Nose Tetras and there loving the space.

 

[An t-iasg]

Good job! Keep an eye out for a small ammonia spike. It may not happen since you did keep some "dirty" gravel but just make sure - I don't think rummy nose tetras are quite as hardy as the danios. The danios would probably weather a small ammonia spike but the rummy noses are more sensitive.

 

[richiestang_78]

Yeah but hopefully I saved enough of the bacteria where I wont have to worry about it.