Rust?

Question
Stats: I have 2 guarmi's, one of them is a Blue Flame and one is a Blue. My tank is 10 gallons and i have a Whisper 5-10 Filter. I introduced the fish on December 27th 2003.
Question: About a week ago i noticed spots on the rock that was in my tank. The Rock is white and the spots are a deep rust color. Then the spots started to appear on the fake plants and floor of the tank. I have set everthing up the right way, with aquasafe and everything and I have no clue whats going on. Whats going on and what can do to make things right? I want my fish to have a healthy environment to live in.  

Answer
Hi Andrew;

This rusty looking stuff is simply brown algae and is very common in new tanks. Wipe it off with an algae scraper or pad and make a water change of 25%. The water change removes some of it from the water after it is scraped off and reduces the wastes it is feeding on. When the tank is finished cycling in another 3 or 4 weeks you can add an algae eater to the job for you.

Here is my article on new tanks to help you understand the process of cycling;

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New Tank Syndrome or Break-in Period

So you have a new tank and you filled it up, put the filter together, mounted the heater into place and turned on the lights. You have all the plants and decorations where you want them....
You are ready for fish.

But, your filter is not ready for a full tank of fish yet.
The filter is running and moving the water and cleaning out crud, right? Of course!
But a very important part of your filter is the part you can't see. An aquarium filter removes the larger visible stuff, but it also must remove the dissolved fish waste that turns into ammonia in the water. To do this, special bacteria must grow in the filter system and on the particles of gravel in the bottom of your tank. This process occurs even on a limited scale in little fish bowls that have no filter in them.

This is "New-Tank Syndrome" or the "Break-in Period". The entire process takes 6 to 8 weeks to complete because these "nitrifying" bacteria grow quite slowly.

Start off with only two hardy fish for every ten gallons of water and don't add more until the 6 to 8 weeks has gone by. Hard to be patient, but it is worth it to keep your fish alive and healthy. As a matter of fact, the bacteria cannot develop without fish in the tank. You can let that tank sit forever without fish in it, but as soon as the first fish goes in the process begins. Feed your new fish VERY lightly. Any excess food will cause additional waste your system cannot afford to have right now. If you see food floating around or lying on the plants and gravel after five minutes, too much food is going into the tank. Cut back a little each time you feed until it is ALL gone 5 minutes after you feed them.

During this "break-in period" your tank will become cloudy and milky looking. You may have to tolerate this for the entire break-in period but it is only temporary. Changing 25% of the water three times a week until the break-in period is over helps a great deal. Changing water reduces the ammonia and nitrites that rise while the bacteria continues to multiply. If ammonia and/or nitrites become too high, your fish will become stressed and possibly die. Use a good water conditioner when you replace the water and make sure it is the right temperature to avoid shocking your fish.

When the break-in period is over, do regular water changes and vacuum the gravel at the same time. A change of 25% every one to two weeks is a good rule of thumb. It simply needs to be done for healthy fish.

Following these guidelines will help you get your new tank on the right track.
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Followups welcome.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins