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Recently I was given a beautiful 16 gallon tank with stand, heater, filter, plastic plants, ornaments and 3 fish (neon and 2 platys). To move the tank the water was drained to about 1/3 full with the fish left in the tank. Once I got it home I removed the fish putting them in plastic bag with water from the tank. After setup I filled the tank with tap water (from a well, pH of 7, and slightly hard) never thinking about cleaning the pea-sized gravel. ornaments or plastic plants since the tank water was crystal clear when I got it. I set the heater to 72 degrees F and placed the bag with the fish in the water to acclimate. The filter, I believe, is a Penguin 100 with a bio-wheel. I put in a new filter and was set to go. The first thing I noticed after the first week was the appearance of white fluffy material starting to collect on the plastic plants. When I moved some plants and the ornaments, disturbing this material, it just floated around the tank looking like little tufts of cotton. Then, a couple days ago I noticed the gravel taking on a brownish tinge. This not only came on very fast but increased in severity very quickly. I suspected it was algae but did not notice any on the glass and when I wiped the glass with my finger I could not feel or see anything on my finger.
Today I cleaned the tank and replaced almost all the water. Running the siphon through the gravel stirred up so much of the white fluffy stuff it looked like a snow storm in the aquarium. I tried to suck up as much as I could but it seemed like the more I removed the more it was increasing. I did a search on algae and think my initial suspicion of the brown stuff being algae (diatoms?) was correct. But I cannot find anything on the white stuff. I also think the reason the algea bloomed so quickly may be that there was a couple nights when I fell asleep and left the tank light on. When I cleaned the tank today I scrubbed the ornaments with an old toothbrush and replaced them back into the tank. However, the once green plastic plants still looked discolored after trying to clean them so I have not put them back into the tank. I also noticed brown growth along the corners of the tank.
So, regarding the algae, here are my questions. 1) Can I put the plastic plants back or will the algae still on them just cause more to grow? 2) Will the existing algae on the tank corners and what I couldn't get off the ornaments eventually go away by itself? 3) I have read that "algae eaters" are not always a good thing to have to address the issue because it means more fish and therefore more waste (and resulting waste by-products) but I would like some feedback on whether it would be a good idea to put a couple fish (suckers, cats) or snails into the tank. 4) Assuming the problem began with too much lighting and possibly the bulb being old (which I read changes the light spectrum and encourages algae growth, should I replace the bulb with a new one? 5) Should I consider putting in some real plants and if so, what is recommended.
Regarding the white stuff is it possible it could be uneaten food that has decayed? The fish food I use is TerraMin tropical flakes and I am unsure how much to put in to feed the 3 fish I have so I have been putting in maybe 1-2 teaspoons twice a day. Should I cut back or switch to a different type of food (like those worm cubes you stick on the glass)? If the white stuff is not food related what is it and how can I prevent/eliminate it? Some of the stuff is almost dime size and several times it has clogged the filter intake openings.
My mother has had freshwater aquariums and tropical fish since I was a kid (I'm 54 now) and I never remember seeing such a growth of brown algae (her tanks almost always some greenish algae and she always had algea-eaters) nor any white fluffy stuff collecting on plants or floating around the tank. I know that for quite a while her lighting was from incandescent bulbs - is that a reason for the different algae type and amount that grew?
Thank you for your help and replies.
Today I cleaned the tank and replaced almost all the water. Running the siphon through the gravel stirred up so much of the white fluffy stuff it looked like a snow storm in the aquarium. I tried to suck up as much as I could but it seemed like the more I removed the more it was increasing. I did a search on algae and think my initial suspicion of the brown stuff being algae (diatoms?) was correct. But I cannot find anything on the white stuff. I also think the reason the algea bloomed so quickly may be that there was a couple nights when I fell asleep and left the tank light on. When I cleaned the tank today I scrubbed the ornaments with an old toothbrush and replaced them back into the tank. However, the once green plastic plants still looked discolored after trying to clean them so I have not put them back into the tank. I also noticed brown growth along the corners of the tank.
So, regarding the algae, here are my questions. 1) Can I put the plastic plants back or will the algae still on them just cause more to grow? 2) Will the existing algae on the tank corners and what I couldn't get off the ornaments eventually go away by itself? 3) I have read that "algae eaters" are not always a good thing to have to address the issue because it means more fish and therefore more waste (and resulting waste by-products) but I would like some feedback on whether it would be a good idea to put a couple fish (suckers, cats) or snails into the tank. 4) Assuming the problem began with too much lighting and possibly the bulb being old (which I read changes the light spectrum and encourages algae growth, should I replace the bulb with a new one? 5) Should I consider putting in some real plants and if so, what is recommended.
Regarding the white stuff is it possible it could be uneaten food that has decayed? The fish food I use is TerraMin tropical flakes and I am unsure how much to put in to feed the 3 fish I have so I have been putting in maybe 1-2 teaspoons twice a day. Should I cut back or switch to a different type of food (like those worm cubes you stick on the glass)? If the white stuff is not food related what is it and how can I prevent/eliminate it? Some of the stuff is almost dime size and several times it has clogged the filter intake openings.
My mother has had freshwater aquariums and tropical fish since I was a kid (I'm 54 now) and I never remember seeing such a growth of brown algae (her tanks almost always some greenish algae and she always had algea-eaters) nor any white fluffy stuff collecting on plants or floating around the tank. I know that for quite a while her lighting was from incandescent bulbs - is that a reason for the different algae type and amount that grew?
Thank you for your help and replies.