Black stains on fake plants !

[ziadc]

I got Black stains on my fake plants in my aqaurium what are they ? how can i get ride of them ?

[Sharon]

I would guess Algae...does it come off easily?

[Lady Hobbs]

Remove them and clean them in mild bleach water, rinse well and soak in dechlorinated water.

[Mvjnz]

Brown algae prolly. Very common in new tanks. If you leave it it will disappear within 2-3 months.

Live plants also help reduce the amount of algae in a tank.

[ziadc]

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Actually I've tried to remove the stains using water but i couldn't i don't want to use chemicals it my hurt the fishes.

[Iclimb06]

If it is brown diatoms, and you do not want to look at them in your tank, my alternative is to submerge the decorations in hot water. The hottest water coming out of my tap is about 135 degrees F. I typically soak it in a bucket for about 15 minutes followed by ten minutes in dechlorinated water. This will usually kill the diatoms, and they will appear to turn green. I don’t fuss too much with getting them off the plant, I just put it back in the tank, and a few days later it is gone. If it is diatoms, then they will eventually come back. This is typical for new tanks. Check out the algae section for more information on them. There are several threads in there regarding diatoms. There are also some stickies written by dave66 that are a great source for any algae/diatom problems.