My water is green !!!

[LoGaN]

Ok this is weird i have never had green water before and all of a sudden really fast i suddenly have green water and i dont even know why or what i should be doing about it anyone that could help ?

[Chris.L]

How long is your lighting on for? How many water changes to do you do and how many times do you feed your fish?

[LoGaN]

i feed my fish twice a day i do 30% water changes once a week and the light is on from 8am-10pm

[kellsz]

Green water (algae) is to do with excess nutrients ie nitrates(try reduce feeding to once day or even every 2nd day or less).

I suffered green water for a long time, what worked for me was reduced feeding and lighting and increased filteration.

And Daphina a very kind person who sent it up from down south off this board.

Daphina is a living instect that eats the algae, if you can get your hands on these they do the trick just put em in a breeding net in the tank coz fish love em.

also adding plants mite help by making the alage compete for nutrients

30% water changes every second day or so may help intioannly reduce the nitrate levels,.

[Caryl]

Kellsz means daphnia Logan. It clears green water really fast but only if you can remove the fish first or they eat the daphnia before it can do its job.

Try reducing the feeding and light first.

[Alan]

LoGan,

What have you been eating or drinking lately??

I suggest that you see a doctor immediately,

if not sooner.

Till the visit is made, rest lying down, with the feet raised.

Goodluck

Alan

[Pegasus]

Hi Logan,

Besides the above (all good info) you should take note of the cycle of the sun, as during the summer months it rises and falls differently than in the winter, so your tank could be getting a good shot of sunlight while you are out during the day.

Try shading the tank, or drawing the curtains.

The correct method of reducing the feeding is to feed only half as much as you would normally, and feeding once a day is no good if you pour enough food in to last two days

If they don't clear every bit in five mins, you are feeding too much.

What size is the tank... how many fish... what filtration...?

[Joze]

I suffered from green water in one tank persistently until a fortnight ago, I found something that actually worked. Odd thing is this tank would go from clean water change to flourescent green overnight without lighting or food, even dropped the temp in case that was making it worse. Nothing worked.

Green X barely put a dent in it, algae scrubbers were like expensive water. Found something called Laguna Pond Clear, it bound the algae and effectively starves it IT WORKED. Tank hasnt shown any signs of algae since in one dose.

Since this tank gets fed every 2 days or so and most of the fish are handfed the pollution rate was low, no one could figure this one out.

[LoGaN]

Thankyou you have been so helpful i will try what you have said and post again when something happens

[Melanotaenia]

I 'm having green water issues at the moment too... filtration and water changes make it worse... I think it's because of a) summer light or b) the snails have eaten algae off the rocks thus 'freeing-up' nutrients for 'green water' to multiply..

One solution I researched is that Pithophora filamentous algae inhibits green water completely.... so anybody a) know what this looks like and b) anybody got some spare?

or anybody with any spare daphnia? perhaps putting a whole lot of fry is a net in the tank would do too??

[Interfecus]

Melanotaenia, plants will be just as good as filamentous algae for absorbing nutrients and will be far less dangerous. On one occasion, ages ago, we kept a tank in the house that became overrun with thread algae. The fish kept getting trapped in the strands of algae, each up to 5cm long, and getting smothered by it. The last fish to get tangled up and die was our bristlenose, my favourite fish at the time, who couldn't eat it because it was so thick.

[Pies]

Do you have enough filteration?

I do belive that Algae will come with excess nutrients, e.g. phosphates, not sure if Nitrates has that much of an effect on Algae though...

Try testing for p04, or adding some phosban, rowaphos or similar.

UV will clear the algae if you want to go down that route...

Interfecus - Plants are typically better at the uptake of nutrients than Alage from what I have read.

Joze - I have heard of a few 'snake oil' products that can clear algae blooms but I always worry about the side effects and other effects it may have. I think I would rather understand what caused the algae and resolve that, not just resolve the alge (which is the sympton of a problem, not the problem itself). JMO.

I run a neglected 450 litre tank, heavly planted and stocked, NO algae. Water changes, heavy filteration are what I attribute to it (4x canister filters running on it!).

Good luck

Pies

[Fish_Tank]

If you can get your hands on a diatom filter than may help as well

[Matthew]

last i heard diatom filters aren't being imported into nz, which is annoying because i need a filter bag.

[Pies]

Diatom filters are available here in NZ. I know that I have seen them at Animates here in Wellington, and the Hutt Pet Centre in Lower Hutt. Last time I looked they were the re-usable bag types.

Diatom Filters are just fine bags for removing Diatoms (gold/brown algae) thought, will this really help with the green water?

If you persue this, I have heard of people using silk as an alternitive.

Pies

[Joze]

normally I would think snake oil too but this stuff has worked, which surprised me. I have been using diatom bags for some time to no avail, daily water changes everything. For a start its a 2 hour job just to do a water change on this particular tank, plants are regarded as food and ugf gravel stones or wood are playthings.

I have a devious plan for this lot which will take time to set up but it will be done.

[Joze]

this is the stuff I used,

http://www.hagen.com/uk/ponds/basic/8-1.cfm

the green water clarifier. What I liked the mostis that I needed very little to do the job and only needed to do it once.