Green green green

[vcorey04]

my tank water is brilliantly green.

could being 2-3 weeks overdue for new media be a reason????

[neilanh]

Hmm, I wouldn't think so.

Green water is an algae that floats in the water. I wouldn't think old media would cause it, Lord knows if it did all of my tanks would be green.

There's a few ways to clear it up. PWCs - lots of them, to suck it all out. A 3-5 day blackout, or a UV sterlizer.

[Mudfrog]

Yea I'm battling this right now in my 120g.. usually it also reflects high nitrates but mine rarely go over 15 as it's very understocked.. 1x 7" Dovii

The only thing I can tell is it might be the dual T8 daylight bulbs that I have, I leave them on about 6-7 hours a day so that would be my guess..

[neilanh]

Credit: GWAPA


Green water is free floating single-celled euglenoid protists. It contains chlorophyll a and b, plus carotenoids, giving them their green coloration, but they are not plants. With over 40 genera of Euglenoids and over 1000 species, this form of algae is one of the most abundant forms of life on the planet, and is an essential part of the food chain. Unfortunately, aquarists don’t want it in their tanks.
Cause:

• Initial Setup - Usually present shortly after an aquarium is initially setup, prior to the full establishment of the microorganisms (free-swimming plankton that feed upon it).
• Nutrient Imbalance - Strive for the following nutrient levels: N (10-20ppm), P (0.5-2ppm), K (10-20ppm), Ca (10-30ppm), Mg (2-5ppm), Fe (.1ppm).
• Medication - if the medicine affects the biofilter of the tank.

Cure :
There are a number of cures for green water:

• Blackout - leave the lights out, and block out any ambient light from the tank for 5 days. Your plants have reserves that the algae does not, so they will survive, but may look a little ratty for a week or so.
• Diatom/Micron Filter - fine particle filters can clear the water.
• UV Sterilizer - zaps the algae with ultraviolet light, clearing the water. Some reports say that UV light also affects nutrients in the water column.
• Flocculants - Clumps small particles together, allowing your mechanical filtration to remove them from the water. i.e. AquaClear
• Daphnia - Placed in a breeder net, the daphia will consume the algae.
• Small Water Changes - do small (5-10%) water changes, every day until clear.

Notes:

• Avoid large water changes, as that prevents microorganisms from establishing themselves.
• In addition to the cures, make sure to identify and eliminate the source of the problem, or it may return

[vcorey04]

so, instead of a large water change i should do a small one??

***my actinic bulbs were left on for a week straight

[neilanh]

I don't necessarily agree with not doing large water changes. I think this is saying for newer aquariums to do smaller ones, but I don't think it matters if it's new or not, i would do large ones.

Actinic bulbs shouldn't affect this, it's not in the correct spectrum.

[newfound77951]

I had amazing green water in my 55 planted, for weeks and weeks. All my nutrient levels were in line, so in desperation I got a diatom filter. Wow....2 hours later and my tank was clear! In my case it did not come back but since I never found the root cause it could have. But I still have my d-filter if I ever need it.

BTW, the nutrient levels that neilan posted are for FW tanks.....just checking to make sure no one with a SW tank uses those by accident.

[neilanh]

Ahh, good point newfound. I never even considered the OPs FW or SW considerations. Sorry!

[vcorey04]

no worries! he posted the right specs for this forum.


did my Large PWC...

added 2ml of Algae Destroyer...

reduced lighting to 4.5 hours a day...

we'll see what happens