Another Cloudy Water Issue

[oneblondebrow]

Hi all,

My Juwel rio 180 has been really cloudy for the last 3 weeks, I have done some large 60 - 70% water changes which clears the water up for a day or 2 but then it gets progressively worse, The water seems to be a cloudy green, Anyone any idea's what else i can do?

Ammonia and NItrIte are 0 and Nitrate is never over 40ppm before water change, I also hoover the bottom when doing water changes and change the white sponge on the top of the filter using pond wool. I have a black sand substrate, medium planting with 2 bits of bogwood with amazon sword attached to them, I also have a terrecotta pot.

I have also been looking at some sort of water clarifier but was wondering if i would just be masking and issue and would this even work?

 

[walkers101]

did you let the bogwood soak? and did you wash the sand?

 

[oneblondebrow]

I washed the sand but didnt let the bogwood soak as it was submerged in my local fish shop, Also the tank has been running and cycled for about 8 weeks now and this problem only seems to be now, Is it worth me removing the bogwood on the next water change to see if this is causing it?

 

[meguro]

when u say that u "change the white sponge on the top of the filter" is that the entirety of ur filter media or is there other stuff as well?

are u sure its not java fern thats attached to ur wood?

if theres a green tinge to the cloud then it sounds like it might be diatoms
http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm
scroll down a bit to "green water"

 

[drobbyb]

Sounds as if you have green water. Water changes will do little to help the problem. Generally, green water is the result of ammonia in your tank water and bright lights or exposure to sunlight. Your test kit shows zero ammonia, but that is not entirely accurate. There is always the presence of ammonia in a tank that contains an ammonia source, like fish, but it is not always detectable by our test kits.

Since you can't totally remove the ammonia, we need to look at the other main cause. Does your tank get any direct sunlight? Do you have bright lights or leave your tank lights on for long periods of time?

There are a few methods to clear green water. You can purchase an UV sterilizer to kill the algae, clearing your water, but this can be expensive for some. My favorite method is the blackout method. This method does not cost anything and is just as effective as the sterilizer. What you want to do is perform a large water change, as large as practically possible, turn off your tank's lighting, and wrap your tank with a thick blanket or other material to totally block out light. Leave the lights off and the light completely blocked out for a period of 3 days. Do not feed your fish during this time. After 3 days, perform another large water change to remove the now dead algae. Don't worry, your fish and plants will be fine.

 

[waterdrop]

I can add that I believe the method Robby has written up has been advised by the planted section and other subforums on TFF and that any number of members have had success with it. WD