Advice Please

[smmetz]

My 55 gallon tank has a green water problem. My 29 had the same problem, until I moved it. The 29 gallon is now crystal clear, and the 55 gallon was set up in the same place my 29 gallon used to be. This spot gets about 20 minutes of direct sun in 1 small corner of the tank as the sun is setting. (unless we remember to close the blinds) Do you think this small amout of sunlight is a significant contrubutor to the green water algae problem of mine?


Secondly, I was looking into nitrate removing products. Most seem to remove amonia, nitrite, and nitrate - but I don't want that. I want the good bacteria to take care of amonia and nitrites - which they are. This is one of the very few products that claim to remove only nitrates. Does anyone have any experience with it? (or other nitrate only removing products?)

http/www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...=1&N=2004&Nty=1

Also, since I know questions about water stats are coming, so here is my complete history on this tank, which was recently set up and cloned with media from my other 2 tanks.

 

[jpedersen024]

The sunlight is probably a very big contributor, even though it doesn't seem like much. You didn't mention what type of lighting and wattage you have on the tank as well? How many hours are you leaving it on?

Might want to consider lighting it only at night (when you want to see the fish) for a week. It looks like it's not planted (from your sig), so it can't hurt.

I'd try anything before adding chemicals.... but that's me..

 

[Nevergone815]

most chemeicals don't remove anything. what they do is detoxify them. i really don't trust them as i used them before and they didn't work and my tank was all screwed up.

i agree with java on this one. resort to finding out the source of the problem before resulting in maybe the use of chemicals. the algae can be taken care of by natural means without the use of chemicals and the ammonia will go down with water changes. this is the best way to deal with those problems. (IMO)

 

[smmetz]

My lighting is pretty minimal - 2 24" tubes that came with the kit, they are each 19 watts I think - so under 1 wpg. Yes, the tank is unplanted. I'm just trying my luck with plants in my 10 gallon, not ready to heavily plant my tanks right now -don't have the money for expensive hoods and bulbs.

I was only looking into nitrate removing products in the hope that no nitrates would mean no food for algae - then no algae. I already have a phosphate removing product in that filter media for the same reason. The tank lights do get left on for quite a while some days, so I'll try reducing their time and getting my family to close those blinds in the evening.

 

[Nevergone815]

The tank lights do get left on for quite a while some days, so I'll try reducing their time and getting my family to close those blinds in the evening.

try that method for a while and see how it works. if you need to, like have no other choice, get something that "locks" the nitrates. you will still need to do water changes to remove it, but it should keep the algae from being able to use it because it is bound into a new harmless compound. so the algae should disappear. but i'm no expert at that problem.