Great progress but need help

[Bcuzimbatman]

Good progress in my 10gal planted. I'm using a DIY c02, high lighting, and its a mineralized topsoil tank. However the water seems to be getting more and more cloudy and green. And it's uninhabitable to fish. What should I do?

 

[Esoteric Backbone]

Thats great progress. How long do you have your lights on every day?

 

[Bcuzimbatman]

They are on an 8 hour timer for now. When I got the water tested the nitrite and nitrate where very high

 

[nereksnad]

greetings

that could look like greenwater hover algae, for which the solution to is blackour untill they die or a UV filter.

sincerely,
nereksnad

 

[Rivercats]

If the nitrites and nitrates are high then you need to start doing some big water changes. It appears there are no fish so you can do big 80-90% WC's daily if you want. That is what I did the first 8 days of my dirted tank. This will help lower your numbers quickly. Now about the water, I can't tell if that is the start of green water so take a white dixie cup or similar and put a little water from the tank in it. Does the water have a green cast? If so it is the start of a green water algae bloom. Then what you need to do is either get a UV sterilizer which will clear it up in a day or two or go the cheap route and do what I have heard so many talk about by getting a few fresh cut green branches of willow and putting them in the tank. They supposedly absorb all of the nutrients out of the water and clear green water up in no time at all. But be sure to remove them once the water is cleared up or they will literally starve out your plants by using all the nutrients up in the water.

 

[jetajockey]

What kind of lighting is on this tank again? Have you tested for ammonia?

 

[Bcuzimbatman]

Ammonia is 0. And the lighting is an 18w t5 quad setup I bought online

 

[jetajockey]

It's a 4x18w t5ho? If so that is way too much light. I'd drop it down to 1 bulb and start from there.

 

[Bcuzimbatman]

Did water change. Water cleared up really well. But unfortunately the water started getting murky yellowish again after a few hours. I thought I might add that I don't currently have a filter in the tank just a powerhead to help circulate the water

 

[Bcuzimbatman]

Got home today from work and the water is murkier than ever and it's definitely got a green tinge to it. What should I do to get rid of it but not harm my plants?

 

[Rivercats]

Try the willow branches, its the cheapest way to go and supposedly works really fast.

 

[Bcuzimbatman]

Where can I get those? And won't that just remove nutrients that the plants in my tank NEED to grow?

 

[nereksnad]

if you want to avoid harming your plants, you could get a UV filter. but you sould only run it while the algae is there, it can also kill the good bacteria in the water.

sincerely,
nereksnad.

 

[jetajockey]

You really need to deal with the root of the problem or it will be an ongoing thing.

A 10g tank with 4 t5ho bulbs over it is an insane amount of light for a planted tank, and even if you do get the green water algae bloom cleared up it will likely move on to some other type of algae.

 

[Bcuzimbatman]

But I thought I need high light to grow my dhg into a carpet. That's the whole goal of the tank

 

[nereksnad]

a high amount of lightning is defined as 1 W per Liter of water, not counting reflectors(which yield +50%) you have 1.94 W per Liter, the only reason you would need that much i think is if you have a tall tank and you need the light to reach the buttom of the aquaria.

sincerely,
nereksnad.

 

[jetajockey]

Yes, you do need high light to do carpet plants well, but its easy to get too much light also, which usually leads to huge algae outbreaks.

Have a look at this thread for an idea of what to shoot for, and also look at the 'update' link on that thread for more fixture comparisons. It'll give you an idea of what kind of lighting to aim for to get a high light (but not too much light) setup.

PAR vs Distance, T5, T12, PC - New Chart

 

[Rivercats]

Where can I get those? And won't that just remove nutrients that the plants in my tank NEED to grow?

You only use the willow branches until the green water clears then you remove them or they will starve your plants of nutrients. But now until your water is clear you don't need nutrients in your tank. You need to get it cleared then address the underlying issue as Jetajockey stated. As for where to get them... you have to go find a willow tree and cut a few so they are fresh.

 

[Bcuzimbatman]

Any links u guys can share on a uv filter that will fit my 10 gallon tank? Preferably something not too expensive

 

[Rivercats]

Someone just recently just posted about getting one of these and having good luck clearing their green water... Green Killing Machine Internal UV Sterilizer with Power Head at PETCO I've never used that one before. I have an Advantage 2000 hooked into one of my canister lines that I run.