What Is This Brown Organic Stuff

[iroc]

So Every time I do a water change ( 1 time per week 20 -30%) I gravel vac all this stuff up. But within a day it's back again like I didn't do anything. It only really seems to be in the area by the rock cave. Anyone have an idea, how do I get rid of it permently, and what helps to control it

A pic

 

[Themuleous]

Looks like general waste to me, do you fed your fish lots? Could just collect there as the water flow is lower at that point so it settles out.

Sam

 

[iroc]

Looks like general waste to me, do you fed your fish lots? Could just collect there as the water flow is lower at that point so it settles out.

Sam

Define lots, I mean I feed them 1 time per day about 1/2 a top of tetra brand flake food
this is the 55 gallon tank with
1 full grown Angelfish
1 full grown albino rainbow shark
3 boliven rams
3 5" clown loaches
3 clown plecos
5 black skrit tetras
1 golden gourami
1 marble blue gourami
1 red flame gourami

 

[Themuleous]

Lots -> more than the fish are eating in a few minutes i.e. quite a bit sinks to the bottom.

Are the fish always hungry when you feed them?

BTW whats

1/2 a top of tetra

Sam

 

[The-Wolf]

1 time per day about 1/2 a top of tetra brand flake food

far far too much
3 or 4 flakes per fish a day is plenty
also consider a day without feeding, so feed 6 days, 7th day no food.

 

[Themuleous]

far far too much
3 or 4 flakes per fish a day is plenty
also consider a day without feeding, so feed 6 days, 7th day no food.

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Sibelius]

Yes, that is a sign of overfeeding. Only feed a little, and feed a varied diet. Try experimenting with frozen bloodworm or other frozen foods.

 

[Themuleous]

You really think poop rather than food, FK?

Sam

 

[nry]

Hmm, I wonder, have you tried removing that rock (the one to the right of the image) where it all accumulates? I have seen rocks disintegrate into that type of 'muck', happened in a tank I have before any fish, food or plants went in. It is possible you are overfeeding, up to you, but I would try either reducing feeding or removing the rock, after a few weeks see how things have been. Whichever you do rules out something!

 

[Sibelius]

I think it's more likely to be the food. Granted though, a good idea is to move the cave to an area with a bit more of a current.

 

[iroc]

Well I will try all of the above. I was going to do something new with the cave so now is as good a time as ever, i will cut way back on the amount of food, and maybe I will ditch the rock. hopefully with this combo i will slove the problem, thanks guys............

 

[nry]

I don't mean the cave, I mean the rock to the right of the image.

 

[iroc]

I don't mean the cave, I mean the rock to the right of the image.

I know, and that will be removed the cave will be redone...............thanks a bunch

 

[iroc]

So I cut down the food drasticly, removed the strange coral looking rock and rearanged the caves. It has cut down drasticly on the stuff although there still is some. I am thinking about adding a 2nd CO2 system tried into the same ladder. If I do that then during the nighttime I can add some air back into the tank (via a bubble maker fashioned into a piece of driftwood that gives me a lower stream of air) this way maybe when the light is off and the CO2 isn't needed to be active all the time I can create a flow to clean some excess waste off the bottom.