Greeny/brown water

[Lindsay]

I seem to be suffering with a kind of greeny-brown water in my fish tank. I am not sure but I think it may have something to do with my other topic on here REALLY HIGH AMMONIA. I don't know if it is the ammonia levels that is causing this but I would appreciate knowing how to get rid of it.

Please help my fish are really beginning to hate me. :but:

 

[adeyc]

If you've tested your nitrite levels these will be high as well. sounds like and algae bloom thats common in a new tank set up. if the tank gets direct sunlight move it,
how long is the tank light on for? reduce the time it's on, feed the fish less, Most of the advice given to reduce your levels will apply to the algae problem.
You could also swish a fine net(fry/brineshrimp net) about the water to collect some of the algae.

 

[Lindsay]

My nitrate and nitrite levels are both next to nothing and my tank isn't in direct sunlight. I have the lights on in the tank for about 10 hours a day. I only feed the fish about every 2nd day and even then I don't feed them alot. i just can't figure out what the problem is or how to fix it.

 

[adeyc]

Time for a rethink then. usualy you get an algae bloom with excesive nitrates. it may be an idea to reduce the tank light to about 8 hours a day. How many live plants do you have in the tank? if it's only a couple or non. it may be an idea to leave the light off for a few days or drasticly reduce it's ussage. does the water smell at all?

 

[Lindsay]

I currently have 3 plants in the tank, one of which is really big and takes up quite a chunk of the back of the tank. The water also has a terrible smell.

 

[adeyc]

if the smell is musty/ fishy it's the nitrites in the water that are causing it. if it's a smell that "bites your nose" or cats pee it's ammonia. cut down on the lighting and continue with the water changes. it may be an idea to test the water again if you haven't done so recently. If it's a bad egg smell I'll get back to you. Anna posted something about this so I'll go and have a look for it.

 

[Alien Anna]

Sounds like blue-green "algae", which isn't a true algae at all but a special kind of bacterial infection of your water. It usually produces kind of slimy "strings" in the water and covers everything. Have a look at the descriptions on The Krib website.

If it is BGA, you will need to treat it with an antibiotic treatment specifically for BGA (I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head but it's not ordinary algae treatment). Also, cover your tank in dark paper or a dark cloth and turn the lights out for a couple of days. Your plants will just go dormant and your fish might be a bit sleepy, but it shouldn't hurt anyone. BGA needs a lot of light to survive.

If your filter is struggling, think about putting a temporary 2nd filter in the tank - maybe a sponge filter attached to an air-pump. This should help shift the dying BGA out of your water (it will clog your filter up something terrible, I warn you).

Keep a close eye on your water parameters, especially nitrite and nitrate and once the BGA starts dying back, start a regime of very frequent partial water changes.

I recently helped a friend with a BGA problem in her goldfish tank and it was surprising how quickly the problem resolved itself once we'd correctly diagnosed it. The fish were absolutely fine.

Oh, and if you use BGA treatment, do keep an eye on your nitrite and ammonia levels, due to the risk of it killing off beneficially bacteria.

 

[Alien Anna]

Re: "Bad egg smell"

That would be sulphur dioxide, which is a byproduct of anaerobic bacterial growth (i.e. "without oxygen"). However, it is most common in very old tanks where rocks or bogwood have been sitting on the substrate undisturbed for a couple of years, or under dying plants. Occasionally, you can get it in filters if they are clogged and not properly oxygenating the bacteria.

I think sulphur dioxide is unlikely in a new tank, unless she's recently added some mangy old plants or a piece of bogwood that wasn't properly cleaned.

 

[Lindsay]

I don't appear to have slimy stringy stuff anywhere in the tank. The water just smells and it a greeny-brown kind of colour.

 

[adeyc]

Thanks anna. saves me trying to find the article. I new it was brimstone but couldn't remember how. yep. it's unlikely to be that.
You know I never thought of BGA.

 

[Rose]

Read this article on Algae

 

[Lindsay]

I have been doing regular water changes and yet my water still seems to be brown when it is in the bucket. I have been keeping the light off(had it off for 24 hours yesterday), and my ammonia is still sky high as well. I am getting desperate, my fish are dying.

Please Help!



:what:

 

[adeyc]

Do you mean the new water in the bucket is brown before you add it to the tank? Have you tested the water from your tap yet. if the water is coming out of the tap brown. it means the water board has been working some where nearby. When they do that they add extra Chloramines etc to the water to kill off any beasties in the water.
What to do is leave the water for a minumun fo 14 hours before you add it to the tank, add tap conditioner/de chlorinater. Still a good idea to get the tap stuff checked. If you can airiate the buckets as this will speed up the evaporation of chlorines.

 

[Macquatic]

Lindsay, get a product called Ammo-Lock from your lfs urgently. This stuff neutralises ammonia instantly and will stop your fish from dying. It will still give a positive reading from your test kit until your filter deals with it. Follow the instructions carefully. This is a first class product imho and I always have some handy. Your water sounds like it's dirty coming out of the tap, if you can use an air fed box filter filled with floss, this will clean out the suspended particles. 8)  Mac.

 

[Lindsay]

Sorry didn't mean the water was brown coming out of the tap I meant it was brown when I put in the bucket from the tank when I am changing the water. I already use Ammo lock at it doesn't seem to be doing much. I tried putting my skimmer through the water in my tank to see if I could get anything out of it(ie algae) and nothing came out in the net. Does this mean that it could be something other than BGA?