My daughter recently started up a goldfish tank, again! We've had one before but had some bad luck, due to bad advice and plain ignorance. We're ready to try again, but we're encountering a problem we didn't before. Major algae! We've got 2 goldfish and and algea eater, but the rocks on the bottom of the tank are covered. It was all over the glass (plexi) and the plants too, but I've managed to clean that off. I have no idea what to do! What are we doing wrong???

You can try a algae killer availible at Petco of Petsmart. Now about the glass, get a magnet algae scraper

Here's a link to a algae killer. Paste it to you address bar.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...D=1106021319796

And an algae scraper

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...D=1106021475455

Thanks. I bought an algae scraper. That's how I got it off the glass. Now, stupid question........ will an algae killer hurt my algae eater? Will he starve? How often do I have to put this in the tank?

Hmm good question. I myself have an algae eater, but I feed it Hikari algae wafers. If you don't want to spend money you can leave the back and the sides of the aquariam covered with algae that way your algae can get his food.

before you try the algae killer, what about a hefty water change and adding some fast growing live plants?

I had some serious problems with algae in my 30 gallon tank, and once I put some live plants in, the algae couldn't compete with the plants, and it died off fairly quickly, with the help of a few good water changes. I had already tried just the water changes and an algae killer, and it just kept coming back. Maybe if you try something like anacharis, you might be able to stop the algae in it's tracks.

Good luck!