donna Posted November 1, 2005 Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 Hi all I've got a problem I hope someone can help with. About 10 days ago I noticed my tank was starting to go cloudy all of a sudden. I was going on holiday the next day so I did a water change quickly. Got home today and my tank was completely green - so green in fact that I couldn't see a single thing in it. My hubby was feeding the fish while I was away and he had told me it was getting worse and he knows not to over feed them. So at a loss for what else to do, I have since emptied the tank completely, got all the fish into another tank (they are all fine) and I'm going to start again. Couple of questions though 1. Why did it suddenly go green? Tank has been set up since July 2004 with no prior problems. 2. Are ug filters the best option or is there something better? When I cleaned the tank there was a lot of muck under the plates even though I do regular water changes 3. Should I get new gravel as if there was a bug of some sort that caused it, it may happen again if I use the same gravel. I know I will have to cycle the tank again before re-introducing the fish It is a 240 ltr tank so I don't want to have to empty it right out too often. Any suggestions gratefully appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 1, 2005 Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 There was no need to empty the tank. What you had was an algae bloom and, although it looked unsightly, the fish would have loved it! A shift in the natural tank balance would have caused the bloom. This could have been from a number of sources; the filters blocked a bit, more natural light on the tank as summer approaches, a bit of overfeeding, building phosphates etc. Perhaps, as the fish have grown, their wastes are now too much for the current filtration which is why the tank was fine until recently. I like under gravel filters and find them good but would not use them as the only filtration in a 240L tank as I think it would not be enough. There is supposed to be muck under the plates, it is full of the good bacteria that makes them work. There was no bug so no need to get new gravel but, as you realise, you are now going to have to cycle the tank again. If you get another filter (eg an external or internal canister) run it for a couple of weeks on your other tank to start the bacteria going then you can transfer the filter and the fish back over to the new tank again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna Posted November 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 Thanks Caryl. Valuable lesson well learnt - ask before panic. So what should I have done to fix it if I hadn't of emptied the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserole Posted November 1, 2005 Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 I agree with Caryl, just check that your not getting sun light on the tank and increase your water changes 5% per day should reduce the biuld up of nitrates and or phosphates(do you feed blood worms?=phosphates) and remove the algae slowly. What ever you do DO NOT use an algae kill product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserole Posted November 1, 2005 Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 LOL, your've emptyed it already oh well, not to worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna Posted November 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 thanks for that info. I don't feed blood worms. If this ever happens again I will know what to do. How long do others keep tank lights on for each day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 1, 2005 Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 10 - 12 hours of lighting per day. To get rid of it I would have done a few extra water changes (possibly) turned the lights off and covered the tank with a blanket for a few days to kill off the algae. If you have fry the green water would have been good to feed them with. If you had another tank to put the fish in they could have been transferred and then you could add a small amount of daphnia to the tank. They would have cleared it up overnight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna Posted November 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 OMG! Your not gonna believe this. Was just getting the last bit of water out and found 8 baby lemon tetras floundering around. Rescued them. Very ironic that green water is good for babies! This day can't get any worse. :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 1, 2005 Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 That's good. You would never have noticed them otherwise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna Posted November 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 Thanks for your help. Gotta start refilling tank now so catch you later Donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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