# What's this fuzzy stuff?



## ChuckM (Mar 19, 2020)

Hi all,
This literally a cut and paste of my question from another forum where I asked. Some may bounce between the two so just being up front about that. It didn't get any responses there:


This is a 20 gallon set up around 11 years ago. Originally a Dad/daughter project but she never really took to it so I assumed ownership, having some experience. As time went on I acquired a couple other bigger tanks and moved all the inhabitants of this one out. But I never really took this one down thinking I might have a need for a backup. So it's only got swords, hornwort, duckweed, some tiny snails and whatever that other stuff is. It's been a kind of experimental tank. This stuff isn't a problem at all and I kind of enjoy how it's evolving but I'm not sure what it is. I suspect either the remnants of some Marimo moss I once had in it, or an algae.
Without doing much to it other than adding back evaporated water from my tap (well water) and cleaning the Eheim HOB once in a while, it stays pretty clear but the pH runs around 8.2 and the dKH is around 11. I'd like to bring those down and plan on replacing lost water with RO filtered water.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

On the substrate? probably some string algae.


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## ChuckM (Mar 19, 2020)

mistergreen said:


> On the substrate? probably some string algae.


Well, not just on the substrate but those large clumps in the water column as well. That's what I was thinking though as well.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

View it as a beautiful algae garden!


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