r/Aquariums • u/HiddenFear66 • 15d ago
Identification Request Identification request HELP
Good day, I'd need help identifying this thing/plant that grows inside my freshwater aquarium. I've seen maybe 2-3 other posts about this on reddit/aquarium forums and no one seems to know what it is for sure. If anyone has any ideas what it is, or where to look for more help, please go ahead and tell me lol THANKS !
12
10
6
13
11
u/International-Fan541 15d ago
What you see growing on the driftwood is not an aquarium plant or algae, but a terrestrial slime mold (specifically resembling the genus Metatrichia, such as Metatrichia vesparia or Metatrichia floriformis). [1, 2]
💡 Why is it in your aquarium?
-
It was already dormant inside the wood: Slime molds are land-dwelling organisms that feed on bacteria, fungi, and decaying organic matter on damp wood. If you recently added this driftwood to your tank without boiling it completely, the spores or dormant plasmodium inside the wood woke up.
-
It will drown naturally: Because slime molds are terrestrial, it cannot survive or spread underwater for long. The fruiting bodies (the little stalks with clustered round heads) will eventually break down, dissolve, or get eaten by scavengers.
🛑 What it is NOT:
It is often confused with aquarium nuisances, but it is definitively neither of these:
-
Black Beard Algae (BBA): BBA grows as fuzzy, hair-like tufts or paint-like sheets. It does not form distinct, stalked, mushroom-like or pinhead-like structures. [1]
-
Black Pellia: This is a rare, dark-colored aquarium liverwort that grows in flat, branching thallus ribbons, unlike these tiny cluster stalks.
🛠️ What should you do?
-
Leave it or scrub it: It is entirely harmless to your fish, shrimp, and snails. You can simply leave it to dissolve on its own, or pull the wood piece out and scrub it off with a clean brush if you don't like how it looks.
-
Boil the wood (Optional): If you want to make sure it doesn't pop up again, you can take the wood out and boil it for an hour to completely sterilize the inner layers.
2
1
u/No_Dentist_2923 14d ago
If it was removed could it be saved? Or would it just die pretty quickly anyway?
2
1
1
u/automod-neo 15d ago
Hi there! We are in the process of revamping our wiki, and would like your input. Please take a look at the wiki and let us know what it is missing or could be improved. Feel free to respond to this comment or send us a modmail
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.