Is this fungus

[gwand]

I bought a piece of spider wood for my tank. I boiled it for 20 minutes, let it cool and then placed it in the tank. Today I see wispy white cotton patches

attached to the wood. Is this fungus? What should I do? I already removed the wood from the tank.

 

[Uberhoust]

It doesn't look like any fungus I have seen growing but I wouldn't say it is not a fungus. I would take a sample and look at it under the microscope.

 

[gwand]

I wish I had a microscope. I had to return it to the University after I closed my lab for retirement.

 

[Uberhoust]

For the cost of a fluval canister filter you can get some usable consumer grade microscopes. I bought my grandson one of those $50 usb digital ones. Yes it had poor resolution and really no correction for chromatic aberration, but it was good enough to reasonably dyed onion skin cells. I don't use my microscopes much but I like to have them around. Might not be good for you if you were using the nice commercial grade scopes when you had your lab.

 

[gwand]

For the cost of a fluval canister filter you can get some usable consumer grade microscopes. I bought my grandson one of those $50 usb digital ones. Yes it had poor resolution and really no correction for chromatic aberration, but it was good enough to reasonably dyed onion skin cells. I don't use my microscopes much but I like to have them around. Might not be good for you if you were using the nice commercial grade scopes when you had your lab.

Good idea. But just to be certain, we are looking at the same thing, I am referring to the white fuzz at the end of the piece of wood, and not the little white wormy things on the wood itself.

 

[GaryE]

It's probably biofilm. If so, it goes.
I've never put a piece of wood in a tank without a short visit from that life form.

 

[gwand]

I’m glad to hear that. I was imagining a systemic fungal infection of the entire tank.

 

[MattW]

I've had many amano shrimp feast on this when it appears on new wood

 

[Uberhoust]

I was looking at the curly things, I believe @GaryE is correct.

 

[Colin_T]

Wood slime, fungus, same sort of thing. Take the wood outside and hose it off. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the gunk out of the tank.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the aquarium.