Expert advice needed on cleaning....

[Spiderman]

Two questions when cleaning the tank:

1. Plastic plants accumulate (brownish) gunk - I don't know whether these are beneficial - should I clean them, and if so, how often?

2. Is there a good (online) reference on algae growth (or other types of growth) on live rock? How do I know if there's an "outbreak", and how do I address each type?

Thanks!

 

[seaham358]

How long has the tank been running? I see you have LR also so I would not worry about cleaning the plants there will be plenty of bacteria on the LR.
Algae I know of no online site I would try a google and see what hits.
If you post a pic I'm sure someone on this site can answer your questions.
If you have a outbreak you will know it...... It will take over your tank covering the LR and certian algaes will be on the sand bed. Most algaes feed off of excess nutrients in your tank. These can come from using tap water, over feeding things of this nature. Depending on what algae you have would determine what course you need to take to get rid of it.

 

[Mercury64]

You can clean the glass and plaints as much as you want to keep your tank nice looking ,leave the rock alone