mold on fish net

Question
we purchased a 10 gallon fish tank and have 2 guppies, a dalmation molly, red wag and a frog.  well the next day our red wag had babies so we went out and purchased a net to attach to da tank and put the babies in till they are big enough. now i have noticed that there is mold growing all over the net above the water.  and a few days ago the molly died. what can i do? i cannot remove the babies yet they are still too small. probably need another month or so in the net. can my fish die from the mold? it smells really badly!

Answer
Hi Kendra,
Sounds like the breeder net got covered with the all too common aquarium mold. This bad thing happens when fish food is allowed to accumulate and build up in the tank. The fungus or mold thrives on this and starts growing everywhere. What's worse is leftover food will pollute the water as well and the fungus that thrives on it can infect fish with fungal disease.

All you have to do however, to prevent this. Is to make sure there is no leftover food in the tank. Be careful not to overfeed and try cleaning your tank a little more frequently, make sure the gravel bottom is well-vacuumed.
It shouldn't come back if you are careful with keeping the tank clean.

Best wishes and I hope this helps!
Karen~