Need help with green water

[millionpit@hotmail.com]

Hello I am new to the forum. I have 3 tanks set up. 2 55 gal and 1 39 gal. My second 55 gallon is the newest set up and I am having a problem with the water. Its green. I have been doing partial water changes every 2 to 3 days (20 percent), and 2 days ago I did a fifty percent water change. The water keeps turning green. The parameters are fine. I have a master water test kit and test the water weekly. PH is 8.2, ammonia is 0 nitrates and nitrites are 0. The tank has been set up for about 3 months now. I at first thought it was just a cycling issue, but now I am not so sure. I havent had this problem with my other tanks and could sure use some help. I have a pleco and a Red devil in there. I keep the water at 80 degrees. Hope this is enough information and thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Does the tank receive any direct sunlight? What kind of lighting are you using and how long do you use it for each day? How often and how much are you feeding the fish?

Green water is suspended algae in the water column. If you can answer the above questions we can pinpoint what the problem is.

 

[millionpit@hotmail.com]

Green water

I try to keep the blinds closed as much as possible upstairs. The tank does get some sunlight tho. I only feed once per day and only as much as the Devil can eat. The pleco I drop algae discs in the tank every other day because I figure he gets enuff cleaning the tank. I am using "GE Aqua Rays" flourescent bulbs for the lighting. 2 2 foot fixtures on top of the lid. I dont know how long I keep the lights on on average. Its different every day I guess. Hope this helps

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The sunlight could be the cause. Excess phosphates in the water caused by the direct sunlight.

When you say "only as much as the Devil can eat", do you mean you feed until he stops eating?

Keep the tank lighting below 8 hours per day and try to completly eliminate the direct sunlight. That is a big problem for aquariums.

 

[millionpit@hotmail.com]

The sunlight could be the cause. Excess phosphates in the water caused by the direct sunlight.

When you say "only as much as the Devil can eat", do you mean you feed until he stops eating?

Keep the tank lighting below 8 hours per day and try to completly eliminate the direct sunlight. That is a big problem for aquariums.

OK great. I wondered about the light from the windows but wasnt sure how much was too much. I will keep the blinds and curtains closed from now on and will only turn the tank light on at night. I only feed the Red Devil approximately 3/4 cube of frozen food per day. I was giving him a whole cube when I first seperated him from the other one, but noticed some going uneaten. So I lowered the amount. My other 2 tanks are downstairs and get hardly any outside light at all and I have never had a problem with them. So the light theory makes sense. Thanks for your help and Ill let ya know how I make out.

 

[QTOFFER]

Green water loves natural sunlight and phosphate. Live plants and more complex types of algae usually out-compete it. However, if your nitrates bottom out, or if your phosphates spike, you can get an outbreak of green water. Ideally, you should have at least a 1:10 ratio between phosphate and nitrate - keeping nitrates below 40 ppm.

When I had green water, I determined that the cause was very low nitrates due to a low bioload and weekly 50% water changes in a heavily planted tank. I've since cut my water changes to once every two weeks, and keep my nitrates at about 20ppm. Green water hasn't made a reappearance since.

If you live in suburban NJ and your tap water is pumped from the ground, you may have high phosphates due to fertilizer runoff. Your lfs may be able to test your tap water for phosphates, or you can buy a test kit. (Overfeeding would also introduce alot of phosphates, but it would also produce nitrates as the uneaten food decomposed.)

 

[millionpit@hotmail.com]

OK I put up new curtains and have all but eliminated any sunlight in the bedroom. Should I cut back the water changes and if so how often should I do PWC's.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'd keep up at 50% weekly. I had this issue a few years ago. I left the house for 3 days and when I came home it was copmletly cleared up. Let us know how it turns out!

 

[QTOFFER]

Yes, continue doing what you're doing and see if eliminating the sunlight fixes the problem. If it doesn't, then you should get an accurate measurement of your nitrates and phosphates. At least the green water doesn't bother the fish in the least. The tank may look crappy, but fish actually seem to like the extra cover provided by the green water.

 

[millionpit@hotmail.com]

TY TY ALL I will do a 50 mid week. My pythons been getting a workout lately LOL. Also, does anyone know if I can buy the green syphon part (kinda of L shaped) of the Python? Mine cracked and I have it duct taped so it doesnt spray all over the place. I dont want to buy the whole set up if I can get just that piece. Thanks again all....

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Which part of the python are you referring? The piece that connects to the sink? You can buy all pieces of the Python. Check around online. Try www.bigalsonline.com or www.drsfosterandsmith.com

 

[QTOFFER]

Lee's Aquarium Products also makes the part you need. It looks exactly like the Python part, except that it's blue. It's called the 'gravel vac super pump'.

 

[millionpit@hotmail.com]

still fighting the green water though not as bad. I have been doing weekly 50 percent water changes, but still not clearing up. I have a piece of slate on the bottom of the tank with a ceramic "branch" connected to it. If I look up under the tank thru the bottom I can see the bottom of the slate is covered with dark green algae. Could this be the source of the algae? Am thinking I should take it out and see what happens. Any thoughts? Thanks again...........