5 Gallon Tank Fuzz on plant stems - dangerous to fish?

I have a 5g tank with a betta and nerite snail. A few weeks ago I bought some plants from a seller on etsy and they included some freebies so I’m actually not sure the type of plant it is that I’m having trouble with. It’s woody stems with green leaves, I’ll include a photo.

Maybe a week after planting, one of the stems started to grow a fuzz on it. It’s basically colorless. I removed that stem, and the fuzzy part of the stem actually broke when I handled it. I just threw it out and I thought the problem was solved until a few days ago when the other stems of the same type sprouted the same fuzz. I don’t know what to do. All other plants are unaffected. The fish seems just fine.

Is this dangerous to my fish? I’ve tried googling and all I can find is hits on driftwood fuzz.

 

I have a 5g tank with a betta and nerite snail. A few weeks ago I bought some plants from a seller on etsy and they included some freebies so I’m actually not sure the type of plant it is that I’m having trouble with. It’s woody stems with green leaves, I’ll include a photo.

Maybe a week after planting, one of the stems started to grow a fuzz on it. It’s basically colorless. I removed that stem, and the fuzzy part of the stem actually broke when I handled it. I just threw it out and I thought the problem was solved until a few days ago when the other stems of the same type sprouted the same fuzz. I don’t know what to do. All other plants are unaffected. The fish seems just fine.

Is this dangerous to my fish? I’ve tried googling and all I can find is hits on driftwood fuzz.

From where I'm sitting, it looks like the bottom part of that plant has died, & it looks like there are long flowing roots hanging above, if it were my plant I would cut that right off & try to replant it, and see if the new runners take hold in the substrate. I'm not sure if it's dangerous, but it just look like that part of the plant in particular is dead. I had a similar issue like this with cherry hedge, I broke it while moving, it turned brown, looked like a stick.

 

As fas as I know, nothing that grows on plants or other objects in the tank - algae, fungi, etc - is dangerous to fish, at least not directly. In some cases it could indicate another problem that can affect fish, like poor water quality. Also, in large quantities they can kill plants and THEN if you don't remove those dead plants it could become a source of pollution.

This is not a case here, though. Looks like a fungus or something similar growing on a dead plant stem, but it isn't affecting the healthy part above, so it seems harmless.

 

Thank you!

From where I'm sitting, it looks like the bottom part of that plant has died, & it looks like there are long flowing roots hanging above, if it were my plant I would cut that right off & try to replant it, and see if the new runners take hold in the substrate. I'm not sure if it's dangerous, but it just look like that part of the plant in particular is dead. I had a similar issue like this with cherry hedge, I broke it while moving, it turned brown, looked like a stick.

Thank you! I just did my weekly water change and went ahead and snipped off the fuzzy parts and replanted the rest. The plant had been growing healthy leaves despite the fuzz so hopefully it’ll take. Appreciate the help!

 

I have similar fuzzy stuff on my plant stems. It seems to start at the bottom, and get higher the longer it’s left there. I haven’t found a good way to get rid of it other than to cut off the fuzzy part and replant. It seems to have no effect on the fish, though, so don’t worry too much about that.