What is all this white fluff in my tank?

Question

My tank is infested with white fluff! I get rid of it, and 2 days later its literally everywhere again. What is it and how do I get rid of it for good? There is SO much of it - way too much for some algae (if it IS algae) eating fish to eat!

Answer 1

Why have the best answers received negative marks? I can never understand this site sometimes. If the “white fluff" is in the tank and not on the fish, it most assuredly is fungus/mold growing on dead and decaying materials in the tank, such as food, plants, etc. You say you are removing this stuff, which is good, and you just need to keep removing it so it doesn’t foul the water, but you also need to analyze the situation and determine where the fungus is coming from. You most likely are overfeeding and not removing the extra food. You need to keep a close eye on the food that is leftover in your tank. Don’t let any part of dying plants remain in the tank if you have live plants.

Answer 2

First, let's confirm that what you have is fungus as I believe and others here have suggested. This is a link to a photo of it growing on an insect that drowned in water: http://www.visualsunlimited.com/images/watermarked/227/227311.jpg What you're seeing may be thicker than what's shown in the photo - I'd say the photo shows about 18 hours of growth. In the center of each "mass" should be a piece of food or something else that was once alive, since this doesn't generally grow on living tissue.

There's really nothing you can do to get it out of your tank - it'll always be there, but you need to prevent it from having a food supply so it doesn't grow. I'd agree with Venice that this is probably a result of overfeeding, so you should try feeding your fish less (only give them what they're able to finish in 2-3 minutes, twice a day). Also, use a siphon to clean the gravel on a weekly basis to remove any debris. If the fungus doesn't have something to grow on, you won't notice it.Here's some additional info for you on this: http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/detail.aspx?aid=20709&cid=3788&search=

Also, you should be able to add info to your question - there's a toobar beneath the question that has a pencil icon (only the "asker" can see it). Click on the pencil and choose "add details" to put info with the "question" - otherwise people may not notice the new info!

Answer 3

Either someone is putting something in your tank or it has been infested with ich.

Ich is a parasite which cannot be physically removed, you must treat it chemically. Ich is life threatening to your fish so act fast if you want to save them.

no matter what anybody tells you it is very crucial that you do NOT DO FULL WATER CHANGES. This weakens their immune systems and makes them more venerable to disease.
make a trip to a local pet place get (if you don't already have one) an aquarium siphon, aquarium salt, and ich medication.

before medicating the tank use the siphon to remove dirt and gunk from your gravel. This is where the majority of ich parasites live. ONLY remove 25% of your water. As you are preparing to add more water to the tank dissolve the correct amount of aquarium salt , as directed by bottle and the right amount of medication, in the new water. Pre-dissolving is a much faster way of applying medicine. Also be sure to remove any carbon from your tank filters as it will remove any medication you just added. Removing the carbon will not have any negitave effect on your fish.

the ich medication will tell you that you need to keep re-applying their medicine at full strength every day, you do not have to. If you replace 20% of your water daily (removing gunk with the siphon) after your first dose it is better if you cut the daily medication amount in half. If you have removed your carbon there is no reason why you will need to keep adding the full dose because it is already in your tank. NOTE: the aquarium salt, only replace the salt that you removed. Salt does not evaporate and therefore will build up in your tank if you continually add the full dosage. Replace only what you have taken out

Answer 4

HI EVERYBODY ITS TOM THE PERSON WHO WROTE THE QUESTION - I'M USING MY ALTERNATE ACCOUNT SO THAT I CAN PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.

SO FAR PEOPLE SEEM TO BE SUGGESTING ITS MOST LIKELY MOULD OR FUNGUS. IF SO, WHAT CAN I DO TO GET RID OF IT - CONSTANT WATER CHANGES DON'T WORK - LEAVING IT FOR AGES DOESN'T WORK EITHER - HAVE TRIED BOTH.

I DON'T THINK ITS ICK BECAUSE NONE OF MY FISH ARE SHOWING ANY OF THE SYMPTOMS OF ICK.

SHORT OF TAKING EVERYTHING (INCLUDING GRAVEL) OUT OF THE TANK - WHAT CAN I DO? ARE THERE ANY CHEMICAL MEDICINES FOR THIS SORT OF THING?

I'M CONFIDENT I'M NOT OVER-FEEDING THEM.

PLEASE HELP - NOT ONLY IS IT ANNOYING FOR ME BUT THE FISH MUST BE HATING IT!

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR ANSWERS SO FAR

Answer 5

Could your fish be laying eggs? If not, then the last ditch effort is to take everything out, scrub, and start over. Is there anything dead or growing in your filter?

Answer 6

Have your water tested for ick. It is a bacteria that gets in the water and can hurt the fish. There is cures for it but you need to make sure that is it first.

Answer 7

A sheep has fallen in.
You may want to fish it out before it goes mouldy !

Answer 8

Could be a mold. How often do you clean your tank and change the water?

Answer 9

Definitely fungus don't let it get on the fish they will die if you can get anti fungal treatment for them. Get the anti fungus stuff because it also treats your water

Answer 10

wow thats crazy weard;attack of the white foamy fluff.....Sounds like you need to shock your tank you might half to empty it about 3/4 th .and fill it and start over ..Good luck..