foggy green water

[ahovinetz]

hiya, i've got an 80g. freshwater, and about a month ago i started having problems with the water, it's a foggy green color. I've got an undergravel filter, and 2 top filters. All my fish seem to be healthy, and none have died. No ammonia or nitrite problems and ph seems fine. I keep the temp at 78 degrees and I feed them only once a day. I'm at a loss why i'd be having this problem. I have been doing a 50% change of water about once a week now since i started having this problem. been cleaning the filters and even cleaned the undergravel. help please

 

[glasstapper]

i had the same condition, tried all diff. stuff, what ended up working was pond care accu-clear pond clarifier, for some reason the pond variety was better than the tank remedies, usually that stuff, algae remover is some type of polymer which removes oxygen from the water so tread carefully and do more research this is only ones opinion. btw, hows the under gravel working in your 80?

 

[QTOFFER]

Hi, ahovinetz and welcome to AA!!!!!

Sounds like you have an algae bloom - harmless to the fish, but looks nasty to us.

How long are your lights on each day and is the tank near a sunny window?
Cutting down the light, thorough gravel vacs, and frequent water changes usually puts an end to the green algae.

If you have $75 burning a hole in your pocket, you could pick up a diatom filter that will clear up the water in no time.

I would advise against cleaning the filters - you don't want to eliminate the beneficial bacteria and cause a mini-cycle.

 

[Allivymar]

I also had the same prob and tried everything (except chemicals; the only thing I add to my tanks is dechlor and occasionally Melafix). Nothing worked. Finally I borrowed a diatom filter and within an hour my tank was crystal clear. You can see the difference here: http://www.myaquaria.com/gallery/algaebloom

 

[ahovinetz]

Thanks for the fast responses i went out looking for a diatom filter, but the 2 placed i went to didn't have any of those filters. So i bought some of the pond clarifier and we'll see if that works. I may just have to buy that filter online somewhere...