Cloudy green water

[Laurence]

I am having a problem with cloudy green water in my aquarium. I have tried cutting the light and cutting the amount of food given to the fish, but nothing seems to work. I don't want to use harsh chemicals to kill the algae because they might harm the beautiful sword plants. The filter medium is not fine enough to remove the alge from the water. Does anyone know of a filter that can remove microscopic algae? Any info would be appreciated.

 

[neilanh]

First, make sure it's green and not white. They can be very difficult to distinguish in an aquarium. Take some water and put it in a white styrofoam cup and confirm if it's green or not.

If it is green, look here
Greater Washington Aquatic Plant Association » Algae in the Planted Aquarium

Also, moving this to the planted tank forum.

 

[DragonFish71]

When I've had green water I do a 50% or more water change, clean the gravel, glass, and decor while draining the tank, do the refill then do a black out. It cured the problem.