Green Water Due To Light Bulb?

[celaeno]

i'm wondering if my green water problem is due to the single 10w bulb i have in my 10 gallon tank. here's the link to the product page:

http/www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36...t5050lamp10watt

if so, what kind of bulb should i get instead?

 

[Lateral Line]

Green water is caused by a number of things, availibility of nutrients, and light being the two chief ones. That lamp is quite unsuitable for a freshwater tank, both 10,000K and Actinic light are marine lamps. You will be better off with a cooler lamp, something between 4500K and 6700K.

That said, if you have excessive nutrients in your tank, you will still grow algae.

 

[celaeno]

my nitrates are only 7.5ppm, so i don't thing i have excess nutrients.

 

[Lateral Line]

No, the algae is using it all!

Joking aside, there are people that use algae tanks as nitrate scrubbers, and very efficient they can be as well. In many places, the tapwater has more nitrate then your tank, it may be interesting to test your tapwater and see if you are seeing "de-nitration" in action, albeit in a somewhat sub-optimal location!

 

[celaeno]

That lamp is quite unsuitable for a freshwater tank, both 10,000K and Actinic light are marine lamps. You will be better off with a cooler lamp, something between 4500K and 6700K.

can you link me to a few suitable lamps please? (they have to be screw in and fit a 20" incandescent hood)