Greenest Water In The World

[smurfyy_2k3]

my brother in law has a trigon tank with the standard filter they give out with it, he has let the tank get in such a state that you cannot see an inch into the tank, hes already done a 80%
water change and it didnt help... so me being me offered to go round and clean it up for him the water is totally green and i dont know where top start. so heres my question. what oh what do i do, i already have a plan to empty it of fish into a spare tank he has and drain the tank totally he can have some of my filter media to get it going again. i will scrub every thing including the filter so any ideas of what i should do? oh and the spare isnt big enough to leave the fish in more than a few hours.

 

[kribensis12]

WHta size is the tank? Dont srub the filter media or you will have to let the tank cycle again! I would clean the whole tank with a algea sponge scrubber. Then go to the lfs and buy a algea killer. Then ask them about the rest but green water usually means a huge algea bloom.

 

[smurfyy_2k3]

thats why i said he can have mine to start it up again
im not up for putting chemical's into his tank so ill just use elbow grease

 

[Yetti]

Get a UV sterilizer, and ofcourse scrub anything you can, maybe get some shrimp .

 

[Underwurlde]

^^^ 'tis the easiest thing you can do:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=169325

 

[my fat fish]

woah that link shows some good stuff i may see if i can pick 1 of these uv thinsg up cheap just in case

 

[my fat fish]

just brought myself 1
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=290076498433
dont think i got 2 bad a deal here what ya think?

 

[jasonskillz]

not bad i suppose
i always recommend having a UV, no algae nor bacteria
muhahahaha

 

[smurfyy_2k3]

yeah but as other members have said thats just covering the problem, not solving it

 

[Underwurlde]

True....

but the problem will be down to something like an immature tank or too much lighting combined with not enough / unstable CO2 / not enough planting / fert dosing....

blah blah blah

Andy

 

[my fat fish]

dosent the uv light also help with controlling desiese in the tank

 

[Underwurlde]

Yes: Both desiese and would you believe it, disease!

Andy

 

[smmetz]

Here is my brief clear water guide:

1. Do not place the tank where direct sunlight will shine on it.
2. Do not over-feed your fish. They will be fine with 1-2 feedings per day. The food should be all gone in 2-3 minutes.
3. Do not put too many fish in your tank. If unsure, the rule of thumb for small freshwater fish is 1 inch of fish per gallon of water maximum.
4. Do not leave your tank light on too much. For best results, get a timer for $5, and set the light to come on for 4-5 hours in morning, off for at least a couple hours, and 4-5 hours on in the evening. Algae needs light for a few hours to start photosynthesis, while other plants in your tank start using light right away. This lighting schedule takes advantage of that.
5. Maintain your tank. I recommend taking out 15-20% of the water weekly, and adding new water. Vacuum your gravel while taking water out. Treat the new water so it does not contain chlorine.
6. Try adding live plants to your tank. They will compete with algae for nutrients, reducing the algae in the tank.
7. You can manually clean algae from the walls and surfaces in your tank. The glass walls should only need a wipe every couple weeks in a healthy tank. Some fish eat algae on surfaces, which could eliminate this task altogether. Beware, these fish will not help with green water. They may in fact contribute to that problem due to the waste the fish produce, which feeds algae.
8. If all above steps don't clear your water within a couple weeks, you may consider buying a UV filter. This will kill all free floating bacteria and algae.

 

[annka5]

I've a UV sterilizer and it's great - I get green water occasionally and it totally clears it. It's a lot easier than figuring out the cause, as the cause can be pretty subtle - e.g. Co2 levels, iron, other trace mineral....

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah if he's let it get in this state it seems he's not gonna want a long complicated battle with it trying to work out the cause.

i may be wrong of course in which case direct him to the pinned topics in the plant forum about EI etc.

while a UV steriliser doesn't address the root of the problem it's a low maintenance solution.