Yellow Table Lamp For Small Fry Tank

[wei0204]

I have a small Molly & guppy fry tank, the water turned greenish n blury after I've fixed a yellow table lamp for it. In the fry tank has 4 plants n about 50 fries. Anyway to make the water looks clearer?

 

[LiveLifeGoJump]

Is your filter working ok? Are you changing the water 2 or 3 times a week. I find with my fry tanks I need to hover the bottom to clear uneaten food most days & sometimes even 2 a day. This means the tank get a partial water change upto 6 times a week but I still do at least 10 - 15% change weekly and sometimes it's more like 50 - 60%.

As for the greenish water, that could be algea bloom. Did it just occur since you started using the yellow lamp? Why yellow, what's wrong with a normal white lamp? The fish don't really need additional light but the plants do, do you need the live plants?

 

[wei0204]

I never hover the bottom of the tank, the fry finish all the food most of the time. in the fry tank i have some plants, so I supply them with the light, the water turned greenish n blury after I used fertiliser for plants and added the light.

I use the yellow light cos I have it spares n not in used, instead of buying a new light, i jus use the unused lamp.

I did change water once in two days.

 

[LiveLifeGoJump]

You didn't comment on the filter. What type, is it clean & working?

I believe that for plants a stronger white light that covers the light spectrum that the plants require. A yellow light may not be providing the ideal conditions for plant growth and this could be causing/assisting algea bloom. Can someone correct or expand on this?

If it is just for fry then you don't really need the plants.

I would remove the plants, change 20-25% water a day till clear or leave the plants in, change the lamp for a tropical lamp (Arcadia or similar) & do 20-25% water change daily till clear.

Once the water is clear (which ever method you use) do normal water change routine to see if the problem re-occurs.

But check you filter first.

 

[nmonks]

I wouldn't waste my time with a table lamp over a fish tank. We're talking an incandescent light bulb, right? Pretty useless, not to mention inefficient, and it'll be putting out more heat than light. High temperatures favours blue-green algae for some reason. Not sure why, but that's my experience. Anyway, put the tank somewhere without the artificial light but where it gets some sunshine. Not direct sunlight for more than an hour or so (that'll boil the fish if you don't watch out!) but a little is fine. So a west or east facing window. The sunlight will encourage green algae, which your guppies and especially mollies will love. Most plants grow quite well with sunlight, too.

By the way, I'm pretty sure the plural of fry is fry, like sheep. "Fries" sounds a bit too much like something from McDonalds...

Cheers,

Neale

I have a small Molly & guppy fry tank, the water turned greenish n blury after I've fixed a yellow table lamp for it. In the fry tank has 4 plants n about 50 fries. Anyway to make the water looks clearer?

 

[mesapod]

i have been wondering it is impossible to get a glass fry tank it is soo annoying .
I say sunlight is the key resource, i agree with nmonks you need sunlight not some yellow light the sun will help the fry be healthier too

 

[wei0204]

By the way, I'm pretty sure the plural of fry is fry, like sheep. "Fries" sounds a bit too much like something from McDonalds...

I have a small Molly & guppy fry tank, the water turned greenish n blury after I've fixed a yellow table lamp for it. In the fry tank has 4 plants n about 50 fries. Anyway to make the water looks clearer?

Thank you for the correction. I was wondering what is the correct word for it, now I learnt.

The table lamp I am using is not the bulb type, it is flourescent light type (9W).

The filter I am using I really not sure what's the name for it. But it operates with an air pump, with sponge filter, small motor. Later I found that it did not work well in the filtration part, then I add it another sponge filter (about a week ago).

My fry tank is located against my window, it could get enough sunlight daily, but I suspected sunlight caused the algae to bloom, so now I have put a curtain to block the sunlight.

Still waiting for the improvement in the water condition.

Picture shown below is my fry tank before the water turned blury

http/i116.photobucket.com/albums/o37/wei0204/IMGP0832.jpg

Some algae are growing on the glass...

http/i116.photobucket.com/albums/o37/wei0204/IMGP0817.jpg

 

[nmonks]

Attractive tank, by the way. Are those plants real or plastic? Eiher way, looks very nice.

A filter with an air pump and a motor? That's pretty odd. Normally, I use only air-powered filters in fry tanks. Reduces the risk of sucking up a baby fish, and it's also easier to turn the current waaaay down, so that live foods aren't sucked right up. Newborn fish need minimal filtration, and often having a really gentle current allows the baby fish to eat up things like Liquifry and infusoria a bit more easily. More of an issue with egg-layers, but still, worth remembering.

Anyway, yes, sunlight will cause algae to grow, though typically green algae. But your fry should eat some of it, and will actually be healthier. Simply wiping off unwanted algae from the front glass is usually the best approach, though some folks potter about with algae-eating fish and snails (usually with only modest success).

Honestly, with algae, it's best to learn to live with it. The fish like it, they eat it, and it looks realistic. Unless your aquarium is really out of balance (i.e, you overfeed or leave things to rot) algae won't take over the tank. The only practical way to have an algae-free tank is to use fast growing plants, but that brings in a whole bunch of new problems to work with.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[wei0204]

Attractive tank, by the way. Are those plants real or plastic? Eiher way, looks very nice.

A filter with an air pump and a motor? That's pretty odd. Normally, I use only air-powered filters in fry tanks. Reduces the risk of sucking up a baby fish, and it's also easier to turn the current waaaay down, so that live foods aren't sucked right up. Newborn fish need minimal filtration, and often having a really gentle current allows the baby fish to eat up things like Liquifry and infusoria a bit more easily. More of an issue with egg-layers, but still, worth remembering.

Anyway, yes, sunlight will cause algae to grow, though typically green algae. But your fry should eat some of it, and will actually be healthier. Simply wiping off unwanted algae from the front glass is usually the best approach, though some folks potter about with algae-eating fish and snails (usually with only modest success).

Honestly, with algae, it's best to learn to live with it. The fish like it, they eat it, and it looks realistic. Unless your aquarium is really out of balance (i.e, you overfeed or leave things to rot) algae won't take over the tank. The only practical way to have an algae-free tank is to use fast growing plants, but that brings in a whole bunch of new problems to work with.

Cheers,

Neale

Thank you Neale, Thanks for the advice n information. Appreciate that.

By the way the plants are all real n live

I have just fixed a new sponge filter for my fry tank. It works ok, just need some time to cycle it. I left the previous air pump there.

I slowly think the algae blooming is not a real big problem except water is blury, but the fry are all living in it happily.

I did feed my fry a lot, 3 - 5 times a day, but they normally finish all the food.

But is it normal for fry to grow in different pace? Some are a lot bigger then the others; some really never grow much. I notice that recently the bigger fry (Molly) are very aggresive, they are fighting a lot, mainly for food and even algae. The fight caused some of the smaller fry died.

Luc

 

[wei0204]

Finally the water in my fry tank has turned clearer (80%)

Thank you folks...