Driftwood fungus residue: how often can I water change?

[soapthebetta]

Hi guys!
I've had a ton of trouble with white fungus on my recently put in aquarium driftwood (3 weeks ago), but luckily its finally dying off. However, the dying fungus has turned into this brownish dusty residue (that smells horrifying) that has coated the gravel at the bottom of my tank.
I've been doing my normal weekly 50% water changes, but every single time I do one, the dust completely clouds my tank. Ammonia levels have also been slightly higher than usual— I think because of the dying plant matter or fungus? (0.25-0.5) so I've been dosing with Seachem Prime.
Has anyone else experienced this as their driftwood fungus dies? Should I be doing more water changes to vacuum the debris up? Any help is appreciated.

 

[ValkyrieLips]

Is it a new piece of driftwood? How long has it been in the tank?

 

[soapthebetta]

Is it a new piece of driftwood? How long has it been in the tank?

It's been in the tank for about three weeks now. It was boiled for an hour and rinsed in dechlorinated water before put in.

 

[ValkyrieLips]

It's been in the tank for about three weeks now. It was boiled for an hour and rinsed in dechlorinated water before put in.

It's possible it's normal biofilm if it's white/clearish. I found when I first add driftwood it stunk of sulfur for a few weeks, but it eventually goes away. Just scrub the film off and it should dissipate soon.

The only thing to note is that the driftwood would not affect your ammonia levels like that. It's perhaps something else to look into. Was your tank fully cycled before you added the wood?

 

[soapthebetta]

It's possible it's normal biofilm if it's white/clearish. I found when I first add driftwood it stunk of sulfur for a few weeks, but it eventually goes away. Just scrub the film off and it should dissipate soon.

The only thing to note is that the driftwood would not affect your ammonia levels like that. It's perhaps something else to look into. Was your tank fully cycled before you added the wood?

I've been scrubbing it off, but it doesn't dissipate. It turns this brownish color and dust-like texture and has settled into my gravel. It doesn't disappear and I'm struggling to remove it during normal water changes.

As for the ammonia, the tank was fully cycled before I added the wood. However, I gave away 1/2 of my filter material to a friend around the same time period, and I believe it caused a slight bump in the ammonia.

 

[BettaCyrus]

Not sure where you got the wood from, but I've had diff woods I've been soaking/experimenting with and found certain woods do tend to crumble/break down over time. It's possible that's what's happening with yours.