what is happening to my fish tank?

Question

Is this normal,i keep having to buy new rocks for my 55 gallon tank, the rocks keep turning black, it only takes like 3 weeks.What is that black stuff and how can i stop it from forming so fast, it stinks up the tank too.ive got two, 4 inch long oscers and a 6inch catfish(yes i know when they get bigger i need new tank)but please let me know exactly the chemical or organic composition of this black slime that spreads though out the bottom of the tank(no its not poop)It seems like some sort of smelly mold.

Answer 1

The water quality has gone bad because of possible neglected maintenance.
The slimy coating of everything could be Blue-cyano bacteria . It is not algae, as algae is plant life, and yes, it smells bad.

I would suggest gravel vacuuming, also vacuum/rinse off everything that is covered with the slime.

Immediate 30 % water change - perhaps you need to make repeated water changes every 3-4 days until you stop the development of more slime.

A diatom filter could help greatly in the gravel clean up.

Don't give up on the cleaning task because you eventually will win this battle with the bacteria.

Answer 2

If you are not doing weekly 30-40% water changes, the water quality and then the health of your fish will go downhill fast. Black slimy growth on the bottom suggests you are overfeeding and not siphoning the gravel when you should. It is definitely a mold that is not good for your fish. Gravel should be siphoned at least once a month. Feed once a day and you can even skip a day once a week without harming your fish. Saves money too...

The oscars will want to grow an inch a month if you are feeding them the right food (no live feeders). Give them good high protein pellets or frozen food. Oscars are great fish and will give you years of enjoyment. A pair of them will need at least a 75 gallon tank to keep them properly.

You can save the rocks by soaking them overnight in a bucket of water to which you have added a cup of bleach. Then rinse them 3-4 times in the bucket (each time adding dechlorinizing drops) and soak them overnight in plain water.

Answer 3

It is a slime mold that grows when there is too much fish waste in the water. Your tank is so overstocked it is not even funny. Even 2 oscars are too much, let alone 4. And you don't even say what kind of catfish you have, there are thousands of different species of catfish. The only thing you can do to stop the gross stuff is to remove everything but 1 oscar, then overfilter the tank and change 50% of the water every week. Even 1 oscar is really too much for a 55 gallon tank, but it can be done with work.

Answer 4

it's called algae and you shouldn't have to get new rocks all the time. you should use a gravel vac(most pet stores have them) every week and only take out 25% of the water. you can additionaly perchase a plecostomos ( algae eating catfish). if it gets realy dirty you can wash the rocks in a colender like for spagetie.

P.S.

if the tanks by a window you should move it to a place thats darker. also the aquarium light only needs to be on from the time the sun comes up and to the time it sets.

Answer 5

Goldfish are chilly water fish... something are heat water fish. there is conflict remarkable there. The goldfish have been the two overheated, or the others have been too chilly. Now, with the fish you have indexed, they could have mandatory a 40+ gallon tank, reckoning on the size of the goldfish. have been they in 40 gallons or greater? Goldfish want fifty 5 gallons minimum whilst finished grown. they're extremely grimy fish. in case you probably did no longer have the acceptable length tank, then the respond is easy. They polluted themselves to death with their waste. additionally, you're transforming into overfed them. maximum possibly the water is extremely severe in ammonia and nitrites which killed the fish. The water has gotten even worse now with decomposing bodies interior the tank. you're able to desire to do away with the living fish and clean the tank totally. do away with approximately 50% or greater of the water, the lifeless fish, and alter the clear out cartridge. upload clean water, some micro organism and a dechlorinator. positioned the living fish and snail returned. the next day do a 25% water exchange. Take a pattern of your water to PetsMart, they do unfastened finding out and see in case you have any ammonia or nitrites. if so you're able to desire to proceed to do 25% water variations on a regular basis. you're able to desire to additionally decrease returned on feeding your fish. they could desire to purely be fed as quickly as an afternoon and purely what they are able to consume in 2 minutes. do no longer feed them greater whether they beg. Fish are consistently hungry. they do no longer understand whilst they're finished. you're able to desire to be checking your water high quality on a regular basis, yet as quickly as a week would be ok in case you're sturdy approximately doing water variations. regularly, you're able to desire to purely could desire to do 25-50% water variations as quickly as a week. if your tank is overstocked with fish however, you're able to desire to get a larger tank, or do away with some fish. sounds like nature already did that for you, so once you go purchase greater, merely be helpful you no longer overstock. 5 guppies want a 10 gallon tank for example. 2 goldfish want a fifty 5 gallon. Sorry approximately your fish.

Answer 6

black algea grow from phosphates in the water. algea itself comes from nutrients, uneaten food produces algea for instance. phosphate is more than likely coming from your water supply. buy a filter that is for a bigger size tank ie: you have a 50 galllon tank get a 60 gallon water filter. unfortunately algea eater will not eat black algea in my experience so try buying water from an aquarium club maybe. never use bottled store water as it has things added in that fish do not like. they can live in it but theres a chance of stress and ick growth. i suggest a gravel vaccuum and use it weekly if you have to. so water from an aquarium club-gravel vacuum and water changes often.
other contributors to black algea: poor water control can make algea grow quickly. also if your tank is in direct sunlight or the lights are on 12 hours a day the algea will grow quicker.

Answer 7

This "black slime" is called algae. Instead of the oscars, you should have bought some cichlids, who enjoy snacking on your rocks. There is a simple way to remove this, you can either take the rocks out of the tank and clean them vigorously, or you can get one of them algae magnets from your local petstore. Good luck.

Answer 8

do you do gravel vacuums? try doing gravel vacuums every week or even more often. how long do you leave the lights on? you could try treating it with antibiotics or something. maracyn kills algae -- it might work on your mold. you could take some to a real fish store (not petco or petsmart) and they might know what it is -- just check "tropical fish" in the yellow pages if you don't know where one is.

Answer 9

Sounds like black beard algae... Could be a number of things. What kind of rocks are you putting in there?

Answer 10

ur tank is not stable u need 2 test the water and go from there!good luck!