What on earth...?!??

[thrujenseyes]

last night before shutting off the tank lights I noticed this creepy whitish/greyish fuzz ball that looked like an egg sac of some sort.

I grabbed my pruning tweezers to pluck out and photograph but it dissolved into a dusty mess as soon as I touched it.

So no picture but it was about the size of a Nickle and looked JUST like a moth or spider egg sac....see attatched pic:

I have endlers (all male), an amano shrimp, a Sunkist shrimp, and a nerite snail....so it's not from them!??

My tank is a fluval edge and is completely closed off so nothing could get in.

What in gods name could it have been!?!?

 

[fluttermoth]

Almost certainly a bit of food that's gone mouldy.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Would have to agree with Fluttermoth's opinion it being a food pellet or suchlike thats been in the tank a bit too long.

It really does look like a dust ball or a fuzzy ball of sorts so thats easy to mistake for something else.

I had one years ago when first started the hobby and was not yet in the habit of syphoning out leftover foods, never forgot what it looked like and that pic really did reminded me of that, heh

BTW what is the size of a nickel in USA? I am guessing around the same size as a UK penny, so thats about right for a med to large fish food pellet.

 

[thrujenseyes]

Almost certainly a bit of food that's gone mouldy.

Ewwwww really?!?!

That seems impossible with the pigs in my tank!! And I never over feed (I know everyone says this) and I don't even feed everyday because they nibble at my plants (which I have a ton of).

I did, however feed my first algae wafer the other day which I took out after a couple minutes because they were gourging themselves ...then I broke apart and fed the next evening hoping the ottos would find it instead of the endlers.

The next evening was when I found the mystery sac of ick.

 

[thrujenseyes]

Would have to agree with Fluttermoth's opinion it being a food pellet or suchlike thats been in the tank a bit too long.

It really does look like a dust ball or a fuzzy ball of sorts so thats easy to mistake for something else.

I had one years ago when first started the hobby and was not yet in the habit of syphoning out leftover foods, never forgot what it looked like and that pic really did reminded me of that, heh

BTW what is the size of a nickel in USA? I am guessing around the same size as a UK penny, so thats about right for a med to large fish food pellet.

I always forget we have some differences here in the us.

I was replying to fluttermoth when you responded, so please see that post also.

I'm horrified that food can turn into that!!!

 

[Ch4rlie]

That would be the algae wafer I bet, that grows out about 2 or 3 times the original size you put in.

I found this to happen with algae wafers as thats what I feed my snails, whiptail catfishs and my amano shrimps

So any leftover food should be taken out if not eaten or taken away by the shrimps in a few hours after feeding.

But honestly, in my main tank, leftover food, whats that? These guys in that tank are true gannets

 

[thrujenseyes]

That would be the algae wafer I bet, that grows out about 2 or 3 times the original size you put in.

I found this to happen with algae wafers as thats what I feed my snails, whiptail catfishs and my amano shrimps

So any leftover food should be taken out if not eaten or taken away by the shrimps in a few hours after feeding.

But honestly, in my main tank, leftover food, whats that? These guys in that tank are true gannets

Well I'm glad to know what it was as I thought an alien inhabited my tank, laid a weird sac to burst open and reveal a horror show.

I can't fathom how a piece of food got overlooked as they're all pigs. Even a dead fish doesn't last more than a few hours!?!!

I'm having a tough time trying to make sure my ottos get fed...so I'd broke that algae wafer up and tried to hide a few pieces under cover in crannies that my endlers may not find.

I'll be sure to keep a closer eye on wafer pieces!

Thanks guys!!!!

 

[Mark Z.]

As a test, why don't you put a small piece of algae wafer in a cup of water and see what happens in a day or two. I have never see that with an algae wafer, but mine get eaten up. I did see a ball of fuzz form around a betta pellet that was missed.
I have always had trouble making sure my ottos got their fill of food, also.
Mark

 

[NickAu]

I have never see that with an algae wafer, but mine get eaten up.

Same here, 2 algae wafers don't last long with 100 plus shrimp,

A wise man once told me " a hungry tank is a healthy tank " Food going uneaten and moldy in my tanks? Not a chance of that, What the fish don't eat the snails and shrimp do.