hovmoller Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 Ok title is a bit weird but that's what it looks like. Here is what happens: Time for water change. Drain 1/3 of water out then refill with water from the tap (that I run through a long tube full of activated carbon to remove chlorine). The water I put in is a few degrees less than tank water (29 degrees). Towards the end of refill a few pieces of my driftwood starts "smoking"!! (it looks exactly like it had been on fire, you blow out the flame and it keeps smoking) Next thing is that this "smoke" starts coagulating and flies around in the tank like flying strands of cobweb. Then (like cobweb) it starts to stick to everything. Looks pretty horrible huh?? But... after a few hours it slowly starts disolving/breaks down and by next day it is completely gone! My cardinals seems to even like taking bits out of it and eating it. It seems to only come from one type of quite dark driftwood because I have a lighter species of wood in there that does not do it at all... My driftwood is collected from river/beach here in NZ and I've been using in for a year now and it's only now that it has started doing this. So my question to you is: Is anybody out there familiar with this or can anyone give a qualified guess to why this only happens when I add fresh water to the tank? It literally happens within seconds!... smoke - cobweb - MESS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 sounds like the wood is enchanted. perhaps it gives +2 to strength and dexterity ok.. dont know answers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice222 Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 Wow, I don't really have much driftwood so I can't help you, but ty for sharing the pic, they look kinda neat in a crazy cobwebby tank kinda way. I suppose a layer of white stuff grewon your driftwood and got dislodged by the current created during your water change. Love your answer btw Henwood :lol:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted August 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 I suppose a layer of white stuff grewon your driftwood and got dislodged by the current created during your water change. Well that's the funny thing.. the wood is always clean as!.. I got plecos, SAE's and snails so a well organised cleaning crew here! Thanks for the input Henward.. very helpful!... well at least it made me laugh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony law Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 you sure theres not a under water spider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip™ Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 Not sure either.... Tank looks like its decorating for Halloween. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 that is bizarre! no idea either sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted August 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 3 hours since "halloween" now... and all the "cobweb" has now vanished like it had never been there... very strange! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony law Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 from remebering when i had put bambo into a tank the bambo went slmilar to that. it got a slim on it if you put high flow on it would go all string.my guess it a slim ' that has grow on and you have disturbed when you have done that water change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted August 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 from remebering when i had put bambo into a tank the bambo went slmilar to that. it got a slim on it if you put high flow on it would go all string.my guess it a slim ' that has grow on and you have disturbed when you have done that water change. I know that slime you are talking about and I have also had that before on other new pieces.. But this is not the same.. the wood is very clean and non slimy before.. but when I put new water this white smoky stuff just seem to ooooze out of the wood and in seconds the strings appear and then the mess starts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 what sort of wood is it? It could be the sap from just inside the bark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony law Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 hmmm. got me beated.the only thing i can think of its sap out of the log.may be .or if u use a hose to full the tank it may come out of there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted August 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 what sort of wood is it? It could be the sap from just inside the bark. Not sure of the species of wood. I found it just north of Wanganui rivermouth. I think there is enough driftwood there to start a million pleco tanks! haha.. but that's another story. The wood is very dark and comes from up the river somewhere so maybe a NZ native.. There is no bark on it.. The weird thing is that it only starts to ooze out of it when I add the new water... definitely comes from the wood, as mentioned earlier it's like the wood starts smoking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 wonder if it is a fungi or bacteria that is living in the wood and water changes are causing it to spore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony law Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 good point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaC Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 How hot was the water you put in? Something similar happens to my newish tank when the water going in is a bit too warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brennos Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 Could be the slime mentioned earlier, but its out of reach of the clean up crew, it could be accumulated in all the cracks and crevices of the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshlikesfish Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 sounds like the wood is enchanted. perhaps it gives +2 to strength and dexterityBellowing driftwood of the Tiger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 Really weird. I suspect it could be rata or rimu but I have this and mine has never 'smoked'. Most intriguing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted August 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 Could be the slime mentioned earlier, but its out of reach of the clean up crew, it could be accumulated in all the cracks and crevices of the wood. The wood is quite smooth with not many cracks and I am quite sure there is no slime hanging about getting washed off... I can actually see the "smoke" forming on the surface of the wood and then being carried away by the current where it then "coagulates" The best theory yet is from livingart who suggested a fungus that grows on/in the wood and the water change triggers a release of spores.... sounds a bit coral reef full moon kinda thing to me but it is seriously the best guess I've heard so far. Alas if Carol and her wealth of experience says she has never seen or heard of this thing then it must be truly unusual! Will do another water change in a week and see if I can catch it in action in a video clip.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 Sounds to me like the effect you get when you poach an egg and bits form on the surface of the water. I agree that living art has the most likely theory as to what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-town... Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 I too have seen this before it is very odd. Unsure of what causes it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 29, 2010 Report Share Posted August 29, 2010 But Henward's theory it is enchanted is more interesting! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 It used to happen in one of my tanks too and I never worked out what it was. It never seemed to hurt anything so I stopped worrying about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted August 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 It used to happen in one of my tanks too and I never worked out what it was. It never seemed to hurt anything so I stopped worrying about it Yes it seems quite harmless but looks a bit extreme in my case.. I've even seem some of my cardinals entwined in it struggeling to swim around with a chunk of cobweb hanging from it's fins.. I guess it was his own fault for trying to eat it! haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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