Green Water and HOT Magnum

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Molly525

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Oct 25, 2003
Messages
11
Location
Titusville FL
I've been struggling with green water for several days now. I have drastically reduced the light, do 60% water changes daily and ordered a HOT Magnum filter. Yesterday I got the HOT Magnum put in the micron filter and let it run without turning off the other filter. I have a 75 gal Jetstream with wet/dry filter (with the giant BioWheel). This morning after the HOT had been running for 18 hours there was little or no difference in the algae. I then took the HOT off and opened it up to check on it. There is some algae on the filter but it isn't coated and clogged or anything. So, I put it back on the tank and turned it on and turned off the "main" filter. Should I have turned off the main filter when I put on the HOT Magnum yesterday? Shouldn't the HOT be having a bigger, quicker impact on this tiny green algae? Should I let the HOT run with the micron insert for days at a time?
 
you may need to change the filter into a diatom filter. there's a article here on how to do it
 
JustDIY's instructions are quite comprehensive, and his results looked very promising. I think if you follow his steps (did you use the polishing powder, for example, though that's not crucial?) you should find it makes a difference.

On another note, I've used the Vortex D-1 Diatom Filter, which is more or less the same price as the Magnum, and have had fantastic results. I had a free-floating green algea problem that really frustrated me and, like you, I tried everything for several weeks to get rid of it. The D-1 really did the job... (see my gallery for pics of the 55 after the filter's magic, and of the filter as it looked afterwards).
 
JustDIY's instructions are quite comprehensive, and his results looked very promising. I think if you follow his steps (did you use the polishing powder, for example, though that's not crucial?) you should find it makes a difference.

Where did you find JustDIY's instructions? The Diatomaceous Powder is a must to get rid of the green water.
 
lol - not my work - but I concur, diatom powder will be needed to filter out the green algae - I believe the stock magnum cartridge is 50 microns, which is too big to get the tiny floating plants.

diatom powder I think is good down to 1-5 microns, which will trap just about anything.

you should look for the source of the green water though, rather than fighting it with mechanical means.

another mechanical method that will serve to prevent the algae from coming back is a UV sterilizer.
 
I think we have skipped over the point when we find out why we have green algae, just as justDIY mentioned. You can buy expensive equipment, or you could not have it in direct sunlight with an overdose of liquid plant fertilizer (experience talking from way back). What kind of setup are we talking about when it comes to location, additives, frquency of water changes, etc.
 
This is a 75 gal Jetstream discus tank which has only been cycled about a month. I do daily water changes of 30% cause I have 12 young discus who love messy food. Since my green water problem I have done 50-60% water changes daily. The two causes for the green water, I think, are that it had light from 6 am (when the sun comes up) until I go to bed at 12 or 1, and the excessive nutrients from the beefheart/turkey phase I went through. I now keep the light off most of the time and have switched to bloodworms which leaves far less nutrients in the water. My ammonia and nitrites are 0 and nitrates are in the "normal" range (meaning they register 0 with my test kit). My 12 baby discus and 1 pleco are all that is in the tank.

I really think that if I can get rid of this outbreak, the tank will be fine as I've reduced both light and excess nutrients. Also, I've added some pothos to the tank which should compete for the nutrients.
 
Thanks for all your help. I went to the pool supply store and got a bag of de. Within 2 hours the tank was clear again.
 
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