weird stuff growing in my tank

Question
There is some excess food now that you mention it. I was gone on vacation and had someone feeding them. Nothing weird on the fish that went belly up. I haven't tested ph or ammonia yet but will. Thank you for your speedy response. Deborah
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-----Question-----
Hi Lee, just very recently whitish, fuzzy stuff has started growing on the bottom of my aquarium. Three fish have died in the last two weeks. Can you tell me what the problem is and how to fix it? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you, Deborah
-----Answer-----
Of the fish that died did they have anything on their bodies that you could see that was not normal? The white fuzzy stuff sounds like a fungus growing on the bottom of your tank. Is there a lot of excess food going to the bottom of the tank? Have you had your water tested for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and pH? If you have not you should get your water tested as there could be addtional problems with your water chemistry, most fish retailers do this for a small fee or for free.
Please respond to my questions so I can better assist you.

Answer
Most likely at this point the fungus was just growing on the decaying food which can effect your fish or may not. My guess now knowing you were on vacation and with the extra food your water chemistry is most likely all out of whack and has become toxic. You ideally want your ammonia levels to be at zero along with nitrate and nitrite. pH usually does not change to much but the decaying food will cause your nitrate to spike and kill fish. The best solution once you confirm with a water test and find out if it is a water chemistry problem can be simply corrected with a water change and good gravel vacuum. Depending on the water chemistry levels of the ammonia, nitrate, nitrite will dictate how much water you should remove from your tank. Best of luck and happy fish keeping.