Water problem.

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

Had withe flakes in the tank (looked like cotton) which killed all my 10 gold fish just in a few days. It was everywhere: on the glass, on fish, on plants..
I cleaned everything and was trying to set up new water and after 3 weeks before I even get fish I got these flakes again. I brought water for test to Pet Smart and they never saw water parameters like mine never before. Everything was off a lot. Do you know anything about this? Could it be because I use Well water?

Thank you in advance, Mike.

ANSWER: Hi Mike,
I don't think it would be the well water. The white flakes are unusual. You say they look like cotton so I highly suspect they are a common type of aquarium fungus that develops in tanks where there is too much excess waste or food. They grow on almost any surface and can even develop to attack the fish living within the surroundings. Do you have any driftwood or any unusual decorations in your tank at all? Has anything weird been added to the water? Is there a possibility someone might be putting flakes or odd things in the aquarium?

If you didn't allow your tank enough time to cycle or "establish" before you got your 10 goldfish, ammonia was likely to blame. Ammonia will build up to very dangerous levels in uncycled tanks due to lack of a sufficient "biofilter" or established bacterial colony to keep it under control. The result is the fish are poisoned by their own wastes.

You say the parameters were way off? I wish I had the readings here. It would help a lot to try to decipher what's really going on with all these clues and going on in your tank.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!
Karen~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Karen,

Thank you very much for your reply.

I had 10 gold fish for two years without problems. I didn't have driftwood either.

After I cleaned the tank and filled with new water I placed driftwood, coral sand and African salt for cichlids.  

Is it problem if I have driftwood in the tank?
Are there any medication to prevent or remove this kind of fungus from the water?
Any suggestions?

Thank you for your time, Mike.  

Answer
Hi Mike,
sounds like then that there was a bunch of leftover food hiding around the tank that caused all the fungus growth. There really is no other way the fungus can develop.

Driftwood is not bad for aquariums, I have noticed sometimes fungus will grow on it but fungus develops on rocks as well. So the key is to just keep your aquarium well-vacuumed and pay special attention around and under the decor. The main thing is to avoid overfeeding so the fish quickly snatch up all the food before it can even drift down to rest on the bottom.

I wouldn't recommend any medications because they will only do more harm than good.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!
Karen~