Green Water... Mini Cycle. Can I Do Anything?

[Jeff000]

Sorry I dont know where to put this.

Two days ago I used a med that caused a mini cycle to start.
and a week befor that I added a good amount of plants, so I also added fertalizers, liquid and plug type under their roots.

I also put in a peice of bog wood, at hte same time as the plants, that I didnt let soak for a few days like I had with my other bogwood.
So this turned my water a brownish musky color, but I knew that would happen, and it kinda looked nice.

Last night I did a 20% water change, and today at lunch I went to check on them and the water is a good tint of green.

I cant tell if its on everything, or just in the water, but it seems odd to me that it would happen, I am worried that its going to kill my sword plants more then it just being green.


Should i worry? is there anything I can do?

 

[kev_kb]

Sorry I've no idea if you should be worried, but if you want to remove the medication use carbon filtration and plenty of daily water changes. Maybe try to find out more about the medication, or find one that doesn't harm filter bacteria.

 

[The-Wolf]

I also added fertalizers, liquid and plug type under their roots.

this has fed the algae particles in your tank, leading to an algea bloom (green water)
I would say that your courses of action are.

many partial water changes over the next 7-10days, thus diluting the fertalisers
and starving the algea.

48hr total blackout. wrap the tank in a blanket so that no light can get to it,
turn off tank lights. no feeding, peaking etc for the entire 48hr period.

or go down the chemcal route and add something that will kill the algae,
interpet green away will do the job.

 

[Jeff000]

Damn thats what I figured, I can see it kinda on my glass and stuff too.

Will this black out effect my swords? They are aleady browning a bit from the freash planting.

I added a conaster filter last night too (trying to get away from the hanging one) so it will be double filtered for a couple weeks. Will that be enough with a small water change every day?

 

[zig]

Ammonium or NH4 being produced by the mini cycle has caused the green water, ammonia spikes, even small ones are nearly allways the cause of green water.

Your best course of action is a 2-3 day blackout as allready suggested, this should clear it up as long as you correct what origionally caused it.

Your swords and other plants will be fine during the blackout, dont forget swords are heavy root feeders and will require some root tabs after the blackout, bury the root tabs into your gravel around or under the sword plants and try not to disturb them too much thereafter.

 

[Milkshake_]

To tell what is acuratly happening I think you may need to get the colouring out of the water, I used purogen to get rid of it over night and it may help your algea problems to. I had the green water problem 2 weeks ago, none of the decore or glass was green just the water. I did about 4 50% water changes along with a parshal black out (I still fed my fish and since it is farly dark where I have my tank I ddint cover it with a blanket. Then I used an algae remover tap and it didnt harm my plants but I think I was lucky. I also put a phosphate remover into my filter to starve the algae. After all of this all of the algae was gone exept a mini-cycle did occure after for 3 days, the water got a bactera bloom and that was it, it is now very clean again and no sign of algae.

 

[Jeff000]

Ok I have the root tab things already and they say they are good for a month.
and only been in a few days. The swords have only been in the tank for a week now.

I am going to turn off the lights when I go home after work. and will leave them off for the weekend. along with a water change.

 

[zig]

Ok I have the root tab things already and they say they are good for a month.
and only been in a few days. The swords have only been in the tank for a week now.

I am going to turn off the lights when I go home after work. and will leave them off for the weekend. along with a water change.

a blackout means you cover the tank until its totally blacked out, just switching off the lights wont work with green water.

 

[Jeff000]

Ok I have the root tab things already and they say they are good for a month.
and only been in a few days. The swords have only been in the tank for a week now.

I am going to turn off the lights when I go home after work. and will leave them off for the weekend. along with a water change.

a blackout means you cover the tank until its totally blacked out, just switching off the lights wont work with green water.

I dont really have anything to cover the tank with. not to give a 100% black out, the best I could do is put a couple towels over it. but they let a bit of light in.
The only light in the room is from halogen lights if that makes a difference.

 

[Jeff000]

Black plastic garbage bags should work. And tape. Lots and lots of tape.

We use blue transparent garbage bags, lol

I think i have a couple boxes that I can cut up and tape up to cover it though.

 

[trace1]

hi
i had the same problem a while back with the green water, i couldn't even see my fish it was that bad lol
i tried the extra water changes with no effect so i got a uv sterilizer & that has work a treat. water is now totally clear, so that maybe an option as well. mine cost me £60 if that helps. it did take a couple of days to clear it but its worked wonders

 

[Jeff000]

hi
i had the same problem a while back with the green water, i couldn't even see my fish it was that bad lol
i tried the extra water changes with no effect so i got a uv sterilizer & that has work a treat. water is now totally clear, so that maybe an option as well. mine cost me £60 if that helps. it did take a couple of days to clear it but its worked wonders

that sounds interesting, what else does the UV thing do? and how does it work?

 

[trace1]

hi
i had the same problem a while back with the green water, i couldn't even see my fish it was that bad lol
i tried the extra water changes with no effect so i got a uv sterilizer & that has work a treat. water is now totally clear, so that maybe an option as well. mine cost me £60 if that helps. it did take a couple of days to clear it but its worked wonders

that sounds interesting, what else does the UV thing do? and how does it work?

hi not sure how true it is but i have heard that it is also supossed to help with deseases in the tank, getting the uv was a last attempt to clearing the tank, it the 240 litre that had the problem, i have alsorts in it but i couldn't see them, i couldn't even see the bog wood it was that bad.

 

[Jeff000]

Its hard to get any info on UV sterilizers for some reason.
Do they splice into the hose from the filter or something?

is it a safe alternative to carbon that wont strip out the good stuff too?



Mine isnt near as bad as yours, its just like a tint in the water, when I put a little water in a clear container its green, but pretty light still, and there is a bit of brown in it from the newest peice of bogwood.
There is also algea on the glass, just a little bit though.

 

[trace1]

Its hard to get any info on UV sterilizers for some reason.
Do they splice into the hose from the filter or something?

is it a safe alternative to carbon that wont strip out the good stuff too?



Mine isnt near as bad as yours, its just like a tint in the water, when I put a little water in a clear container its green, but pretty light still, and there is a bit of brown in it from the newest peice of bogwood.
There is also algea on the glass, just a little bit though.

mine is a submergable 1, so didn't have to mess with any pipes, just plugged it in. its made by a company called fish r fun.
this is the 1 i've got
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/FISH-R-FUN-24-WATT-I...1QQcmdZViewItem