Tank always dirty

[hellzbellz]

ok heres the problem.. i have a 30 gallon freshwtaer tank with 2 live plants... m water is always green, and my filter cartidge needs to be changed in like 4 days, and the filter always gets clogged with this green crap... ive tried everything but nothing works
any advice

 

[vantgE]

what kind of filter do you have and what do you keep in it. Do you have any wood? Do you gravel vac?

Only thing i could suggest are a couple big watter changes

 

[pica_nuttalli]

sounds to me like an algae bloom! do you know your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc)?

 

[Squirrelbuddies]

Is your tank exposed to sunlight? I have to keep the shades shut near one of my tanks to reduce the amount of green algae growth.

 

[annka5]

I agree with the above, and say its an algae problem, too.
If you decrease the light levels of the tank - by excluding direct sunlightt / decreasing time the light is switched on for, that should help.
You could try adding more live plants, as they will take the same nutrients as the algae, thereby helping to reduce the algae problem.

 

[freddyk]

Adding more plants is the best so far, IMO, to control algae.

What filter are you running and what's your stock? It could be as simple as needing more filtration.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Do you have any fish in the tank and how long has it been set up for?

 

[utahfish]

better filtration,dont skimp on the carbon medium. 20% water changes every day for about a week plus more plants. plants only need about 10 hours of light a day but not constant. algea needs a constant supply of light over about ten hours to grow. try turning off the light source after the first 5-8 hours for an hour or two than turn them bac k on so your plants get between 10-12 hours total but the algea doesnt get continuous light. also you could have excess nutrients caused by too much fish waste over feeding too much light. cut down on feeding and light wil cut down on nutrients coupled with the water changes every day and added plants using nutrients will cut down on nutrientsin the tank thus cutting down on algea.

 

[hellzbellz]

hey i have a cheap top fin filter for a 30 gallon. The thing always gets clogged.. anyone know what i should buy for better filtration that wont cost me a ton of $$$??
I also have 2 live plants... im gonna go to the pet store to buy the plants that look like grass and plant a whole bunch so i have a grassy botton.
Im also using silicon for gravel and it sucks to clean
The fish i have in my tank are
2 rainbow sharks
1 angel
2 tiger barbs
3 danios
1 pleco
4 corys

 

[freddyk]

Aquaclears are both extremely cheap and extremely effective.

 

[hellzbellz]

they sell em at petsmart?