wierd fungus problem on driftwood

[toyotasrfun]

alright so basically here it is
new tank (hope to use it for breeding discus)
i put in a piece of driftwood i got from a bud and well..
it's growing this opaque coloured slimy fungus on it
it's a clear opaque but it's definately visible..
overnight it grew quite a thick layer.. up to 1/4 inch in some places
any insight would be appreciated.. i've since taken it out of the tank and well.. waiting for replies on it
lemme know what to do.. hopefully i dont have to chuck the piece of driftwood.. it's a REALLY nice piece.. hopin to find out what's goin on
thanks!

 

[dskidmore]

Did you cure the driftwood before putting it in the aquarium? Either a 4 hour boil or a week long salt soak will disinfect the wood, and may help it sink if it's floating.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

That is a perfectly natural stage of any driftwood that has a lot of organics in it. It won't hurt anything. You can take it out and scrub it off, but it will keep coming back until all of the organics have been used up by the fuzzy stuff, at which point it disappears forever. I think I may have had some luck getting ottos to eat it.

 

[Cinder]

I don't know if an Apple snail will fit in your tank or if you want one but they will completely eat all the fuzzy stuff - they love it. As mentioned, it is harmless and will eventually go away on it's own.

 

[toyotasrfun]

okay.. that's some calming news..
im going to try putting my pleco in with this stuff
i'm told that to them it's good eating?
AAAnyhow.. hopefully all goes well.. can't WAIT to see how it all turns out
thanks for the help so far guys and gals!

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Yes, the stuff is harmless. But for plecos, most won't touch it. Otos are one of the few fish that may eat it, as well as a few snails.

 

[dskidmore]

How new is this tank exactly? Might just want to let the slime feed the nitrogen cycle, so you don't have to put any fish through the tank break-in.