Is this Fungus? If so: How to disinfect and remove fungus from a filter?

[Paul Ron]

ooops

[Paul Ron]

so what was the cure?
did you use the solution in the article?

[Pfsor]

It's estimated that the Kingdom of Fungi may include as many as 3.8 Million species.
Some commonly-encountered special groups are mushrooms, truffles, mold, and yeast.

Some fungi often encountered on lenses eat the fluoride anti-reflection
lens coating and excrete hydrofluoric acid, which etches the glass.

- Leigh

A nice try, Leigh but fungi do not eat fluoride anti-reflection lens coating. They can only eat organic matters. And mushrooms and truffles don't do anything bad to the lens, (unless you smear the lens with them, quite a strange idea) you can leave them in peace.

[l2oBiN]

so what was the cure?
did you use the solution in the article?

Threw away plastic wrapper and paper cover. Disassembled all components and added to 1:1 ratio of cloudy ammonia and hydrogen peroxide in a zip lock bag. Left overnight. Washed off with foaming soap hand wash using bare hands for filter and brush for plastic casing. Then dried components with hair fan.

[aaronnate]

did it work?

[l2oBiN]

did it work?

Seems to have. I guess time will tell...

[Steven Tribe]

A nice try, Leigh but fungi do not eat fluoride anti-reflection lens coating. They can only eat organic matters. And mushrooms and truffles don't do anything bad to the lens, (unless you smear the lens with them, quite a strange idea) you can leave them in peace.

"Eat" is perhaps the wrong expression!
Many forms of life obtain their basic energy from chemical reactions other than the classic carbon oxidation. During the billions of years that the earth has existed (plus surviving passengers from even older comets etc.), life with the ability to utilise diverse chemical transformations has emerged in - to us anyway - very odd places. The best publicised in the last decade has been the Sulphur base life around deep sea vulcanic springs. Fluorides occur naturally, so adaption is something that has happened over millions of years, not just since the late 1930's when coating on glass surfaces started.

[Pfsor]

"Eat" is perhaps the wrong expression!

Not perhaps but surely!

In case you're knowledgeable about "surviving passengers from even older comets" putting in danger our optical equipment please don't hesitate to inform your nearest Academy of Science. You'll be the 1st one on the planet to do so! Good grief!

[Steven Tribe]

By "passengers" I mean complex chemical compounds like amino acids - not creatures with arms and legs! The whole question of what has been deposited on the earth from outside is in a state of flux and the theory of most water coming from comets is in doubt as the the D/H ratio is the same for the moon and earth. That material has come with comets from elsewhere in the solar system and our galaxy is not disputed.

Having never seen serious damage on uncoated lens as old as the 18th century (telescope objectives) but frequently discovered massive damage on coated lenses, there must be some very effective life forms around!

[Pfsor]

Never mind the complex chemical compunds, Steven. Keep us posted when the danger to our optical equipment is imminent!