cleaning tank decor
- Thread starter acocacolagirl
- Start date
Depends on what you have, and what you're cleaning off it. Fake plants can be removed, scrubbed, or soaked in a mild bleach solution or oxyclean. Rinse well (especially if using bleach), dry completely, and return to the tank. Silk plants shouldn't be bleached but an oxyclean solution will work fine. Rocks and such can be scrubbed clean and returned to the tank, ditto for wood--but wood will often break down a bit if treated roughly.
But--what are you cleaning off? A little bit of algae is usually no big deal, but a lot of algae indicates other issues that need to be addressed--cleaning it off the decorations will be a temporary solution at best.
But--what are you cleaning off? A little bit of algae is usually no big deal, but a lot of algae indicates other issues that need to be addressed--cleaning it off the decorations will be a temporary solution at best.
Well, on a big leafed silk plant, I started noticing brown spots, the spots are getting bigger and appearing on most of the leaves now. 
Sometimes my Cory likes to sit on the leaves so I thought maybe it was Cory poop - I dont know what Cory poop looks like after all - but now I've noticed a few little brown spots on the tip of my plastic plant. These leaves are very tiny and touch the surface, so I dont think my Cory has been sitting there. I assume algae is green. And there is nothing green growing in the tank that I have noticed. I also have not noticed the spots the rock decor.
Sometimes my Cory likes to sit on the leaves so I thought maybe it was Cory poop - I dont know what Cory poop looks like after all - but now I've noticed a few little brown spots on the tip of my plastic plant. These leaves are very tiny and touch the surface, so I dont think my Cory has been sitting there. I assume algae is green. And there is nothing green growing in the tank that I have noticed. I also have not noticed the spots the rock decor.i use bleach to clean all my tanks decor and never had a problem.it gets rid of all the nasty looking spots quick.just be sure that you rinse everything out real well.
Small brown spots may be diatom algae--it's common with newer tanks, but frequently goes away on it's own. What's you maintenance routine? Have you looked at your water utilities report to see what silicates are like in your source water? Adding a few real plants--even floaters or low light plants like java fern or anubias will typically help quite a bit.
I change out 10 - 25 % a week. Gravel clean a couple of times a month. Change the filter once a month. Check ph/nitrite/nitrate/amonia levels regularly. And well, as I have only had the tank two months, I havent gotten into much more of a routine yet. I don't know what the silicate level is in my water. I dont even know what silicate is 
. I will give the plants a good cleaning and see if that helps the problem. As for live plants...good gracious! I am already feeling overwhelmed with fish mantinance...but maybe when I get more comfortable with the fish, I can think about plants 
.
Thanks to both of you for the advice.
. I will give the plants a good cleaning and see if that helps the problem. As for live plants...good gracious! I am already feeling overwhelmed with fish mantinance...but maybe when I get more comfortable with the fish, I can think about plants .Thanks to both of you for the advice.
I'm in about the same position, I've had some brown algae just like that in my tank that has been running now for almost 2 months. It shows up on the plants and glass. I picked up a bristlenose and he does a good job with the surfaces, but doesn't touch the plants. I picked up an oto and he works on the plants more.......although he probably could use some help. My understanding is what the previous poster said, that it will go away on it's own. It's not really caused by too much light, like green algae is. I've had it for 2-3 weeks now, although not too bad. I do clean the glass from time to time, but I'm still waiting for it to "go away on it's own!"
Well, glad I'm not alone on this. I also have cleaned the glass although I did not notice spots on the glass.
What I mean by "change the filter" is take out the little white filter media bag and put in a fresh one. My filter hangs on the side of the tank and runs the water through this bag which has carbon in it. It catches the gunk.
What I mean by "change the filter" is take out the little white filter media bag and put in a fresh one. My filter hangs on the side of the tank and runs the water through this bag which has carbon in it. It catches the gunk.
Ah. Instead of replacing it, rinse it in clean water that's been dechlorinated to remove the gunk, and keep using it. This is where the beneficial bacteria live, and by replacing it, you remove those colonies, forcing the tank to recycle. This is not good for the fish--it exposes them to high levels of ammonia. I'd advise going with a different media--the carbon isn't required, and you'd be better off with a sponge or some type, or cermaic noodles, that provide lots of surface area for the bacteria to colonize. But--the change over should be done gradually, so you don't pull out the enitre colony of beneficial bacteria all at once.