Green Water And Uv Filters?

[kevinjames]

ive had an ongoing green water problem 4 a while now and looking @ the different solutions i think im going 2 try a uv filter.

My questions are:

Do they actually work?

With me having good filtration already will i b ok with a filter a bit smaller than the capacity of my tank? Ie instead of a filter 4 a 240l tank, a filter 4 150l max?

Any help will b appreciated.

 

[Curiosity101]

What else have you tried so far to clear the green water?

What are your water stats? And what test kit are you using?

What size is the tank, what stock is in it?

What filter do you have on the tank? Is it cycled, and if it is how long has it been cycled?

 

[drobbyb]

Yes a UV sterilizer will work. If greenwater is a recurring probem then something, possibly sunlight or free ammonia, is to blame.

 

[Curiosity101]

Yes a UV sterilizer will work. If greenwater is a recurring probem then something, possibly sunlight or free ammonia, is to blame.

^^ Thing is both of those things can be fixed (unless it is too much sunlight AND it's a planted tank that's facing head on into a window)
Too much sun in a non planted tank is easily fixed (without removing the sun)
And free ammonia means a problem with the filtration which could possibly be damaging the fish.

 

[kevinjames]

Yes a UV sterilizer will work. If greenwater is a recurring probem then something, possibly sunlight or free ammonia, is to blame.

^^ Thing is both of those things can be fixed (unless it is too much sunlight AND it's a planted tank that's facing head on into a window)
Too much sun in a non planted tank is easily fixed (without removing the sun)
And free ammonia means a problem with the filtration which could possibly be damaging the fish.

Its a sunlight problem definately, ammonia is never higher than.25ppm and nitrite is 0, although nitrate is high. I fixed it b4 by limiting light and food then big water changes but it came back.
As im sure its cos of sunlight ill try the uv filter.
My main question is can i buy a smaller filter because i already hav a big filter?

 

[Curiosity101]

It's because of the ammonia. Anything above 0 ammonia can trigger green water. Could you please address the questions I gave you? Apart from anything else, prolonged exposure to levels above 0ppm will cause harm to your fish.

 

[aaronnorth]

A cheaper method that you might want to try first:

80% water change
3 day blackout (cover tank up so no light enters, stop feeding too)
80% water change and that will clear it.

this works 95% of the time. If it returns then it is usually an ammonia spike

keep filters & tank clean of debris
dont disturb substrate
dont overfeed
if you are overstocked then think about cutting down on stocking levels

 

[kevinjames]

It's because of the ammonia. Anything above 0 ammonia can trigger green water. Could you please address the questions I gave you? Apart from anything else, prolonged exposure to levels above 0ppm will cause harm to your fish.

What questions do u wnt 2 know?

 

[bitteraspects]

UV filters are a great addition to your aquarium. Besides green water/ algae, they also combat bacteria and disease.
I would not suggest getting one rated for a smaller tank. I won't work properly.
I run UV sterilizers on a few of my tanks, and they're awesome.

 

[kevinjames]

UV filters are a great addition to your aquarium. Besides green water/ algae, they also combat bacteria and disease.
I would not suggest getting one rated for a smaller tank. I won't work properly.
I run UV sterilizers on a few of my tanks, and they're awesome.

so u recommend using a uv filter for a 240l capacity aswell as my external filter?

my thoughts were that because my main filter would be dealing with most the filtration a smaller uv filter would be perfectly adequate. am i wrong???

 

[Curiosity101]

Seriously there are cheaper easier ways to sort out the problem!! There is ammonia present in your water...this is the problem. You don't need UV.

Please answer the following....
What else have you tried so far to clear the green water?

What are your water stats? And what test kit are you using?

What size is the tank, what stock is in it?

What filter do you have on the tank? Is it cycled, and if it is how long has it been cycled?

 

[ALW]

UV filters are a great addition to your aquarium. Besides green water/ algae, they also combat bacteria and disease.
I would not suggest getting one rated for a smaller tank. I won't work properly.
I run UV sterilizers on a few of my tanks, and they're awesome.

Although they reduce the natural resistance that the fish have, and so they then have weak immune systems and become dependent on the UV to combat infections.

 

[bitteraspects]

Yes, you are wrong.
The filter and the UV sterilizer perform two entirely different functions. The UV is not a "filter" in the same sense as your external (or whatever kind of filter you're using). The UV in itself, does not physically remove anything from the water, but rather exposes floating spores, bacteria, parasites, etc, to the UV light stunting and killing them.
if your UV sterilizer is not rated AT LEAST to the size of your tank, it will not work properly.

Generally I use the Turbo Twist model on my tanks (6x, 9x, 16x), but I also have the tetra pond mini (5w) on one of my tanks, and it seems to work ok. I prefer the Turbo Twist though.

 

[kevinjames]

Seriously there are cheaper easier ways to sort out the problem!! There is ammonia present in your water...this is the problem. You don't need UV.

Please answer the following....
What else have you tried so far to clear the green water?

What are your water stats? And what test kit are you using?

What size is the tank, what stock is in it?

What filter do you have on the tank? Is it cycled, and if it is how long has it been cycled?

The tank is 240litres, it has a fluval 305 external filter. It was cycled 2+ years ago. It is stocked with a sailfin plec, gold gourami, 6 congo tetras, 1 cherry barb, 2 panda and 2 albino corys. It has only a few plants including bogwood with java on, 2 moss balls, some pond weed stuff (temp for now tn help bring the nitrate down).

My test results are ammonia less than 0.25ppm, nitrite 0, nitrate 80.

This is the 3rd time having this problem and the other times i sorted it by keeping the light 2 a minimum and blacking out the tank with frequent water changes.
Ive come 2 the conclusion that the position its in, it gets sunlight @ certain times of the year. Therefore i think if i buy a uv steriliser and just use it when the problem arrises.
Do u have any other suggestions?

 

[Curiosity101]

I reckon the problem is partly with the stocking, filtration and water change routine.

Stocking...are you aware of how huge sailfins grow? It may not be a problem now, but it really will easily outgrow a 240l tank, on top of that it will produce MASSES of waste in proportion to it's size.

If your tank has been cycled for 2+ years and you're still showing ammonia then your filter isn't coping. You need to either upgrade it or simply add a second one. This will remove the issue of ammonia and frankly could sort your problem out straight away.

Water change routine... your nitrates shouldn't be getting to 80ppm, depending on what comes out of your tap (the max normally being 20ppm), your tank shouldn't be reaching more than 40ppm imbetween changes. If it is reaching 40ppm (or in this case much more!) then you really need to address either your stocking, you water change routine (how much and how often). Also nitrate can also act as a nutrient to algae...high nitrates mean extra food.

What sort of water changes and how often are you doing them at the moment? And are you making sure any leftover food is removed?

I agree that as it is seemingly a yearly thing, then it is likely to be do with sunlight triggering the green water. BUT, only due to the factors listed above. Sunlight hits my tank at this time of year aswell...however I don't have green water, and I never have (not due to sunlight alone anyways). When I switched over to my new tank I had a small ammonia spike as my tank went through a mini cycle. The water went green overnight, but cleared as soon as the spike passed.

There are lots of reasons to avoid using a UV light (once the excess nutrient problem is sorted). Some of which are that it leads to fish have lowered immune systems, and that it's quite expensive (both to buy and run), when you can easily address the problem in otherways.
For example, at this time of year daylight doesn't last all that long (presuming you're uk based?), you could simply drape a blanket over the tank during the daytime and remove it at night?
Or set up a partition/blind in the room? Or pull one of the curtains along so it shades the tank.

Though to be honest, unless the tank is in FULL daylight near enough all day, the problem should go as soon as the excess nutrients do.