I have a bottom feeder that's supposed to eat algae, he's slacking.

I've even cleaned the whole thing completely, removed all the fish, all the water, thoroughly washed and sterilized all the rocks, the tank and all the stuff in it. I was told it's because the tank was by the window, so I moved it. Still more algae.

Okay, I'm so hijacking this thread. Rex, I apologize. I'll start my own. Is it okay if I post the link here?

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Originally Posted by Altenweg

I will admit that I really don't know a lot about fish, that was my dads thing and he took his knowledge to the grave, leaving me to care for a 50 gallon tank without a clue how to care for it. I ended up giving it and the fish away because too many died and I didn't want any more death.

I now have a 20 gallon tank with 2 fish in it, they're the only ones that have the decency to live through anything. ;)

I only commented on the minnows because they are wild animals (I consider fish animals) and I just don't agree with taking any animal out of it's habitat unless it's necessary.

Now that I know there are so many fish pros here, you may all be getting a call from me, I have some green crap in my tank that I can't get rid of and all the pet store "fish experts" don't know a darn thing.

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I just love owning fish. There's just something about a tank full of fish that seems so peaceful to me. I can sit there and watch my fish for hours on end.

And as for the green stuff in your tank I suggest a good cleaning and maybe some more/new gravel or substrate. I clean my tank every 3-4weeks. I do a full tank clean. I take the fish out, put them in ice cream containers. I then take out all the water, then the rocks, and wipe down the tank. I clean the filter and wipe off the heater. I then take all the rocks and clean them all. I put them back in and then the ornaments(I forgot to add that I soak them too). I fill it back up with water from the tap which is good water(and I'm getting pretty good at getting the right temperature). And then I put the fish back in once the tank is up and running. The whole process takes about 3hours.

A lot of people say that full tank cleaning is bad, but it keeps my tank clean, I've only had disease in it once, and it was ick. Unfortunately it killed my goldfish, but my other fish lived through it.

In a 20 gallon tank one may not be enough and the ones I linked to move all over. They are great at cleaning up the tank. Plus they look "cool".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Altenweg

I have a bottom feeder that's supposed to eat algae, he's slacking.

I've even cleaned the whole thing completely, removed all the fish, all the water, thoroughly washed and sterilized all the rocks, the tank and all the stuff in it. I was told it's because the tank was by the window, so I moved it. Still more algae.

Okay, I'm so hijacking this thread. Rex, I apologize. I'll start my own. Is it okay if I post the link here?

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I suggest new rocks, and it is true that direct sunlight can cause algae to grow quicker.

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Originally Posted by rex123

I suggest new rocks, and it is true that direct sunlight can cause algae to grow quicker.

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If you like the rocks you can always boil them for a little. It sterilizes them. I always used natural rocks in my tanks. Undergravel and back filter with lots of air.

Here's a link, it explains all I've done a bit better and then I can stop hijacking Rex's thread. :)

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-...sh-462455.html

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Originally Posted by califdadof3

The "greet stuff" sounds like algae and you can remove it with a blade also get fish to take care of it for you too.

Like these .. they look prehistoric

Ref:

Plecostomus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Plecos will outgrow a 20 gal tank and become even more lazy the bigger they get. Plecos get FEET long.

I think the largest pleco I've ever seen was 5 feet long and was caught in the Amazon river.. it was crazy looking

Alty, I just had to step in and say my little story about minnows.
My dad ice fishes every year, yadda yadda yadda, that parts boring but here comes the interesting part! As my dad was cleaning one of his fish there were 3 other fish in its stomach! ALIVE! He stuck them in a beer bottle (With water, not beer) and brought them home to show us his interesting find, and since it was winter (and this was 10 years ago) I was scared that they would freeze if we let them go, so we set up a plastic pool in the middle of my living room(Oh yes mom was pleased about this one!) and let them spend the winter with us. I don't remember what kind of fish they were, but they grew massive! Later that spring we took them to the creek near our house and let them go. I don't know if they made it or not, but for a 5 year old, it made me happy :)