Green Tank Water

[alan3513]

Hi, Having trouble with my tank water going green every few days and have been doing frequent water changes to try to clear it, but to no avail.
It's a fluval 125l with a sand subsrate. The plants in the tank are Java Moss, Java Fern, Amazon Swords, Vallisneria Asiatica and Elodea Densa. The plants are growing well and their is very little algae on the plants or on the tank walls.
The only other things in the tank are a piece of Mopani wood, a coconut shell and some crushed coral that helps to raise my previously low PH. My PH is now a steady at 7.0, both Ammonia and Nitrite are 0 and the Nitrate is about 10 (obviously kept low by my frequent water changes).
I also cut down on feeding but this has made no difference.
Anyone help with what is causing this and advise on a suitable solution. I heard that high phosphate could cause this, is this possible and if so how do i remove it. Thanks in advance for any advice, Regards, Alan

 

[twin54]

Hi, Having trouble with my tank water going green every few days and have been doing frequent water changes to try to clear it, but to no avail.
It's a fluval 125l with a sand subsrate. The plants in the tank are Java Moss, Java Fern, Amazon Swords, Vallisneria Asiatica and Elodea Densa. The plants are growing well and their is very little algae on the plants or on the tank walls.
The only other things in the tank are a piece of Mopani wood, a coconut shell and some crushed coral that helps to raise my previously low PH. My PH is now a steady at 7.0, both Ammonia and Nitrite are 0 and the Nitrate is about 10 (obviously kept low by my frequent water changes).
I also cut down on feeding but this has made no difference.
Anyone help with what is causing this and advise on a suitable solution. I heard that high phosphate could cause this, is this possible and if so how do i remove it. Thanks in advance for any advice, Regards, Alan

Hi!

I had the smae problem as you can see here the water was REALLY GREEN!

The way I treated it was

Step 1 : Did a 95% water change! I know its allot but the only way I found to get rid of green water is to overflow the aquarium with fresh non green water
Step 2 : Get a light timer and make sure if it's newly planted your doing 6-8 hours of light MAX!
Step 3: Make sure its not in direct sunlight or anything you do wont really help!
Step 4: Make sure you have enough plants! Plants and algae compeet with one another for nutriemts etc in the water...the more plants you have the less the algae has. As well tehre are some great sites that talk about the chemical warefare plants go at with algae thus one great way to remove algae is just get more plants!
Step 5: Ensure you have a proper kelvin / light range bulb....a bulb with too much blue's in it may make fish look nice but may also give algae the extra bump it needs to grow back fast!

After I did all thoes 5 steps I have had ZERO green water and I'm now on week 3 of crystal clear water!

 

[aaronnorth]

some good advice from twin54, when it is said plants compete for nutrients, it is reffering to ammonia, which along with direct sunlight is often the cause of green water.

the way i reccomend you do it:

80% water change, 3 day blackout, followed by another 80% water change.

And to continue having an algae free tank, 8hrs of light, cut down on feeding (make sure there is no leftovers), keep the filter clean, and the tank clean of detrius & rotting leaves.

 

[NML]

i had this once, it was the worst ever BUT u just do a 50% water change and then buy a small internal filter which has a UV light in it. the UV light destroys all the green colour, u will see a change of colour within few hours, once thats done just do another little water change and your fine. keep the uv filter in the tank until ur tank is crysteal clear again and then its your choice if u want it there or not.

i am 100% sure this will work!

 

[alan3513]

Hi Guys, Thanks for the advice. Aaron-By a blackout do you cover up the glass, and do you feed the fish during this time ?, NML- Any idea where's the best place to get a suitable UV Filter ?, Thanks again guys, Cheers, Alan

 

[aaronnorth]

Hi Guys, Thanks for the advice. Aaron-By a blackout do you cover up the glass, and do you feed the fish during this time ?, NML- Any idea where's the best place to get a suitable UV Filter ?, Thanks again guys, Cheers, Alan

yes, cover it up with bin bags or blankets so that no light enters the tank, no peeking or feeding, stop all nutrients & CO2 then there will be no growth.

I wouldnt get a UV until you have tried this method, it is a last resort and this often works with high success rates

 

[alan3513]

Cheers Aaron, Thanks again, Alan

 

[lljdma06]

the way i reccomend you do it:

80% water change, 3 day blackout, followed by another 80% water change.

And to continue having an algae free tank, 8hrs of light, cut down on feeding (make sure there is no leftovers), keep the filter clean, and the tank clean of detrius & rotting leaves.

No offense, Aaron, and it may just be my own personal opinion and experience with blackouts talking, but... You may kill the algae with a blackout effectively, but you can also risk weakening the plants. Twin 54's method will perhaps take a little longer as there is no blackout, but I personally like this better and this is similar to the method I have used. The reduction of the photo period and the large water changes should be tried first and in most cases will probably be sufficient for most greenwater problems. Blackouts, IMO, should be the last resort and reserved for algae situations in which there is no other option. A healthier plant will consume nutrients more efficiently. IMO, don't punish the plants for you having algae in the tank. It isn't their fault.

I am fine with every other point, though. Just me probably being overly cautious as always.

llj

 

[aaronnorth]

the way i reccomend you do it:

80% water change, 3 day blackout, followed by another 80% water change.

And to continue having an algae free tank, 8hrs of light, cut down on feeding (make sure there is no leftovers), keep the filter clean, and the tank clean of detrius & rotting leaves.

No offense, Aaron, and it may just be my own personal opinion and experience with blackouts talking, but... You may kill the algae with a blackout effectively, but you can also risk weakening the plants. Twin 54's method will perhaps take a little longer as there is no blackout, but I personally like this better and this is similar to the method I have used. The reduction of the photo period and the large water changes should be tried first and in most cases will probably be sufficient for most greenwater problems. Blackouts, IMO, should be the last resort and reserved for algae situations in which there is no other option. A healthier plant will consume nutrients more efficiently. IMO, don't punish the plants for you having algae in the tank. It isn't their fault.

I am fine with every other point, though. Just me probably being overly cautious as always.

llj

The plants will be fine, they always keep reserves of energy in the vacuoles for emergencies, which is why you usually notice a large growth spurt, particularly in stem plants as they use this energy to reach the surface in the hope of finding light.
I recently performed this on a friend's tank and all went well and still is, and that is a low tech tank with a few plants. With slower growth you would expect them to be hit the hardest, unlike in a high tech when everything just grow back in a few days

 

[alan3513]

Aaron Started the three day blackout yesterday as you suggested so here's hoping. Once hopefully remedied you mentioned having lights on for a maximum of eight hours. I have a timer for my lights, should i keep the lights on a solid eight or is it best to have four on then a couple off then back on again for another four (heard someone else say a break during the day can help alleviate algae growth), thanks again for the advice, Alan

 

[aaronnorth]

a siesta period doesnt help IME, and, also considering algae is one of the most adaptable organisms in a tank i doubt i woul make much difference.

 

[RadaR]

a siesta period doesnt help IME

I agree. Folks used to do this to allow the CO2 levels to build up again because back then they didn't have such an efficient way of introducing CO2 and keeping it stable.

 

[alan3513]

Thanks again guys

 

[alan3513]

Hi aaronnorth, Did exactly as you said regarding the three day blackout and water changes. Uncovered the tank on Thursday and today, five days later the tank water is still crystal clear. Thanks for the great advice. Thanks also to everyone else for their input, Cheers, Alan

 

[aaronnorth]

your welcome