need help with algae in the water

[faunachic]

I just chaged the water in one of my ten gal. tanks about a week ago. The water keeps getting greener! Why is the algae going nuts in my water? I never had this prob. in this tank before this. What causes it? It's not sitting in the sun, so i know that isnt it. I just took all but maybe a gal. of the water out and put new water in. Dont have the tank full yet, didnt have enough water in my bucket. (have a 5 gal bucket to put water in and let it sit 2 days then put in tank....cheaper than the additive stuff to dechlorinate the water) I have another bucket of water sitting now, so I can do it again in 2 days. The water is cloudy and alittle dirty looking right now, but not that green since I changed it. I'm hoping the water doesnt get green again. I changed the filter in the tank too (it was all green)

 

[QTOFFER]

Do you have well water? Maybe the phosphates in your water are high (caused by runoff from fertilizers). It may be worth the it to have your water tested aty the lfs, or buy a phosphate test kit.

Other than that, all I can suggest is to keep feedings to a minimum and keep the light on for no more than 8 hours a day. You could also put a few easy-to-grow plants like Java fern and Java moss in the tank. They will soak up excess nutrients that would otherwise feed the algae.

 

[faunachic]

I dont have well water. i have been feeding alittle more than i normally did, so that might be it. i will cut down the feedings/amounts. i'll also turn the lights out earlier too. thanks.

 

[Liggs17]

Also, sometimes water changes place more nutrients into the water for algae. I would do as QTOFFER advises and either keep the lights off for some time, or even better, get some higher-order plants to compete with the algae for nutrients such as the java fern, java moss, or my favorite for fast-growth, the anachris (also sometimes known as elodea, I think).

Liggs

 

[megos1]

I would put some plants in there, and possibly a snail or two. Also I would leave the lights off, how many hours per day were they on for?

 

[cichlid555]

the only thing i can say is keep the light off more than you have in the past and invest in some pleco catfish or some kind of algae eater. thats just my opinion because i havent have much problem with algae

p.s. if that didnt help i would listen to the other dude above me

 

[malkore]

First off, you need to buy dechlorinator. Most water companies treat with chloramine now, which doesn't go away with 2 days of aging (which is why they use it...it lingers and keeps the water in your pipes cleaner).

Second, greenwater algae can't be fixed with pleco's or algae eaters.

I'd like to know more about your lighting. It's hard to get greenwater without a decent amount of light, and you say it doesn't get any direct sun. Most 'came with the tank' light fixtures aren't bright enough for serious algae problems.