# white film on driftwood



## Girish (Aug 7, 2014)

I am recently trying to start a plantation tank and I had a huge piece of drift wood that has to be stationed in. I tried soaking it before putting it in tank. But due to its size it was difficult, so I directly put in tank, after Aquascaping.

Firstly it started floating all went upside down  i was just about to faint. then putting some heavy stones on it I managed it some how. some moss and Anubis mini was also planted on it. 

I still havent planted any more plants to see the initial effects. 

after 2 days the nightmare began. whole drift wood was covered with white film like structure and started floating every where in tank.. I dont know what to do now. Just praying god :hail: for help.

There are many solutions on net, but satisfactory.

250 liter tank.
150 watts of t8 light. 
Eheim 2215 filter.


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## pandragon (Jul 10, 2014)

Driftwood does that to me no matter how much I boil or soak in bleach before adding to tank. My ramshorn snails love the stuff and keep it very clean. I think some of the cat fish/algae eaters eat it as well. I am not sure if it goes away on its own or not. Wood tends to get all kinds of bacteria and fungus on it for a while. You can try to scrape it off and let it get sucked into the filter too. Maybe dosing diluted agaecide (excel) directly on it with a syringe would help like it does with certain algae?


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## Girish (Aug 7, 2014)

I have heard of Hydrogen peroxide , will that work, tank is almost empty, so I can try all these stuff.


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## pandragon (Jul 10, 2014)

I used it when I nuked tank, along with bleach, and 70% isopropyl alcohol on tank before rinsing insanely well. It might help, btu the snails or algae eaters might work better. I would dilute it though to make sure you don't hurt any plants or fish in the tank, stick it in a syringe or dropper, and squirt the bad spots directly rather than mixing int he tank.


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## TankAaron (Aug 8, 2014)

The problem with fast acting cures, like dosing something directly on the algae, or bacteria, can be that it is a temporary fix. The unsightly problem will seem to go away almost completely, and immediately. However, because we don't actually kill every last fiber, or cell of whatever the problem is, some of it remains in our tanks, and regrows; sometimes with a vengeance.

So a more long term solution, and one that is sure not to hurt your aquarium, if you select appropriate tankmates, is to get a clean-up crew. The clean-up crew, can be snails, shrimp, fish, or any combination of them. The reason that a clean-up crew is better is that they continue to clean, and in the case of anything that reproduces in your tank, they continue to breed more cleaners.

Since the algae, and bacteria may permanently remain in your tank, no matter how much you try to kill them yourself, you may as well get a clean-up crew to keep it at bay. The purpose is to keep your tank looking good. Since the clean-up crew will keep eating the stuff, you won't see much, if any, of your problem algae, or bacteria, and they'll have a constant supply of additional food.


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## Girish (Aug 7, 2014)

Tankaron n pandragon thanks for ur advice, lastly, will siames Algae eater will be right choice, in fish.


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## pandragon (Jul 10, 2014)

They get really big, up to about a foot. I have heard of some algae eaters rasping holes in the sides of fish, not sure if they were what is sold as chinese algae eater though. Some people keep dwarf plecos, get about 4 inches if I remember right. Otocinclus cats get 2 inches and eat soft algae and rasp driftwood. I believe all cats and suckers are schooling fish, either way a few of em would be best to help keep tank clean. 

Nerite snails are great since their young can't survive in fresh water and clean everything. Ramshorn snails love driftwood, but you will end up with 100 in no time.


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## TankAaron (Aug 8, 2014)

True Siamese Algae Eaters (SAE) grow to about six inches in length, are very peaceful creatures, and are safe for any freshwater aquarium, larger than 30g (approx. 110L).

The difficult part is that many people sell Chinese Algae Eaters (CAE) as if they were SAEs. The CAEs are the dangerous ones, and can grow to almost a foot long. Though they will only eat algae when young, as adults they feed on the mucus membrane of other fish. Since their victims are left without their protective coating, they will die.

So if you want an SAE, make sure you learn how to identify them properly, and that you get them from a source you really trust.

I've had SAEs before, and I loved them. Just make sure that no other creature in your tank will eat them. Also once you no longer have much visible algae, make sure to feed them. You can feed them algae wafers, or fresh veggies, that you boil yourself. Do not feed them canned veggies.

Keeping a mix of creatures as a clean-up crew, fish, shrimp, and snails, is best. Some of them prefer some algae, while others will not eat certain kinds. So a mix of them would increase your chances of keeping all kinds of algae, and bacteria at bay.

The easiest to get would be what Pandragon suggested; ottos, nerites, and ramshors. SAEs are awesome too, if you can find them. The most voracious algae eaters are Amano Shrimp, and they create a very small bioload. And an additional benefit of some snails, like Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS), is the they dig around the substrate, increasing water flow in the gravel, and therefore reducing the risk of gas build-up.

The downside to invertebrates is that you have to make sure that the water has the required balance of GH, KH, and calcium for them. However if you already are doing that, then it would not create additional maintenance requirements.

Also, if you are going to get snails, make sure to research them. Some create quite a heavy bioload, in comparison to other snails, and may not be worthwhile.


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