White spots on tank decoration

[Katie2783]

I have a 5gal tank with 2 ghost shrimp and one male betta. I'm getting a little concerned because I notice the decoration i have in the tank was getting white spots on it and they looked fuzzy so I took it out of the tank. When I take it out of the water you can no longer see the spots but there are bumps on the decoration. Does anyone have any idea what this is and if there is something I should put in my tank water? I'm assuming it's some type of mold which is what worries me.

Thanks,
Katie

[MSG]

You have to remove it and rinse the decoration off. If it's still slimy, brush the surface the cheapest new toothbrush you have & rinse it off.

It's not mold, it's FUNGUS.

[Katie2783]

I couldn't think of the right word at the time so I went with mold but yes fungus is what I mean. This is the first time I've had a tank other than some goldfish 15 years ago and had never seen that so I was definitely worried. Thanks for the advice, it should be safe to put back in then after I scrub it?

[MSG]

Yeah, I had the same problem with a few of my decorations. Post a picture or a link so I can see what it looks like.

Just use a new cheap toothbrush and a little bit of kosher salt if you feel it's really necessary, but don't go crazy, or you might cause the paint/whatever to come off.

Anytime you see any decoration with that stuff growing on it, you want to remove it and clean it. If the fish eat it, they could get sick.

[Katie2783]

Cool, thanks! I won't be back home until tomorrow but I'll make sure to take a pic of it and upload it to here then.

[Katie2783]

Here is a pic of the decoration. My camera isn't so great but you can see three of the bigger white spots underneath his one hand.

[Silverfang]

a word of caution, that looks like a top fin piece, and lots of time their paint flakes and chips. I had to remove a piece of decor as a preventative measure.