white feathery substance

Question
whenever i clean my canister filter, white feather stuff seems to come out of the tubes.  What is this and how do i get rid of it?
thanks

Answer
It is likely underwater mold and algae. It just means that waste is building up in the pipes and the algae/mold is having a fun time growing in it. It is not necessarily a bad thing but if you really do not like it, clean the filter more often. Or, if you have an old filter, maybe it is time to get a new one. Even if the filter seems to be working fine, if it is old it may not be working as well as it seems. Do more frequent cleanings but do not over clean. Depending on the size of your tank, cleaning the filter every 3-4 weeks should be enough to stop this from building up. Keep in mind, however, it may not completely eliminate the substance as it is simply a build up of waste, even some may be good. Is there any white puffs in the tank? If not, dont be too concerned about it. Sometimes the algae, believe it or not, can actually make the tank cleaner as it filters any nasty stuff before it gets to the tank. Just clean alittle more often, be sure to not overfeed, and make sure the filter is still in great working condition and it has clean filter media and all should be fine. If it does not cut it down you can get an algae gone treatment and that should help with it but I do not recommend this unless it is a big problem. I hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else or need more help.