I'm having some Fish Tank Problems, need help please!!!?

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Jessie???

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Hi! I have a 12 Gallon Fish Tank and I have done a REALLY big clean with it. We've been fish owners before but this seems a bit strange. We have quite a few guppies, and 2 mickey mouse platys. We got a new filter and new rocks, and its just a dirty problem. You see before we did a big clean, we noticed after our filter broke that small black particles began growing on the sides of our tank. We also noticed algae growing on the rocks. Now that I cleaned the tank, I noticed that even with a 12 gallon filter, new plants, new rocks, and happy fish, the same grime has begun to grow on the tank. Is there any way I can get rid of this muck? Because honestly, that stuff is hard to get off!!!

Thanks for the answers!
 
I agree with not using chemicals, but don't get another fish to keep your tank clean, especially not a Chinese algae eater. These will get 10 inches long, and they can become aggressive to the other fish. Plus, they don't eat algae as adults.

Part of why you get algae is the amount of nutrients in the water from the fish wastes. That's why adding another fish doesn't help, it only adds to the nutrients. You may just need to adjust how you clean or feed your fish so there's less waste. I alwys go by changing 25% of the water once a week, and use a gravel vacuum to get everything off the bottom. Only feed the fish what they're able to finish in a few minutes. If there's food left, net it out.

You might want to buy a test kit for your tank, and pay close attention to the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Since it's a new filter and new gravel, it's going to cycle again, and there could be ammonia building up that can hurt or kill your fish. You might want to test the water you use to put in your tank if it comes out of the tap or is well water. This can also contain nitrate. Nitrates are a nutrient and is used in plant fertilizers, and right now, it's fertilizing your algae.

So you can combine the water changes and cleaning with turning off any tank lights for a few days to a week if you don't have any live plants, that should help to control the algae.
 
There are chemicals to control algae but they get expensive over time and overdosing can be toxic. The best way to control algae is first get the tank out of a bright sunlit area. Direct sun will make algae go crazy but even a bright room without direct sun will cause a lot of growth. Also, don't leave the light on all the time. They don't need it on in the daytime, just turn it on for a few hours in the evening for the soothing effect in your house, then off at bedtime. Finally, get a Chinese Algae Eater. These little fish are awesome! They have little sucker mouths and will work constantly on the glass, rocks, plants etc. I have one that keeps a 50 gallon tank free of algae. The Algae Eater cost $3.29 at Petsmart, a small bottle of chemical that lasts about 3 months costs $8.00. Its a no brainer.

Oh also, don't overfeed the fish. Just give them what they can completly eat in 5 minutes. The rest will just rot and turn the water gross in no time. Good luck.
 
Do you have your aquarium near sunlight?
This makes algae grow even more. And what about an aquarium light. How long are you keeping it on? Sometimes, if you leave a light on too long, algae will grow more.

Hope I helped some!
 
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