# Clear slime on gravel & piece of driftwood



## FAIRCHILD (Jun 30, 2011)

I noticed this on some of my gravel and on a new piece of driftwood that I had already soaked. 

It's colorless mostly with just a slight milkiness to it. Anyone know what this is? It's in my RCS tank so I do not want to use any chemicals.

THANKS!


----------



## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Do you have any snails in the tank?


----------



## FAIRCHILD (Jun 30, 2011)

Ya just a few but there are no spots in it like eggs or anything. These are only two very small snails and the slime on the diftwood is about 4 inches long


----------



## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Pond snails have pretty large egg sacks compared to that of the bladder snail or others. If it were just on the driftwood, I would say fungus. With it on the gravel as well, tends to lead toward snail eggs. Maybe a combo of both.


----------



## williemcd (Jun 23, 2011)

It's a form of algae common to newly set up tanks... I pull mine with a net.. and soon enough it no longer comes back.. Scared the heck out of me my first occurance!... I think it has something to do with too much ammonia conversion into "trites" or "trates" but it soon balances out if ya have the proper bio-loads working. Bill in Va.


----------



## FAIRCHILD (Jun 30, 2011)

The funny thing was I checked back the next morning with plans to pull out the driftwood and the RCS were eating it all! It's all gone now

STUMPED


----------



## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Could it just be bio-film? Like when setting up a new tank, the clear slime that is all over the glass and decor? It's harmless... actually, it's a good thing. It has good bacteria on it. (Usually lots of it in undisturbed and dark areas.) It's on virtually all water exposed areas.


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I got clear stuff that looked like ectoplasm all over my lace rocks when I first set up my 29 gallon. The stuff then started generating gas bubbles. It was some lichen on the rocks decomposing and rotting underwater. I've seen the same ectoplasm when I do a fishless cycle with a raw piece of seafood, all over the seafood. Glad to hear your shrimp got a fresh meal!


----------

