Aquarium Dude Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 I have got a 450l tank and a terrible green water problem. What should I do, it isnt really in direct sunlight and there are only 4 5ft flourecent tubes lighting it. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milet Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 have u just put driftwood in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 Water change Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoody Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 Why do you ask about driftwood Milet?? i've got a similar problem on my smaller tank that developed about a week after i placed a piece of drift wood in the tank. Been doing lot's of water change's but it keep's re-appearing? Was told it was suspended algie?? Drift wood was from a LFS, washed and pre-soaked btw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milet Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 Hoody, if its from driftwood then it could be tannins, depending on colour. Nothing bad for your water, some people think it looks more natural. It will disapear after a while if you keep doing waterchanges or ask at your LFS for something to remove tannins.\ maybe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 I added a 2nd filter on my 240ltr tank and the problem went away overnight and it never came back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 Tannins are brown. Green water is algae. Possibly triggered by the driftwood (although it has never happened to me) and should clear on its own after a few days. How long has the tank been set up? Something is out of balance and this is common while a tank is still cycling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoody Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 The tank has been running for about 10 month's? No tannin's appeared to have leaked while i was soaking it and was ok in the tank for about a week then the water started going a bit green. Was about the same time i switched from fake to real plant's too? Think i may have other problem's though and it's all just a coincedence?? Any idea's on what else can cause this?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 I think the added plants may have temporarily upset the nutrients balance. What other problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoody Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 none at all really? the ph is moving around a bit but nothing too major? Plant's are gowing fine too? Sort of thing that will sort it's self out? been doing 15% water change's every couple of day's too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 I've always found the best way to deal with green water is to filter it out with filter wool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoody Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 will give that a go. thank's for ya help, will keep you all posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 Or, as Jim suggested, add another filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 green water is single cell algae and very small. It would normally take a very fine filter (like diatomaceous earth) to remove it with filtration---down to about one micron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shell Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 blackout? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Hi Aquaruim Dude, I have a tank same size and lighting as yours. What cured my tank of green water was a 24v UV Sterliser, cost me about $130 My tank was fluro green and this sterliser had it cleared in 7 days. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoody Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 yeah mine is only on a 34l tank so another filter is not really a option? Just want to try and sort it before the fish are moved to my new 175l tank 8) . Would'nt mind finding the cause so i know how to treat it or what to do if there's a next time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 I recently solved a green water problem by making a daphnia "reactor". Had a pump in the tank that pumped a very low lph into a plastic container at the back of the tank which had daphnia in it, which then overflowed back into the tank via a lip in the container that I made using a soldering iron. The water was clear in less than 24 hours, at which time I fed the fish the daphnia and the problem hasn't reoccurred since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 I recently solved a green water problem by making a daphnia "reactor". Had a pump in the tank that pumped a very low lph into a plastic container at the back of the tank which had daphnia in it, which then overflowed back into the tank via a lip in the container that I made using a soldering iron. The water was clear in less than 24 hours, at which time I fed the fish the daphnia and the problem hasn't reoccurred since. Thats an awesome idea!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 green water is single cell algae and very small. It would normally take a very fine filter (like diatomaceous earth) to remove it with filtration---down to about one micron. You'd think so, yet I had a 100Lish tank(Maybe a bit smaller) that I could not clear up, 90% water changes per day for a week, and so on for a month or two. I put filter wool over the intake, it clogged up about every 6 hours but the water went from visibility of literally maybe 2" to crystal clear in 2 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Someone posted an idea a while ago which I thought was good--- Put a heap of daphnia in the tank in a net. The only challenge might be fish sucking them out through the net. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoody Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 are you guy's saying to put some filter wool directly around the filter intake?? could'nt i just put some below my spray bar on a aqua one 380?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockerpeller Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 we had the same problem. loaded the tank up with plants and it all went away within a couple days. possibly the plants soaked up all the nutrients that the greenwater grew on. tank is still crystal clear after a month and a half, and it sits in the sun in the mornings(ill planned spot to put a tank i know). threw in ambulia, java fern, and xmas moss from memory. it is a standard 2ft tank with a 2ft light fitting over it. might work for you too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richms Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 I dont have the same luck here with my goldfish tanks, I think enough light still gets thru the curtains to make it grow, since its lit the same as another 2foot which stays clear, is just furthur from the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 I've theorized that plants were actually the cause of my green water, Rockerpeller, so that might not work for everyone. The tank I had the problem on is heavily planted with 90w of lighting on it (3ft tank), whenever I tested it the nitrate levels were undetectable. I fertilize heavily and I figured that the plants need the iron & trace elements and whatnot to grow (which I was adding) but they also need more nitrates than were being produced by the fish, so they couldn't grow. But, and this is pure speculation but practice has borne me out on this, I thought the algae might be able to grow without nitrates, and just make use of those trace elements. I've put more fish in and have been feeding heavier than usual, and I think this helped the problem clear up - the nitrates still don't rise above zero though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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