Midnighttang
Aquarium Advice Activist
I have green water, algae bloom, I assume. How do I get rid of it and keep it away?
My 30 gallon aquarium, which I acquired used from a friend, has had fish in it for 2 months, 2 gold gouramis, 3 neon tetras, 6 cherry barbs, and 1 pleco (yes, I know he's going to be too big. I'll find him somewhere else to go eventually.) It's a newly planted tank with 4 small amazon swords, 1 anuibias, and 1 java fern. I did not cycle, because I didn't know about it then and my family and husband's family had kept fish tanks when we were kids and had never heard of cycling. I have diligently watched my parameters and have done frequent PWCs. The ammonia and nitrites are 0 and the nitrates are 5. My pH is 7.4 and I have hard water. It has whatever flourescent lights came with it, I'm not sure what watts. It does get indirect light from a window. I know I leave the lights on too long, around 12 hours a day when I work.
So, what is the best way to get rid of the algae without killing my plants? I'm going to try covering the one uncovered window an turn the lights off more, but I'm worried about the plants. I've read that you can use flocculents (sp?) and then vaccum the gravel and do a 25% water change, but I don't know if the chemicals will really get rid of the problem or if it will just come back.
Any suggestions to fix my green water problem?
My 30 gallon aquarium, which I acquired used from a friend, has had fish in it for 2 months, 2 gold gouramis, 3 neon tetras, 6 cherry barbs, and 1 pleco (yes, I know he's going to be too big. I'll find him somewhere else to go eventually.) It's a newly planted tank with 4 small amazon swords, 1 anuibias, and 1 java fern. I did not cycle, because I didn't know about it then and my family and husband's family had kept fish tanks when we were kids and had never heard of cycling. I have diligently watched my parameters and have done frequent PWCs. The ammonia and nitrites are 0 and the nitrates are 5. My pH is 7.4 and I have hard water. It has whatever flourescent lights came with it, I'm not sure what watts. It does get indirect light from a window. I know I leave the lights on too long, around 12 hours a day when I work.
So, what is the best way to get rid of the algae without killing my plants? I'm going to try covering the one uncovered window an turn the lights off more, but I'm worried about the plants. I've read that you can use flocculents (sp?) and then vaccum the gravel and do a 25% water change, but I don't know if the chemicals will really get rid of the problem or if it will just come back.
Any suggestions to fix my green water problem?
