green water

[Aquaholic1]

Hey. I've recently placed two pieces of medium sized driftwood in my aquarium after boiling for atleast 3 hours and soaking for 3 days (i know that's not long enough but I'm very impatient) and instantly the tank looked abit cloudy but I liked that look. Then three days past and I could barely see through the tank, so I did a 50% w/c. Back to a slight tint of colour which I didn't mind. Three more days past and same again.
I know tea colour tannins of the water after placing drift/bogwood is normal, but my aquarium is turning green??? I have 9 hours of light a day and no real direct sunlight.

240 litre/ 63gal (us) aquarium
Fluval 405 cannister.
1 bristle nose pleco 5inch
9 tiger barbs 1-2.5inch
5 albino tiger barbs 1inch
5 green tiger barbs 1inch
7 albino corys 1-2inch
2 pearl gourami 3inch
Hope this helps you help me and my fishies.

 

[aqua_chem]

What kind of lights do you have on it? Plants?

 

[barterking85]

Is your tank near a window?
What kind of lights?

 

[maxwellag]

sounds like algae... try leaving the lights off for a while day and see if that helps...

 

[Aquaholic1]

Yer I have amazon swords, java fern, and java moss. The lighting I have is a Power-Glo Fluorescent Aquarium Tube 40W (42in) T8 and a Aqua-Glo Fluorescent Aquarium Tube 40W (42in) T8.

Thanks for your replies up to now.

 

[Aquaholic1]

Oh and its about 3m away from the nearest window which has pretty much always got the curtains closed.

 

[marchmaxima]

Is the colouring brown/tan but clear or green cloudy? White cloudy?

 

[maxwellag]

Ya it would help if we knew what color it is... can you take a picture of the tank?

 

[marchmaxima]

Oh never mind. I just saw from the title it's green cloudy. Stupid iPhone covering the titles

Sounds like an algae bloom to me. Does it look like pea soup? I had the same issue when my tank was near a window even though it didn't get direct sunlight.

I fixed it by moving the tank to a spot around 6m away from a window. Then did 40% PWCs 2 days running, 60% on the 3rd and then did more changes every couple of days over the next two weeks.

It hasn't been back since.

 

[Aquaholic1]

It's a light green cloudy colour ill be able to put a picture up later on. I've had the tank running for a good few months now in the exact same spot and its been great, it seems to of been as soon as I put the driftwood in (which was from my lfs). My ph hasn't really changed its stayed at 7. The only bad thing I have done is I accidently forgot to turn my heater back on after a water change and the temp dropped to 23 from 26 and its now on 25 but all the fishies seem fine with no signs of stress at all.

 

[barterking85]

Are you doseing ferts?
How much do you feed?
Are any of your plants in bad shape?
what is your stocking list and filtration?

I really don't think the driftwood is playing any part just a coincidence it happened at the same time

 

[jcolon]

I saw the following passage which I put in quotes below ... on the link at the bottom ... may explain your greenish water, does seem that DW tannins with certain minerals can cause greenish tint.

"Sometimes tannins are accompanied with iron or manganese. Water high in iron or manganese can sometimes be red, rust colored, brown, tan, black, or greenish in color."

Clean Water Store: Tannins.

Good luck with your tank!

 

[Aquaholic1]

I don't use ferts. All plants look fine. I've just done another 50% water change and I have a before and after picture to show you guys which I will upload shortly.
Thank you all for your help up to now.

 

[Aquaholic1]

It still looks cloudy to the eye.

 

[StarskreamX82]

I have the same issue this past week. No new items in the tank and no water change in 2 weeks. It's a 30g with 6 Red Wag Platys, 3 Black Skirt Tetras and 1 Pleco. I even had the light off for days thinking it was algae. I pumped some water into a clean white bucket and it was green, not slimy or anything, just green river smelling water. @,@

 

[Aquaholic1]

Does any one have an idea what it may be from the pictures?

 

[Aquaholic1]

So as you all know I did a 50% w/c yesterday and its been about 15 hours since then and I'm already struggling to see the background. Heeeelp. I don't know what it is.

 

[StarskreamX82]

I tracked my water problems to the hose I used to bring the water in from the water thing outside. I didn't know the huge tank in the back was a huge water filtration system for the whole house, the hose water doesn't get treated through that.

 

[jcolon]

I saw the following passage which I put in quotes below ... on the link at the bottom ... may explain your greenish water, does seem that DW tannins with certain minerals can cause greenish tint.

"Sometimes tannins are accompanied with iron or manganese. Water high in iron or manganese can sometimes be red, rust colored, brown, tan, black, or greenish in color."

Clean Water Store: Tannins.

Good luck with your tank!

Referencing back to my original post, I'd say remove the DW, do another PWC and see what happens. If it doesn't darken then it was tannins leaching ... in your case a greenish tint. If so you an boil the DW again, run it through your Dishwasher on high temp (minus dishes and detergent) and or put back in a bucket for a week. Do you carbon in your fluval? If not adding some helps remove tannins.

 

[Aquaholic1]

No I don't have any carb in my filter. Just a load of bio balls. I think I'm going to try take the DW out and see if that helps. Thank you for you great help up to now.