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Fluff stuff in my U. gibba bowl

I've been noticing practically ever since I put my U. gibba into its little bowl that there is little bits of fluffy sorta white/gray stuff that settles on the sides of the glass, and then eventually falls to the bottom of the bowl. A bit even seems to "grow" on my plant, yet my plant is still quite green, and I'm not sure if it grows or not, since it's kinda hard to tell with a mat of green stuff. Is this some kinda algae? Originally, it was growing in a terrarium with 82 watts of light 15 hours a day, and about 80* F in the day, 70* F in the night. But, I ran out of room there, so I moved it into my new spacious terrarium, where it gets 84 watts of light 14 hours a day, and around 72*-75* F in the day, 65*-68* F in the night. In both conditions, there was still this white fluffy stuff.

Here's its bowl:

gibbabowl.jpg


It is in about 1.5"-2" of water all the time, and no peat or anything. Though, the previous owner of the plant grew it in a pot, and there is a bit of peat and stuff on it.

Here is a bit of the fluff growing on the plant (it's kinda hard to see):

fluff1.jpg


And here is some fluff on the bottom of the bowl, in the center of the pic:

fluff2.jpg


Can anyone tell me what the heck this stuff is, and is it harmful?

-Ben
 
it looks like algea to me. try changing the water

ALSO DO NOT USE AN ALGAECIDE IT WILL KILL YOUR UTRIC!!!!!
 
no, it is a fungus this hapens to me all the time, take out the U. gibba and microwave the bowl.
 
Ok. Is it harmless then? And do I microwave the bowl with the water in it?

-Ben
 
yes microwave the bowl with the water, NOT THE GIBBA!!!!

Oh and if the gibba has any attached, take it off.
 
Get yourself a pair of these, and a good pair of tweezers.

Pick the algae/fungus off the Utric, machine-wash the bowl, and replace the water.
 
Ben, U. gibba REQUIRES a peat base for growing. Though aquatic, U. gibba anchors itself into the soil in the bottom of its environment. Add about 1/4 inch of peat moss to the bottom of your bowl so U. gibba has a place to anchor itself. It will grow much better, and the tannins in the peat prevent algae. A little extra tannic tea never hurts.
 
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