Goop on fish rocks

Question
Hi, I am eamiling on behalf of my sister this time, She has a 29 gallon tank with three gormtis in(those blue/gold fish with the long front fins that are very thin and trail behind) she has two of the blue ones and a gold one, shes also got two inch or slightly smaller gold mystery snails, I reccomended them to her to clean her tank when her catfish thingy died, anywyas over the last five days or so theres been a pail pink cloudy goop on her gravel, its thick in spots, it surely isnt snail eggs as it looks like pinkish fuz, the fish and snails are healthy with no odd markings or anything on them, and idea what this could be? thanks for your help beforehand.

Answer
Hi Tara;

It is a bacteria colony or fungus feeding on excess waste and/or excess food. It needs to be vacuumed out so it doesn't make the fish sick. Cut back on food and make a 25% water change while vacuuming the gravel. All aquariums need a 25% water change once every week and a gravel vacuuming every 2 to 4 weeks. Most of us overfeed from time to time. We just have to remember to clean up after ourselves when we do. Feed the fish once a day and only feed what they can consume from all areas of the tank in 5 minutes. If there is any leftover food on the gravel or decorations after 5 minutes it just goes to waste. Even if the fish eat it eventually they can't digest it properly because of overeating. So excess food goes to waste whether they eat it or not.

Hopefully things will get fixed up and back on the right track soon....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins