Habitat - Indoor :: Strange substance growing in tank

[Smssms01]

Hi!

I recently noticed some white, moss-like substance hanging from the bottom of the cork wood in my turtle tank. Any ideas what it is? Is it dangerous?

I currently have it out of the tank, and I suppose it'll be kept out if no one has any ideas. Better safe than sorry, right? Thanks!

[SpotsMama]

I've never heard of anything like it. Maybe something is being extruded from the cork by the water pressure. I'd take it out of the tank, too.

[DavidY]

Is it slimy or is it fibrous like a plant? Also how big is it? It could be some fungus or lichen or something that was there when the wood was collected. You could soak the wood in a diluted bleach solution to kill of any "hitchhikers" (spores, etc) in the wood. Just make sure to rinse it off real good afterwards to get rid of the chlorine. You may want to soak it again overnight in some fresh water with a couple of tablespoonfuls of water conditioner too. That will neutralize any chlorine that soaked into the wood.

[marisa]

Where did you get the "wood?" Is is really corkbark or is it something like grape wood that you're using? Corkbark should not do this---lichen would be on the top of the bark (the exterior), not under it.

If you're using grape wood, it's not meant to be kept submerged in water, and the part that is will develop a whitish/pale green slime on it that will grow (I can imagine it looking like moss) and the wood will eventually rot. How long has the wood been in the water? I don't think it would be harmful to your turtle.

I had what I described above when I tried grape wood, and my turtles would eat it (it didn't hurt them). I would have to take the wood out and clean it frequently which was a pain, so I stopped using it.

What kind of "wood" are you using?

[Smssms01]

I suppose a better term would be cork bark, not cork wood. That's really the only name I know for it. And I'm sure it's cork bark.

I've had the bark in the tank for as long as I've had my turt, about a year and a half. It's hanging to about 1" from the bark.

I think I'll just try changing the water, wiping off the whatever it is, and watching closely to see what happens.

[marisa]

You've had the piece of cork bark for a year and a half and it's still holding your turtle? That's pretty good. If it's been in water that long and it was never taken out to dry off, I'm not surprised something is growing on it.

I use rather large pieces of corkbark for basking areas, and they usually last for 1-1.5 years before they become fully waterlogged. The one my RES is using has been in the tank for a bit longer than 1.5 years, although the area that's still above water has lessened considerably. I do periodically stick it in the over to dry it out, though.