HELP! MY WATER!

[FishHobbyist1564]

Something TERRIBLE happened and i dont know what went wrong!
My fish tank was always nice and clean until a week ago. The water started to get foggy, so i vaccumed all of the waste out of the tank and did a water change. I also bought a new, and better filter. The water started to get better. Then I went on a vacation for three days and when i came back (Today) the water was a dark green and you cannot see a single fish or an object in there! I need help! i dont want my fish to die!!!!

 

[tttnjfttt]

Ok, first of all, stop panicking, it won't do any good. Do you have a water test kit, if so, can you post your results (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH). How big is your tank, what fish are in there?

The green water is most likely an alge bloom, cause by high nitrates and too much light. Go ahead and leave your lights off. My guess is whoever was watching your fish overfed them, causing the high nitrates and lots of extra nutrients for the algae to feed off of. Go ahead and give them a call, and ask for how much they fed them, how long they left the lights on, etc. A UV steralizer will get rid of this very quickly, but are very expensive. I'm not sure how good the

How are your fish behaving? Are they active, are they gasping or hanging out at the surface, do they look pale or stressed?

Right now, make your key concern your fish's safety, not how the tank looks. When my tank had a bacterial bloom (milky, cloudy color), I couldn't see 5" in the tank, but the fish were fine.

 

[IMCL85]

Pretty sure that was algae boom. You should not feed ur fish too much and do a 50 percent water change asap. Also you can toss a little pleco down to help u out on cleaning up the algae they r awesome algae eater . Every Community tank should have a little one on helping get the algae away. Well thats the natural and cheap way to clean up or u can try to add some chamical from LFS or even a uv sterilizer which pretty expansive.

 

[FishHobbyist1564]

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to do a water change right away. They are near a window that the sun rises near. I will keep their fish tank light off until it gets dark out. I'll test the water and tell you the results. Thanks again!

 

[tttnjfttt]

Pretty sure that was algae boom. You should not feed ur fish too much and do a 50 percent water change asap. Also you can toss a little pleco down to help u out on cleaning up the algae they r awesome algae eater . Every Community tank should have a little one on helping get the algae away. Well thats the natural and cheap way to clean up or u can try to add some chamical from LFS or even a uv sterilizer which pretty expansive.

Please do not do a 50% water change, as the dramatic change in the nitrate can be more harmful to your fish. The most water you should ever remove is 25% at one time. There are a few exceptions to this, mainly if something gets into your tank that WILL kill your fish, but you are definately not in that situation

Also, adding a "small" pleco is also really bad advice, unless your tank is set up to be able to handle them. Plecos are notorious poop machines that will dramatically increase the bioload. Also, they grow to be well over 12", and keeping them in a tank that is too small will cause them to be stunted, lead shorter lives, and be more disease prone. Also, the pleco won't help resolve the green water.

Like I said before, leave the lights off in your tank, or if you want to clear this up quicker, put a blanket over your tank and leave it totally darn for 3-4 days. Don't even worry about feeding your fish, they will survive.

 

[mlee0332]

Do small water changes every other day or so. You also need to move your tank to a place far from a window, and NOT near a/c/heat duct work. Do not add an algaecide!!! Those can poison your fish if you add the slightest bit too much, but if you use rcommended doses, they will not work. So its a lose-lose situation with algaecides.

No more than 20% water changes, maybe a 25%, but not too big of one, Unless you re-acclimatize them. By that I mean before doing the water change, bag them all separately and float them like you would if you just bought them.
But that is REALLY stressful for both you and the fish.

Hth.

 

[FishHobbyist1564]

Thanks... that sounds a lot safer!!! Ill cover the tank and see the results. And in while it is covered, i'll buy a testing kit. My algae, nitrite, and PH testing kit ran out.

 

[tttnjfttt]

Also make sure you get an ammonia and nitrate kit. Those two are the most important to have. I have found some chain stores will match prices, even from online places. So search around on http/www.bigalsonline.com, i've found some good ones there. I managed to replace my master test kit yesterday for $13.

 

[FishHobbyist1564]

Great Thanks for the website. I have a blanket on the tank now. I hope it gets better!

 

[FishHobbyist1564]

would it be better to keep a fish in a separate, clean bowl, or in the dirty green tank?

 

[tttnjfttt]

The fish will not be bothered by the darkness, so don't move them on those grounds. If they are acting stressed out (being lethargic, pale in color, schooling fish schooling very tight, hanging around the surface, etc.), then post back, but they should be fine.

 

[FishHobbyist1564]

Of all the days, my guppy has babies when the water is green and i cant find them. I saved one, and i hope it will survive. Also, i hope the others survive in the big tank until the water clears up and i can find them and save them.

 

[FishHobbyist1564]

HEY GUESS WHAT! I bought this "Algae Away" and within an hour, my tank was the clearest it has been since I got the tank! You guys were right, it was an algae bloom. Well thanks for the help all of you!