Should I Be Concerned?

[attibones]

Yo, captains. Attached is an image of one of my pieces of wood in the 20 gallon sorority. It's got this weird fuzz all over it. My nerite snails eat it if they will get on the wood, but lately they've been interested in breeding as I have a ton of eggs which look exactly like nerite eggs. Of course, they haven't been hatching. Anyway, I digress.

Should I be concerned about this stuff? It covers almost the whole piece which is a little shorter than the length of my tank.

My ammonia an nitrite are all gone. I haven't tested nitrate, but it's a well-planted tank and I'm doing a water change right now. Temp stays at 82. Filter is a Fluval 30 (cycled) with an airstone for additional water movement.

So what should I do?

 

[Maehlice]

That looks like Brush Algae to me.  I've had the same problem but to a considerably less degree.
 
These are the bookmarks I have from when I was researching it:
 
http/faq.thekrib.com/algae.html#brush
 
http/www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/profiles/siamese-algae-eater/
 
http/www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/profiles/flying-fox/
 
 
Because it's an algae, controlling it mechanically is a long, losing battle.  Its presence indicates there are excess nutrients (potassium and nitrates, mostly), which are best controlled by increasing your volume and frequency of water changes and/or your quantity of plants in the tank.
 
Are you adding any fresh vegetables into your aquarium?  I had an outbreak of major algae issues when I introduced zucchini into the aquarium.  I think that's also when the black algae first appeared, but I'm not certain.  I stopped feeding zucchini, reduced my fertilization, added a couple more plants, and reduced my full-spectrum lighting schedule.  The algae never fully went away, but one or more of those changes shrunk it back a bit.
 
If it got out of control (like yours, IMO), I was resolved to find a Siamese Algae Eater.

 

[attibones]

I dose ferts daily, so probably reducing that would be best? I've got plant substrate, plus the fertilizers, plus the Seachem root tabs. Perhaps I don't need as much of the fertilizers, then?

It's not on any of my plants or on my Malaysian wood. It's just on my mystery wood.

 

[Maehlice]

I'm not an aquatic gardener and so certainly not an expert on the matter, but that sounds like a lot of fertilization.  About the same time I had this problem, I went out and got test kits for literally everything.  You'd think I have a whole house full of every kind of aquarium.
 
Check out http/aquarium-fertilizer.com/aquatic-plant-deficiency
 
Thanks to my Silver Dollars, I can't keep my display tank planted.  For the plants in the refugium, I try to maintain levels as recommended there.
 
 
If it's not on anything else, I could certainly be wrong on the ID.  Mine was here and there all over everything.
 
If you need a positive ID on the stuff, take it to the Biology Department at a nearby university -- preferably one with a "marine biology" program.  You're almost guaranteed to find a professor who knows what it is and/or is willing to use it as a learning tool for his grad students.

 

[attibones]

That is an excellent idea! Fortunately for me, I live two miles off my campus. Though we are a small school, we also have a smoking got botanist professor. This same professor could very well assist me.

My ferts dosing is kind if strange. At the end of the week, I dose the recommended amount for my tank size. Each day after, I add about a milliliter of the stuff. On Tuesday when I do my first water change if the week, I add about a half dose of the recommended amount an then add one mL again until Fridy.

 

[levahe]

Is it a new piece of wood? It looks more like the stuff that grows on new wood to me, don't know what its called but its a type of mould I think. bba looks darker in colour usually. Does it wipe off easily? If so its not bba. If it is that new wood mould just wash it off under the tap if you can take it out the tank or suck it off with a syphon when water changing.

If it is bba its due to low/fluctuating levels of co2, do you add any co2? Liquid or gas? If so you need to add more! But I don't think it's bba.
Don't reduce your fertilisation! This will cause other problems and your plants look really healthy in the pics so you're doing it right!

 

[daizeUK]

I would say what levahe said
My first thought would be that the wood is rotten or mouldy and there's nothing wrong with the rest of your tank or ferts.  I'd clean the wood up, consider pouring boiling water over it if you can take it out and see if the mould comes back.

 

[spongy]

/\/\/\

What they said, my piece of wood looked like that for nearly a month until everything had properly leeched out of it and was fully water logged, just siphon it off or brush it off. From what I've been told it's harmless to fish.

Here's what mine looked like when it started,.........

 

[attibones]

Is it a new piece of wood? It looks more like the stuff that grows on new wood to me, don't know what its called but its a type of mould I think. bba looks darker in colour usually. Does it wipe off easily? If so its not bba. If it is that new wood mould just wash it off under the tap if you can take it out the tank or suck it off with a syphon when water changing.
If it is bba its due to low/fluctuating levels of co2, do you add any co2? Liquid or gas? If so you need to add more! But I don't think it's bba.
Don't reduce your fertilisation! This will cause other problems and your plants look really healthy in the pics so you're doing it right!

I have had this piece for about a month. I've been able to scrub it off with a toothbrush before, but it keeps returning. Also, it seems to get much more resilient each time I try to mess with it.

Also, I will admit I don't dose my CO2 as frequently as I should. I use liquid. I need to get into the habit of dosing it daily again.

I'll pull it out today and pour scalding water over it and see if it helps. None of my fish seem to be affected, which is why I haven't been very concerned about this. Anyway, I'll see if the hot water helps. If it doesn't, I'll scrape it off.

Thanks, guys.