By registering with us, you'll be able to discuss, share, and private message with other members of our community.
Posting for a friend, since we both can’t figure out why his tank has all of his new driftwood covered in this white algae or mold. No fish are in there, and it’s currently cycling, but it almost feels like slime but a tad harder to pull off (you can’t just use the water current to have it tear pieces off).
I searched online and it’s hit or miss with this either being common or something else. Any advice? 
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The is very common on all pieces of driftwood when they are first added into an aquarium. It’s more common on those that have some sap still on the wood since the added sugar creates this appearance (but even thicker).
It’s perfectly healthy and normal, and many fish and invertebrates will actually love this as a food source and keep it in check. After about 2-3 weeks of this appearing it will disappear on its own as the wood has leeched out all of the extra nutrients that allows for this to grow.
If it’s something that you can’t stand to see, I’d just recommend to use a rag and wipe the wood down and then put it back into the water.
I had that in my tank at its early stages before adding my fishes to it and they really enjoyed it as a source of food for themselves. It wasn't harmful at all to them.
Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!
