Hello! I need help. I have a 55 gallon tank that's lightly planted with vallisneria swords and another plant. :\ I left on a trip for 5 days and I asked my sister to turn the lights on and off (the timer broke) and she didn't. ThAt might not be the cause of tue problem, but my water is green. Can you help me? There are no fish and the tank is 2 months old.
Green water
- Thread starter freyar
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RussellC
Aquarium Advice Freak
Sounds like green algae -- I would suspect that too much light did contribute to its growth.
Given the tank is planted, any chemical treatment will likely harm your plants.
Water changes should clear it up nicely, and limiting light exposure should help keep it from coming back.
Steelhawke
Aquarium Advice Activist
Is the tank being filtered? If it is, get a couple ottos to go in it, they will do a bang up job getting rid of your algae.
herp_mommy
Aquarium Advice Addict
UV sterilizer will fix it in a few days
jetajockey
come get me tang police!
Greenwater algae is fairly easy to control, just cut back on the lighting to minimal and do a few big water changes. UV sterilizers work great, as mentioned, but I've always just fixed them through manual changes. This type of algae thrives in water with elevated ammonia and phosphates, along with long photoperiods. I would do some big water changes, reduce photoperiod, and sparsely feed for the next week or two and see if it clears up on it's own.
herp_mommy
Aquarium Advice Addict
About $100. But it will make your water crystal clear and keep it that way.
Dxbeast8508
Aquarium Advice Regular
herp_mommy said:
What kind would you suggest. I have the same problem.
BBradbury
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- May 24, 2011
- Messages
- 5,011
Green Water
Hello f...
Don't fret. No harm has been done to your tank. This type of algae reproduces too fast, so that's why you have green water. This kind of thing is called an "algae bloom". But, it's usually caused by too much light, like direct sun light.
Get some floating stems in the tank, like Anacharis and Pennywort to help with nutrient use. Ramshorn snails are good for eating all types of algae. Add some extra filtration, possibly something that will hang on the back of the tank. Polyfiber is a good medium that will attract and hold small floating particles in the water. Large, weekly water changes will help clear up the water too.
The tank hasn't been running long, so the water chemistry is still working to stabilize. Try some these suggestions and see if the water clears.
B
Hello f...
Don't fret. No harm has been done to your tank. This type of algae reproduces too fast, so that's why you have green water. This kind of thing is called an "algae bloom". But, it's usually caused by too much light, like direct sun light.
Get some floating stems in the tank, like Anacharis and Pennywort to help with nutrient use. Ramshorn snails are good for eating all types of algae. Add some extra filtration, possibly something that will hang on the back of the tank. Polyfiber is a good medium that will attract and hold small floating particles in the water. Large, weekly water changes will help clear up the water too.
The tank hasn't been running long, so the water chemistry is still working to stabilize. Try some these suggestions and see if the water clears.
B
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