Tank Water Going Green

[hoppy82]

Hello all,

this is my first post, and as such I apologise if I am being just completely stupid. My tank water is starting to go green and cloudy - along with my white gravel (my wife made me buy white gravel), which looks as though it is starting to grow algae all over it.

I have a 4ft tank running a Fluval 4 filter. I have been doing regular water changes i.e. once a week of about 20% each time.

There are 17 small fish and 3 snails and my tank has been running for about 12 weeks now.

I have cleaned the filter sponges out (one first then the other a week later).

The plants I have are plastic fantastic.

It seemed to start when I added some bog wood - which sent the water green. Little did I realise that when it said soak first, it meant for a couple of weeks! So I've removed that now and have been leaving it in a bucket of water. But since then the water has been really green and cloudy. After I do a water change it seems to be fine, but then in the next few days it seems to get worse again.

This leaves me to thinking of a couple of things - how fast should I have my filter running? So fast as there's a current running through my tank? Or just enough so I can feel that there's some coming out of it?

How often do the filter sponges need changing?

Have I got too many fish? (please say no I love them all)

Or this is all normal and I'm worrying too much?

Many thanks

 

[Chri$]

The filter sponges don't need changing that often. The manual probably says change every three months,but then it would as they want you to buy more products . When you clean the filter sponges do you rinse them in aquiarium water?

 

[hoppy82]

The first one I didn't like a fool. The second one which I did this week I did in the aqaurium water that I took out.

Does that make a big difference?

 

[Chri$]

If you wash a sponge in tap water the chlorine kills the 'good bacteria' in the sponge which would then cause problems. By rinsing in aquarium water (which should be dechlorinated) that you have siphoned from the tank does not kill the benificial bacteria.

 

[zop23]

If you wash a sponge in tap water the chlorine kills the 'good bacteria' in the sponge which would then cause problems. By rinsing in aquarium water (which should be dechlorinated) that you have siphoned from the tank does not kill the benificial bacteria.

hey im new to fish keeping but i set up my tank last week brand new and it went a green algea colour! i also had bog wood? but i changed my stones and now all is fine so.....? have you taken a sample of you water in a glass container and held it to the light?

 

[hoppy82]

Thanks for explaining about the filter sponges


My local fish store owner suggested that the green is probably algae and that having some real plant would probably help. I've put a couple in now so I'll see how it gets on.

 

[Chri$]

No probs.
Have a look here for algae removing stuff www.aquatics-online.co.uk

 

[tacsneB]

Hi we had this prob and we had a small amount of coloured stones in two courners which changed the colour of the water we removed all the coloured stone and done 50% water change. It seemed to be ok after that. Also over feeding makes the water go cloudy.
Hope this helps