HELP!!! Green water????

[yimyam]

Hey guys, Ive had my tank set up for about 1 year, but just lately the water in my aquarium has got a green tinge to it, and I cant get rid of it??? The tank isnit by a window or anyorher sunlight, so whats gone wrong????
I did a 50% water change a week ago, but its still the same.

Any help please???

[firedragon92]

Green aquarium water is most lickly cause by single celled green floating allgae it is not too hard to remove in some case but can be very hard to get rid of in others.

see this sit for more infomation http://newaquariuminformation.com/aquarium-information/aquarium-faq/how-to/fix-green-aquarium-water.htm

let me know how it goes

[firedragon92]

also there is an link to the aquarium shop at the bottom of the page if the product you require is not sold at your local aquarium.
it is an Australian company www.theaquariumshop.com.au (http://www.theaquariumshop.com.au)

again let me know how it goes

goog luck

[joz]

This maybe a dumb question but is it green when veiwing from the top??Maybe just algea on the glass.

Then if the water is green maybe reduce the lighting a bit,but I tend to find that green water is best treated with UV sterilizer.

[yimyam]

This maybe a dumb question but is it green when veiwing from the top??Maybe just algea on the glass.

Then if the water is green maybe reduce the lighting a bit,but I tend to find that green water is best treated with UV sterilizer.

The water is green, and not on the glass, as I keep it clean. And the light is kept off most times, to try and cure the green water, but its not working????

[yimyam]

Green aquarium water is most lickly cause by single celled green floating allgae it is not too hard to remove in some case but can be very hard to get rid of in others.

see this sit for more infomation http://newaquariuminformation.com/aquarium-information/aquarium-faq/how-to/fix-green-aquarium-water.htm

let me know how it goes

Ive tryed lots of water changes, but still wont get rid of the green water, and the light is kept off most of the time.

Can I buy flocculant from my local aquarium shop??

Also the Nitrate level is like an orangy colour, and aslo...cant bring it down...Any help there?

[firedragon92]

where abouts do you live

[yimyam]

where abouts do you live


Im in Western Australia.

[firedragon92]

your local aquarium should stock it however im not sure as i live in Victoria.

any way the only way to know for sure is to go in and have a look

good luck and let me know how it goes

[Woodsy]

As Joz has said, a UV sterilizer is your best bet. There are quick fixes for suspended algae, but it is usually something to do with water quality at the root of the problem. If there's nothing to absorb Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrates somewhere along the cycle, then your algae basically have no competition and will continue to thrive.
You could always grow Daphnia :p

[joz]

As Joz has said, a UV sterilizer is your best bet. There are quick fixes for suspended algae, but it is usually something to do with water quality at the root of the problem. If there's nothing to absorb Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrates somewhere along the cycle, then your algae basically have no competition and will continue to thrive.
You could always grow Daphnia :p

Your right Woodsy,I seem to forget about the water chemistry.
Wrongly I keep assumming that it'll be correct.
Especially when you think that high ammonia levels would contribute to this.
I mean its used as fertilizer.:o

[yimyam]

Hey all, I went into my local aquarium shop Last thursday, and spoke to them about the green water problem. I asked about these water chemicials that clear the water, but was told it wouldnt be permanant.
He seemed to think it may be because the filter in my tank was too small, which I think it was.
Anyway I purchashed one of those Aqua One canister filter, which was heaps bigger than the filter I was using.
I set it up last Friday, and has been running since.
.....................................Still green water????????? Would it have cleared up by now?????
Hope I havent wasted $150 on a filter when it hasnt cured the green water problem. :confused:

[bluey]

I hope so too. What size tank do you have and what was the old filter. You may have been better off getting a uv sterilizer (cheaper) or try some plants. What are your water parameters and do you do regular gravel cleans/ water changes?. Have you cleaned the glass lately?

[Woodsy]

You may have been better off getting a uv sterilizer (cheaper)

Where are you getting UV sterilizers for under $150?! I have never seen them brand new for cheaper than a canister, especially not an AquaOne of all brands...

Check your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate concentrations; shorten your lighting period, cut back your feeding, and do a 2/3 water change using conditioned tap water. If it continues after that, you could try a Biochemzorb pad or something similar. Algae needs light to grow, if you need to, black your tank out for a week or two. That's almost everything I can think of, if all that doesn't work, then I might consider the UV sterilizer.

[wombat1100]

Hey Woodsy i wouldn't have thought the filter, even if it was too small for the tank would contribute to algae problems at all? so getting a bigger one , although it would clean the water wouldn't stop the algae from growing at all, like you i believe it would be light or poof water quality not cleanliness? correct me if I'm wrong, is the tank overcrowded? i would go with the blackout first then if that didn't work look at tank placement as a must.
Dazz

[Woodsy]

Yeah, you're right Daz - The only thing a bigger filter would do, technically, is eliminate ammonia and nitrite from your list of potential problems. It won't eliminate nitrate though, which is the second preferred source of nitrogen after ammonia. The only way to get rid of that is through dilution (water changes) or through photosynthesis (plants/algae/cyanobacteria). Blackouts work well for cyano and large-scale algae problems, but if it's suspended algae, i'd tend to think it's the tank getting UV light somehow, or lights being left on for 10 or more hours per day. It's fair to say though, that even in those cases they need a food source, and hence you should look at your water quality.