Water Colour

[sassie b]

Hi everyone.

This is my first post and I'd appreciate your advice. My 54l tank has been set up for 3 weeks now and have slowly added my fish over the last 2 weeks. The water has turned a green colour. Is that a build up of algae? If so, what would be the best thing to do?

Thanks, Sassie

 

[aaronnorth]

Hi & Welcome.


It is an algae bloom which is common in new tanks due to the ammonia present, even the slightest amount can trigger algae. An effective method is:

50-80% water change
Do a blackout for 3 days (Cover the tank completely so no light can enter the tank, no feeding and turn any CO2 off and the aquarium lights of course)
after, perform another 50-80% water change then you should be clear.

The larger the water change the better.

Thanks, Aaron

 

[Curiosity101]

You also need to keep and eye on ammonia levels in future as you could bloom again if they're not kept in check.

You're currently in a fish-in cycling situation and could do with reading the following articles if you want to keep your fish healthy and avoid another bloom:
What is Cycling
The Nitrogen Cycle
Fish-In Cycling