JDM Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Hi all I have an Aquaone 120 tank (4ft) that is suffering from green water. Over the past month or so I have slowly changed things to try to correct this issue. I have not changed all of the filter media, allowing each change time to see if it corrects the issue. I am running noodles, filter wool (changed regularly) chemsorb (x2 bags). I have been doing 10-20% water changes every 3-4 days and some times more often up until this week where I have stopped everything to see if that helps it clear. It is not getting worse rapidly. The water I am using is filtered but not RODI, I have an RODI filter but have never had to use it in the 6 years this tank has been running. Feeding has not changed, food type is unchanged, stock in the tank is unchanged, water source is the same, stone are thoroughly cleaned. Tank is normally chrystal clear and regularly maintained. So is this a neutrent thing in the water that I am adding or could it be something else? I have lights running on the tank for around 9 hours a day and the tubes are very old, perhaps this is part of the problem? Any help is greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 So is this a neutrent thing in the water that I am adding or could it be something else? Nutrient in the water, not necessarily that you're adding. Do larger water changes, 20% is tiny. I have lights running on the tank for around 9 hours a day and the tubes are very old, perhaps this is part of the problem? Very likely. I had a green water problem I couldn't get rid of even after doing 90% water changes every day for a week. So I rubber banded a big clump of filter wool around the cannister filter intake and then rinsed and squeezed out the dark green muck a couple times a day. In 2-3 days the water was perfectly clear and the green never came back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Is your tank planted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaide Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 How green is the water? Green so you can't see anything in the tank or green tinged? I had green tinged water and I found the only way to get rid of it (and keep it from happening again) was more regular water changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDM Posted January 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Nutrient in the water, not necessarily that you're adding. Do larger water changes, 20% is tiny. Very likely. I had a green water problem I couldn't get rid of even after doing 90% water changes every day for a week. So I rubber banded a big clump of filter wool around the cannister filter intake and then rinsed and squeezed out the dark green muck a couple times a day. In 2-3 days the water was perfectly clear and the green never came back. Cheers man, I am going to try the filter wool over the filter intake, I will get back into water changes and start around the 60-80% for the first few then go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDM Posted January 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Is your tank planted? Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDM Posted January 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 How green is the water? Green so you can't see anything in the tank or green tinged? I had green tinged water and I found the only way to get rid of it (and keep it from happening again) was more regular water changes. It started green tinged and since I stopped the water changes (5 days now) I can't see the back wall of the tank anymore. The tank gets 10-20% water changes every week without fail, has been for years now. Perhaps I should increase the % changed per week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDM Posted January 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2009 So is it safe for me to assume that large water changes is the way to sort this problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 18, 2009 Report Share Posted January 18, 2009 So is it safe for me to assume that large water changes is the way to sort this problem? Assuming the water change water isn't part of the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted January 18, 2009 Report Share Posted January 18, 2009 Light is your most likely issue. Old tubes (more than six months old) are known for promoting algae growth. 10-20% per week is pretty low. Planted tanks have a bit more lee-way as the plants can take up some of the nitrate and other nutrients as fertiliser. Ira's idea putting a pre-filter over the filter inlet is a good one. I do that on all my canisters as it means solid muck in not getting into the canister and clogging it up. I rinse it out once a week when I do my waterchanges - and the muck it collects is impressive! Certainly helps to clear the water faster. If you have been doing small waterchanges for so long, it might be an idea to SLOWLY increase the volume of the waterchanges. You don't want to stir up too much or shock the fish too much. It is possible for pockets of muck to be sitting there in the gravel not really affecting the water, then you stir up the tank a lot and release it and kill fish. Or you have fish that are used to living in soup and give them sparkling fresh water and it is too much change. This of course may not be happening in your tank, but always something to bear in mind. Google 'old tank syndrome' for more information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted January 18, 2009 Report Share Posted January 18, 2009 Why are your lights on for sol long if you dont have plants?? I would cut the lights down a bit more for a start. I got rid of the green water in one of my tanks by blacking it out for a couple of days. Green water ins a single cell organism that will run out of energy wery fast as it is unable to store it. Cutting out the light will kill it off faster. also keep up the water changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 as supasi said, I have the lights on my planted tank a fair bit just for the plants, yet my other 2 I hardly have the lights on ... also I would increase the % for changes, I aim for 30% once a week as my tanks both get a lot of natural light throughout the day (I also get green water) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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