red bottom

Question
I have a 36 gallon tank, for some reason it seems to be taken over by some sort of algea or rust all over the bottom of the tank. What can i do to have the tank clean again.

Answer
You are right, this is algae. You need to completely clean the tank. You can try to get a hold of it by doing some syphoning and do a partial water change and than adding an algae gone treament but that may not work. I suggest trying to syphon, do a water change, and add some algae gone treatment first. Then if it does not seem to be going away within 3-4 days you will have to completely clean the tank. Also, be sure the gravel has been completely been cleaned as this can sometimes be the problem with algae. If the brief cleaning does not work, you should empty the entire tank and re-clean the gravel and once the tank is set up again, add some algae gone treatment to be sure to kill everything. Sadly, red alage is amoung the most difficult to remove but with time it can be done. I hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else.