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Davis and the Driftwood Fungi



I had said:

> All sterilizing your DW will do is provide low -
>competition territory for
>fungal invasion!

Davis:

>     So my question is this: Am I just deluding myself
>thinking that the fungus will eventualy go away or do
>I have to pull the DF out of my tank? 
>     
>Thanks much for the patiance in reading this and any
>help I can get. 

Don't sweat it.  It is harmless (if a little unsightly) and will eventually
go away on its own as competition increases from your tank's microbiota.  

Fungal spores normaly on the wood (and everything else BTW) initially get
an opportunity to take off after wood is in contact with the ideal
conditions of nice warm water.  They grow like a ghostly-misty plume 'round
the wood for a while as it feeds on nutrients leeching form the newly
submersed wood.  

Algae eaters of nearly all stripes, make short work of this fungus as an
unexpected protein addition to their diet.  Its harmless.  

When bacterial colonies derived from the tank's cycling bacteria eventually
colonize the wood, they eventually out compete the fungi in  a matter of
2-3 weeks as the wood leeches less nutrients.  

To avoid this fungi problem (which is only cosmetic) in the first place,
wring-'n-rinse a used filter sponge into a bucket of TANK water (so it gets
grungy brown.  Drop in your newly soaked DW for a couple hours w/ an air
stone.   This gives massive amounts of your bacteria a colonization headstart.

You can then drop the wood into your aquarium (don't wash it off again) and
add a pair of inexpensive plecos. Little or no fungus will ever appear. 


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