Please help!

[Tropicallie]

I have a 26 gallon bow front with six small scissor tails, three cories, and three pristilla tetras. About a month ago I accidentally dropped a whole bunch of pellet food into the tank and had to gravel vacuum it out the next day because it was super late. The water was super cloudy the next day which I expected so I did a water change and vacuumed the gravel and it got better. But then the next day it was cloudy again. So I did ANOTHER water change and it got a little better. But the next day it was super super cloudy so I did yet ANOTHER water change. It is so cloudy now that I can't even see to the back of the tank. I've done water changes (probably bigger than are safe) every other day or three days sense it happened. I have algone in the filter. I have no idea what is going on. Not a single fish has died. I need clear water. HELP!

 

[Dreadz]

What are your water parameters (ammo, nitrite, nitrate) and how are you testing (liquid or strips)?
What lights are you running and for how long each day?
Is your substrate gravel or sand?

 

[Tropicallie]

What are your water parameters (ammo, nitrite, nitrate) and how are you testing (liquid or strips)?
What lights are you running and for how long each day?
Is your substrate gravel or sand?

I run a coralife t5 for usually around 10 hours but I've cut back to about six sense this happened. I test with liquid: my trates and trites are both perfect and my ammonia is a little bit less than .25. I have gravel.

 

[Tropicallie]

This is how green it is

 

[Dreadz]

I think it's all tied in with the mishap with the tub of food. The algae bloom is feeding off the excess nutrients in the water and the food that is decomposing is causing the ammo. Shut your lights off for a few days, 3 or 4 should do the trick and in the meantime do a few large water changes and while you're doing that give your gravel a seriously good vac to get rid of any food that's still trapped in amongst it. That should solve the problem.

 

[Tropicallie]

I think it's all tied in with the mishap with the tub of food. The algae bloom is feeding off the excess nutrients in the water and the food that is decomposing is causing the ammo. Shut your lights off for a few days, 3 or 4 should do the trick and in the meantime do a few large water changes and while you're doing that give your gravel a seriously good vac to get rid of any food that's still trapped in amongst it. That should solve the problem.

You rock! Should I run a UV sterilizer on it?

 

[Dreadz]

It won't hurt if you've got one

 

[Rivercats]

A UV sterilizer is the quickest way to kill off an algae bloom, often it will work within hours to a day. If you do a black out you have to completely cover the tank so no light comes in and no peeking for 3 days. But this method isn't known to work all that great as often the bloom just returns once light is reintroduced into the tank.

 

[DavidAl]

I'd venture to say that what you're seeing is not an algae bloom, but a heterotrophic bacterial bloom, which is a direct result of the mishap. Heterotrophic bacteria multiply at lightning speeds. Well, maybe not that fast, but you get my point.

Lots of water changes with gravel vacs will clear that up in three or four days. They use up a lot of oxygen so throw in a bubbler.

David

 

[Rivercats]

The way to tell the difference between a bacterial bloom and an algae bloom is... is the water milky looking? This is bacterial bloom. If you put some of the tank water in a white cup is it green? That is an algae bloom. BUT a UV sterilizer will take care of either.

 

[Tropicallie]

It's just green. Not milky. I'm gonna ad a uv sterelizer tomorrow. I'll keep you updated