The excess of silver iodine and silver bromide are stabilized by the fixing bath.
2.
These treatments remove much of the carried-over alkaline developer, and the acid, when used, neutralizes the alkalinity to reduce the contamination of the fixing bath with the developer.
3.
Silver stain is a common problem in roller transporter processors, since the material ( usually paper ) is pinched between squeegee rollers to remove excess developer and brought into the fixing bath without intermediate rinse or stop.