General Care Discussion :: fungus?

[2wicky]

just recently I noticed that at one corner of my tank, the rocks are growing what looks like fungus. It's only a few of the bigger white rocks that have small green circles growing on them. The last time I saw this, I did an entire tank change.. soaked everything in very hot water, and scrubbed the rocks. It's been only a week and a half since then and the mold is back.

What could be causing this? The only unnatural thing I have in my tank is my little man and a piece of cuttlebone.

[SpotsMama]

What you have is algae (a plant) rather than fungus. Algae is real common in tanks. Do a search on "algae" and you'll find many threads on it. You don't have to do anything about it unless it turns the water green or gets unsightly.

By the way, the causes of algae are light (sunlight or exposure to the UVB bulb), nitrates (a by product of ammonia neutralization) and/or phosphates in the water. I think most tanks have some algae. If you have a lot, you might check water quality or placement of the tank (if it's sitting in the sun you should move it).

[2wicky]

ok. found a few threads on it. I guess it's my light. Thanks!

[SpotsMama]

No, turtles will eat green algae sometimes, as will some fish, snails, etc.