Black algae in fish tank?

Question

I have a decorative yellow rubber anemone in my fish tank which my fish occasionally nibbles on. I noticed today that on one of them, there is a black, fuzzy substance on it and my roommate tells me is algae. My tank is pretty close to a window, but no sunlight directly touches it. Is it algae or could it be something else? If it is, how do i clean it?

A different question: I got my fish a month and a half ago and i frequently change their water, but i haven't cleaned their tank yet. is it time for me to? and if so, how do i go about doing that?

Answer 1

Algae are photosynthetic, meaning they make their food out of light. Direct sunlight will of course mean that the algae in your fish tank will exponentially grow, but just ordinary ambient light is sufficient for algae growth. It is inevitable. A systematic refreshing of 2 thirds of the water in the tank and regular cleaning of the fish tank will control the problem. Don't use any chemicals though!

Answer 2

Algae is only caused by sunlight, well as I know of. Algae is fed by sunlight so I doubt it is that, but it doesn't have to be directly in the sun, it just needs a type of light in the room to grow little by little.

Well I just stick water tubes in the water and put them deep in the gravel to get all the food and p**p out of the gravel. If there is algae or a different type of gunk in your tank all you have to do is get a brush from your local pet store and brush on the sides of the tank and take any objects you have in your tank [ships, fake plant, etc.] so you can get ALL the gravel because most of the time it gets dirtier there then any were else.

Change the sponge in your filter once every month and do not put soap on the objects in the water. Just let them sit out of the water so the chlorine goes away.

Hope this helps. :]