If you’ve ever taken a look at your fish tank and noticed a white fuzzy ball, you may be wondering what it is. In most cases, it means there is something wrong with the water chemistry of your fish tank. In this blog post, we’ll explore the possible causes of this phenomenon and how to get rid of white fuzzy balls in your fish tank.
Why are there white fuzzy balls in my fish tank?
White fuzzy balls form in a fish tank when there is a fungus or a bacteria buildup. If you don’t address the problem quickly, the mold will become brown or black and spread.
There are different reasons behind the growth of this fungal and parasitic infection. Some of the most common causes of fuzzy white balls in a fish tank are:
- Introduction of a fish in the tank suffering from bacterial infection or fin rot.
- When you overfeed your fish, fungus, bacteria, and algae, growth appears. It can also cause blanket weed in your fish tank.
- If you don’t change tank water regularly, the fish waste becomes food for the fungus, and white fuzzy wool starts to appear. This can also lead to red and brown spots on your fish tank glass.
- If water temperature is not controlled, the fungal or bacterial infection starts and grows
A quick way to deal with white fuzzy balls in your fish tank is to insert a water conditioner that removes fungus/bacteria. A good cheap option are these fungus tablets.
Simply remove the white fussy balls, and then put the tablets in your fish tank.
Where do white fuzzy balls grow in a fish tank?
White fuzzy balls usually grow on
- Tank decoration or pebbles.
- Spots on the fish tail or fin.
- White strings on the surface of the tank.
- The whole fish tank appears to be cloudy.
- White ball floating in the tank
- White fuzz on aquarium driftwood
The dirty look and feel of the water in your tank can indicate that it needs to be cleaned. If you see a white film on top of fluffy particles floating around, this could mean there are problems with maintenance. Sometimes there can even be blue film on top of fish tank water. If you do not clean it in time, it can cause a wide range of diseases in your fish.
How To Remove The White Fuzzy Ball From The Fish Tank?
Remove The Fish From The Tank
As a responsible pet owner, you should have no hesitation in removing your fish from the unsafe environment they’re living in and move them somewhere safer. Removing your fish will allow:
- Your fish remain safe
- You will get a better view of the tank
- Make scooping of the white ball easier from the tank.
Use A Scooper To Remove The White Balls
To avoid any damage to your fish tank, buy yourself a scooper net. When removing the white balls from your fish tank, you will have to be very gentle and patient. You don’t want to break up the white ball, which can cause the fungus to spread throughout the tank.
You can dispose of the fuzzy ball in the toilet or in the trash.
Change The Water
We all know how important it is to change fish tank water when there’s a bacterial issue. The damage to your fish tank from contaminated water can be irreversible! That’s why we highly recommend changing out the old, dirty liquid. It is important to clean the fish tank regularly in order to prevent bacteria build-up. A bacteria build-up can also lead to jelly growing in your fish tank.
How To Treat White Fuzzy Balls In A Tank?
When an infection is severe, it’s essential to treat the whole tank with something like a water treatment kit. You can purchase these from most pet shops or online stores for fish tanks; make sure that you choose one specifically designed for use in aquariums. The water treatment procedure is given below
- Take one teaspoon of sample from the treatment kit and mix it in a gallon of water. You can mix them in a separate bucket.
- Add the solution to the tank.
- Don’t change more than 25% of water in a week.
Conclusion
Don’t panic if you have a white fuzzy ball in your fish tank. The most likely cause of this is a fungal, bacterial, or parasitic infestation. Other causes include overfeeding your fish, dirty aquarium water, and the introduction of infected fish in the tank. It is important that you remove the white fuzzy balls once you see them so that they don’t spread and multiply.
