I've only been doing this for the past month, seeing spots that is. I know that before I sub-divided my tank into two tanks I had a pretty crowd aquarium. All of the ornaments in the bottom of the aquarium were starting to get covered in black spots. I would watch my algae eater try to suck up the black spots but never get anywhere. When I sub-divided my tank I had to yank out the ornaments to catch the fish. After getting the fish where they belonged, I tried to remove the black stuff just by rubbing it off. But that didn't affect it. I had to resort to hot water and a thumbnail. But I couldn't stand the pain of doing the same thing for 8 more ornaments. I have them outside the tank, hoping it was an algae growth and it would die and fall off. But it wasn't that. Could it be fishy deposits? I'd hate to put it back in there and then my fish start keeling over. Can anyone tell me what they think it is?
I'm seeing spots!
- Thread starter LuvBrit4ever
- Start date
First of all, you over stocked your tank. The pleco itself will grow to well over a foot.
When you get rid of some fish or put them in another tank or something, then ask these questions...I bet it's because you have too much fish in your bio-load.
When you get rid of some fish or put them in another tank or something, then ask these questions...I bet it's because you have too much fish in your bio-load.
Well thank you oddball. Not to fight fire with fire but, that didn't help at all. Yes, I know my tank was over-crowded, I said that in the first post. I did something about it and sub-divided the tank, did I mention that? Yes. I moved the convicts and pleco to a new tank in hopes of 1. getting the convicts to stop nipping the other fish's fins, and 2. to get them to breed. I too have done my homework and lived alittle. I have had these white clouds for 6 months and it don't look like they are going to grow much more. My dojos are my "main attraction" and will only grow 2-3 more inches over the next few YEARS. The algae eater and "angel" are definately done growing because I inherited them from my aunt who has had those for about 3 years. The pleco is included in the group of fish from my aunt.
Now can someone answer my question of what these spots are on my ornaments? Are they fish poop or are they something else.
Though this can be true in cases, I have seen a tendency to grow to the size of the tank. Not all fish do this, granted. But when I can buy baby convicts that are all roughly the same size, I put 8 in my 10G, and my friend decides to put his 8 in an indoor pond that didn't have fish already in it. You can guess that mine grew alittle, but his are about 2 1/2" bigger than mine.
Now can someone answer my question of what these spots are on my ornaments? Are they fish poop or are they something else.
Maybe if you posted a picture, someone could help ID them. What shape are the spots? Is it black, dark brown? Fish poop is usually a string-like shape, so it does not sound like fish excrement. It was only growing on the ornaments and not on gravel or tank walls? Personally, I am leaning toward an algae without much more information.
Algae has a tendency to grow in overcrowded tanks, as there is a ready supply of nutrients in fish waste. You mentioned subdividing your tank in both posts, but I fail to see how that addresses the overcrowding situation, personally. To subdivide is to split one into two or more. So, from what I gather by reading, you just split one tank into two? That's not really a solution.
If you are using subdivide erroneously and mean that you bought another tank and split your fish load into two different groups, then by looking at the stocking levels in your signature, you are still grossly overcrowded. In your last post you said that "I have seen a tendency to grow to the size of the tank." This is sometimes true. The reason being that fish emit hormones that can inhibit growth. In the case of a bigger tank, these hormones never build up into the correct concentration to stunt growth. In a small tank scenario, they do. What is often overlooked by so many that routinely overstock a tank is that this also stunts organ development which in turn makes fish more prone to infection, disease, fungus etc. because they are not equipped to fight off such things.
This in turn leads to shorter life span compounded by much lower quality of life. This hormone is the reason your friend's convicts are getting bigger than yours. They are most likely happier, less stressed and better-equipped to lead "normal" lives, while your convicts have been sentenced to, most likely, an early death.
If I sound harsh, I suppose the old adage that "the truth hurts" is quite correct. I do not mean to hurt your feelings, but I do mean to educate fish owners in hopes that their fish lead long, healthy lives and in turn, bring the fish keeper more rewarding experiences rather than fish that die every so often just to be replaced by other fish in the same bad situation, thereby creating a cycle of poor standards.
Just because you can cram 7 convict cichlids and a 6 inch pleco into a 10 gallon does not mean it works well. Have you ever heard of the practice of foot-binding? If not, please google for it. Just because you can force the human foot into grotesquely small proportions does not mean it is not a cruel and abominable practice.
I understand Oddball's response might have inflamed your emotion. Please understand that seeing your stocking levels inflamed his sense of humanity. If your fish were cats or dogs, it would likely be onsidered animal cruelty and might actually be a legal issue. Imagine 10 active and large dogs like German Shepherds locked up in a 10'x10' room. Sure, they all fit, but is it humane? Please, reconsider your stocking levels and if you can, post pictures of this mystery substance for better feedback and identification. Good luck.
Algae has a tendency to grow in overcrowded tanks, as there is a ready supply of nutrients in fish waste. You mentioned subdividing your tank in both posts, but I fail to see how that addresses the overcrowding situation, personally. To subdivide is to split one into two or more. So, from what I gather by reading, you just split one tank into two? That's not really a solution.
If you are using subdivide erroneously and mean that you bought another tank and split your fish load into two different groups, then by looking at the stocking levels in your signature, you are still grossly overcrowded. In your last post you said that "I have seen a tendency to grow to the size of the tank." This is sometimes true. The reason being that fish emit hormones that can inhibit growth. In the case of a bigger tank, these hormones never build up into the correct concentration to stunt growth. In a small tank scenario, they do. What is often overlooked by so many that routinely overstock a tank is that this also stunts organ development which in turn makes fish more prone to infection, disease, fungus etc. because they are not equipped to fight off such things.
This in turn leads to shorter life span compounded by much lower quality of life. This hormone is the reason your friend's convicts are getting bigger than yours. They are most likely happier, less stressed and better-equipped to lead "normal" lives, while your convicts have been sentenced to, most likely, an early death.
If I sound harsh, I suppose the old adage that "the truth hurts" is quite correct. I do not mean to hurt your feelings, but I do mean to educate fish owners in hopes that their fish lead long, healthy lives and in turn, bring the fish keeper more rewarding experiences rather than fish that die every so often just to be replaced by other fish in the same bad situation, thereby creating a cycle of poor standards.
Just because you can cram 7 convict cichlids and a 6 inch pleco into a 10 gallon does not mean it works well. Have you ever heard of the practice of foot-binding? If not, please google for it. Just because you can force the human foot into grotesquely small proportions does not mean it is not a cruel and abominable practice.
I understand Oddball's response might have inflamed your emotion. Please understand that seeing your stocking levels inflamed his sense of humanity. If your fish were cats or dogs, it would likely be onsidered animal cruelty and might actually be a legal issue. Imagine 10 active and large dogs like German Shepherds locked up in a 10'x10' room. Sure, they all fit, but is it humane? Please, reconsider your stocking levels and if you can, post pictures of this mystery substance for better feedback and identification. Good luck.
ok...well since it seems that no one is going to actualy answer your question...
It is kind of hard to tell you exactly what it is without a picture but chances are that it is not fish poo, but rather some form of green spot algae.
Algae generaly has a death grip on whatever it attaches to so letting it dry up wont get it to flake off. Try dipping the ornaments into a 19:1 water/bleach dip for about 5 minutes and then scrub it off with a toothbrush or stiff nylon brush and this should remove the builup. Then rinse everything well and let it soak in a bowl or tub of water with dechloirnator overnight.
If you are doing this on wood then let it soak for a couple of days while changing the water and adding fresh dechlorinator daily just to make sure that no bleach soaked into the wood.
HTH
It is kind of hard to tell you exactly what it is without a picture but chances are that it is not fish poo, but rather some form of green spot algae.
Algae generaly has a death grip on whatever it attaches to so letting it dry up wont get it to flake off. Try dipping the ornaments into a 19:1 water/bleach dip for about 5 minutes and then scrub it off with a toothbrush or stiff nylon brush and this should remove the builup. Then rinse everything well and let it soak in a bowl or tub of water with dechloirnator overnight.
If you are doing this on wood then let it soak for a couple of days while changing the water and adding fresh dechlorinator daily just to make sure that no bleach soaked into the wood.
HTH
Thank you Harlock. I understood your post quite well. You did answer my question, or atleast until I can figure out how to post pics on here w/o having to go through 30 minutes of work. I'm not at all upset about your reply and understand what you are saying about the cruelty of shoving those convicts and pleco in the same 10G tank. Yes, I made a "mis-statement." When I said subdivide, I ment that I had two 10G tank and separated them.
I haven't learned to say 'no' yet and that's why I have all these extra fish that manage to find their way into my tank. Some are pretty and are the ones that I buy. The "ugly" ones that I smirk at on passing by the tank, are the freebies that my family kinda throws at me to take care of. I know that I can have a 29G, but I have no room as it stand between the 2 10G tanks. And before the comment pops up of, "Break down one if not both of you 10G and setup the 29G" I would have to drag the sucker home set it all up;plants, gravel, ornaments,..... then hope to God that my parents don't blow a hole in the roof when they find out that I have a wonderful new 3rd tank. I know that anyone reading this is about to boil over from the thought of " If he has no room and can't take proper care of these fish, then why in the h*ll is he even bothering with the hobby and being cruel to those poor fish!"
:OT: I love fish and love animals. I started this hobby with simple intentions of just breeding bettas. But after 30 hate e-mails talking about how stupid it may be to breed just ordinary bettas for fun, I decided to invest in a 10G and the LPS threw in some fish with it. Ofcourse I followed all directions properly, set-up the tank and let it filter out for 3-4 days while my "painted" glass fish and neon tetras swam in circles in a bowl of distilled bottled water. 2 days after transfered the fish they slowly started to keel over. I went to the LPS, got the testing equiptment, tested everything, and it was good. So I bought my first fishy love, Golden Dojo Loaches (my avatar). Then I stumbled upon a Kenyi, and thought they looked 'pretty'. But the LPS failed to tell me that the Nimbochromis venustus (dunno the common name) was a big bully. So you can expect I was shocked when I came home to a bloody masacre in the tank and he was the only one left alive. Needless to say I put him in solitude, and he died 3 hours afterwards. So to shorten this story alot, I went through the LPS and took down names, researched, and then purchased and it's taken my 3 months to finally narrow it down to the fish I have now. I still have fish I don't want, but have no one else to give them to, but they are 3 years old so I'm sure they might die soon.
Anyway, now that I've established myself as a teenage, royal pain in the butt
, I'll quit talkin' and start trying to get more informed on what I can do to make my tank better.
I haven't learned to say 'no' yet and that's why I have all these extra fish that manage to find their way into my tank. Some are pretty and are the ones that I buy. The "ugly" ones that I smirk at on passing by the tank, are the freebies that my family kinda throws at me to take care of. I know that I can have a 29G, but I have no room as it stand between the 2 10G tanks. And before the comment pops up of, "Break down one if not both of you 10G and setup the 29G" I would have to drag the sucker home set it all up;plants, gravel, ornaments,..... then hope to God that my parents don't blow a hole in the roof when they find out that I have a wonderful new 3rd tank. I know that anyone reading this is about to boil over from the thought of " If he has no room and can't take proper care of these fish, then why in the h*ll is he even bothering with the hobby and being cruel to those poor fish!"
:OT: I love fish and love animals. I started this hobby with simple intentions of just breeding bettas. But after 30 hate e-mails talking about how stupid it may be to breed just ordinary bettas for fun, I decided to invest in a 10G and the LPS threw in some fish with it. Ofcourse I followed all directions properly, set-up the tank and let it filter out for 3-4 days while my "painted" glass fish and neon tetras swam in circles in a bowl of distilled bottled water. 2 days after transfered the fish they slowly started to keel over. I went to the LPS, got the testing equiptment, tested everything, and it was good. So I bought my first fishy love, Golden Dojo Loaches (my avatar). Then I stumbled upon a Kenyi, and thought they looked 'pretty'. But the LPS failed to tell me that the Nimbochromis venustus (dunno the common name) was a big bully. So you can expect I was shocked when I came home to a bloody masacre in the tank and he was the only one left alive. Needless to say I put him in solitude, and he died 3 hours afterwards. So to shorten this story alot, I went through the LPS and took down names, researched, and then purchased and it's taken my 3 months to finally narrow it down to the fish I have now. I still have fish I don't want, but have no one else to give them to, but they are 3 years old so I'm sure they might die soon.
Anyway, now that I've established myself as a teenage, royal pain in the butt
, I'll quit talkin' and start trying to get more informed on what I can do to make my tank better.
See if you can borrow a digiatal camera. I have one and with the USB cable I can snap a pic and load it up in less than a minute (if i hurry). After that you can attach it to a post or upload the pic to a personal website then hotlink it.
I can sympathize with your situation. Personally, I find bettas quite exotic (even though every fish place has them in droves encaged in their tiny plastic cups) and think breeding them could be cool. Especially a mouthbrooder, what a treat that would be! Can you describe the shape and sizes of the spots? Did they start out small and grow outward?
I can sympathize with your situation. Personally, I find bettas quite exotic (even though every fish place has them in droves encaged in their tiny plastic cups) and think breeding them could be cool. Especially a mouthbrooder, what a treat that would be! Can you describe the shape and sizes of the spots? Did they start out small and grow outward?
LMOUTHBASS
My hypocrisy goes only so far
an angel done growing at 2 1/2 inches? no that's not right - he's only done growing because he is being stumped - i've seen angels that are 12 inches fin to fin - they normally get to at least 6-7 inches in normal conditions
your WAY overstocked
your WAY overstocked
Thanks for the replies. I do have a digital camera, but not a USB cable. I'm attempting to load the things via the 3 1/2" floppy. I finally got one loaded onto the computer the other day but then I could get it transfered to the site. Oh well, I'll keep trying.
First things first. The spots are roughly the size of the head of a brad nail. They are tiny spots and developed about 2 weeks before I removed the ornaments. It never really grew. I didn't give it a chance. They are circular spots, and they are kind of a greenish brown. I know that helps alot right. LOL I think I'll take Bigcheze's advice and try the bleach solution. I don't have any wood so I don't have to worry about that. If I do infact get pics of my aquarium(s) on here, y'all will laugh at how scantly it is "decorated." two or three plastic plants, and two plaster statues in each tank.
Ok, on to large mouth. Ok, I am mis-leading so many people. This "angel" is not a true angel. I've seen them in the droves at the L(f)PS. They are in multiple tanks side by side, mixed with 5 other species. The only problem for me, is there isn't a common name that popped up among the inhabitants. If I can get a pic uploaded, I'll let you tell me who the mystery guest is. He is silver, shaped like a Hatchet, has two black veritical stripes on his lower half. So, my angel has shrunk and grew horns. I'm only going by what was written on the bag that I got them in.
Yeah! Great news! I just got "Mystery Angel" to load. Sorry, but the digital camera has a dead battery so I can snap a pic of the spots for you to see. Hope to get them on ASAP!
*Edit* P.S. I know my tank is crowded. Please tell me what I can do to ease the overcrowding issue. I'll listen to any suggestions as long as it doesn't involved getting rid of most/all of my fish (mayreee), or buying another aquarium.
First things first. The spots are roughly the size of the head of a brad nail. They are tiny spots and developed about 2 weeks before I removed the ornaments. It never really grew. I didn't give it a chance. They are circular spots, and they are kind of a greenish brown. I know that helps alot right. LOL I think I'll take Bigcheze's advice and try the bleach solution. I don't have any wood so I don't have to worry about that. If I do infact get pics of my aquarium(s) on here, y'all will laugh at how scantly it is "decorated." two or three plastic plants, and two plaster statues in each tank.
Ok, on to large mouth. Ok, I am mis-leading so many people. This "angel" is not a true angel. I've seen them in the droves at the L(f)PS. They are in multiple tanks side by side, mixed with 5 other species. The only problem for me, is there isn't a common name that popped up among the inhabitants. If I can get a pic uploaded, I'll let you tell me who the mystery guest is. He is silver, shaped like a Hatchet, has two black veritical stripes on his lower half. So, my angel has shrunk and grew horns. I'm only going by what was written on the bag that I got them in.
Yeah! Great news! I just got "Mystery Angel" to load. Sorry, but the digital camera has a dead battery so I can snap a pic of the spots for you to see. Hope to get them on ASAP!
*Edit* P.S. I know my tank is crowded. Please tell me what I can do to ease the overcrowding issue. I'll listen to any suggestions as long as it doesn't involved getting rid of most/all of my fish (mayreee), or buying another aquarium.
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