rock?infestation

Question
6 weeks ago i found what looks like sesame sized/shaped rocks? in my 10 gallon freshwater tank. when i exposed them to hot water what was left was a clear gelatinous type material.i am now cleaning the tank every 2 weeks and the continue to be there.i have one goldfish,2 cory catfish some neons,danios and an assortment of other small fish. they seem unaffected by these things .do you know what they are and how i can get rid of them?i don't want my tank overrun by them.

Answer
hi Juana:  its hard to say what they are exactly.  They could be insect eggs or even fish eggs...it does however seem to me that you have some kind of egg.  Are the fish diseased at all?  have you had an outbreak of ICH?  if the answer is no... and you want to experiment a bit... you can see if some of the eggs will hatch in a jar or in the tank.... It is also difficult to tell you how to "treat" the infestation because we do not know if the eggs are beneficial or harmful.  The other thing that concerns me is that you have mixed coldwater fish (goldfish) with tropical fish.  What temperature do you keep your tank at?  Lastly... you should be doing a 10 percent water change on a weekly or twice a week schedule... waiting two weeks will eventually cause sick fish.  If you don't have a gravel vacuum  you should get one... it will help you get the eggs out of your gravel. They are fairly inexpensive at the aquarium...I think mine was about $12.  let me know if you have other questions... dave