Fuzzy substance

[Scaperoot]

Can anyone identify this substance on these plants and decoration? This is my FIL’s tank. He just started adding real plants in November. Nitrates are high (pic posted). He’s not overfeeding from what I can tell. 

[CJs Aquatics]

Hard to tell from pic, 1st picture looks like uneaten food that is rotting to me, it could be algae as well though, second pic looks like the start of a form of hair or BBA those are my best guesses

[Guppysnail]

Mostly I see mulm and debris. Increasing the flow and making sure it’s even as well as decreasing feeding amounts should rectify both the substance and decrease nitrates. 

[Scaperoot]

It turns out that my FIL had not done a water change in 2 months. Aside from that, does he need to physically remove this from plants and decorations? Should we consider using Excel? 

[nabokovfan87]

On 2/18/2023 at 3:03 PM, Scaperoot said:

It turns out that my FIL had not done a water change in 2 months. Aside from that, does he need to physically remove this from plants and decorations? Should we consider using Excel? 

Can you have them run a test on the tap water so we can double check the tank parameters. Your GH and KH results are pretty high off the chart.

[Katherine]

On 2/18/2023 at 5:03 PM, Scaperoot said:

It turns out that my FIL had not done a water change in 2 months.

I wondered, seeing the KH and PH on the strip. What does his tap test? If it's a lot different, he should probably do a few smaller water changes over the course of a few days to a week rather than one big change, so it doesn't change PH too rapidly.

[nabokovfan87]

This could be explaining what's going on.  Especially the second part of this video.

 

On 2/18/2023 at 10:44 AM, Scaperoot said:

For stuff like this. Use a toothbrush on the leaves and rocks to get everything off surfaces and into the water column.  Then a good siphon will do wonders.

[Guppysnail]

On 2/18/2023 at 6:03 PM, Scaperoot said:

does he need to physically remove this from plants and decorations?

I would just pull and rinse what you he can and let the tank take care of the rest. Tell him not to go hog wild with large water changes right away. Start small and work his way up will be more gentle on the inhabitants 

[PineSong]

What kind of fish are in the tank? I ask because that messy stuff looks like the kind of cleanup job that mollies specialize in, and platies handle pretty well, too.

If his fish are compatible with any of the above, you could add a couple or male mollies or platies (male to eliminate risk of babies) and let them take care of it--after doing some water changes.

[Scaperoot]

This is how his tap tested. By the time I read the recent replies, he had done a 50% water change. 

This is how the tank is testing now.