Water is very very cloudy

[mrvincent]

Be very careful using a bleach solution as many of the more delicate plants don't react well to it at all.

After I bleach, I soak in tap water with dechlorinator. All my plants seems to be fines... For anubias, you must not soak the roots, or the plant will die.

I bleached two kinds of Vallisneria, they seems to grow well... I'm using bleach very carfully, I know it can cause a mess, or kill plants if not use well.

For my HC carpet, I have put the plants in a quarantine aquarium when I recieved them by postal. I already bought a cladophora from my LFS, and 2-3 days after introducing it in my tank, all my fishes got white spots.... Now I quarantine or bleach everything !

 

[Rivercats]

After I bleach, I soak in tap water with dechlorinator. All my plants seems to be fines... For anubias, you must not soak the roots, or the plant will die.

I bleached two kinds of Vallisneria, they seems to grow well... I'm using bleach very carfully, I know it can cause a mess, or kill plants if not use well.

For my HC carpet, I have put the plants in a quarantine aquarium when I recieved them by postal. I already bought a cladophora from my LFS, and 2-3 days after introducing it in my tank, all my fishes got white spots.... Now I quarantine or bleach everything !

Yep all it takes is introducing something once in your tank to learn QT'ing for fish and using some type of dip is really the smartest thing we can do to save ourselves a lot of headache.

You asked about the UV. I have one inline on my 220g tank that I just have to plug in when needed but honestly I just let it run 24/7 like when I kept reef tanks. There is one here in the states called the Green Killing Machine UV with Powerhead that you just stick in the tank for as long as you need it. Which with a bacteria bloom is a day usually. By only using it here or there the bulb last a long long time. I don't know if you can find it in Canada but it's worth a look.

 

[mrvincent]

There is one here in the states called the Green Killing Machine UV with Powerhead that you just stick in the tank for as long as you need it. Which with a bacteria bloom is a day usually. By only using it here or there the bulb last a long long time. I don't know if you can find it in Canada but it's worth a look.

Yes, I know what you talking about. I went on Petco website, they don't ship to Canada. People on ebay selling this item sell this same price of the petco website, and does'nt ship in canada. If they were shipping to Canada, I would already have buy it. I found it on amazon too, and they don't ship to canada ...

I found a dealer that ship to Canada, but I will have to pay 90$-100$ including shipping...

 

[Rivercats]

I know there are import taxes and such but that is highway robbery!

 

[mrvincent]

Green Killer Machine

I know there are import taxes and such but that is highway robbery!

In LFS here, they sell inline UV Sterilizers for 150$+. Must buy a pump seperatly in my case to make it work.

Another LFS show a Green Killer Machine like product, but is (with tax) 90$. It's more an internal filter that include UV Sterelizer.

eBay: 85$ is the priceless I found...canada, can't get what I need when I need it and for low price !

If my green water problem doesn't solve by itself after blackout and flocculing agent, I will stick on the 85 buck eBay solution I think. The Green Killing Machine seems to have great reviews !


What is the best between thoses UV Sterilisers?
- http://www.ebay.ca/itm/221098495063?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
- http://www.ebay.ca/itm/190695513948?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

[mrvincent]

After 2-4 weeks you can slowly increase your lighting each week by 30 minutes but I don't suggest running lights longer than 8 hours daily.

I'm using timers for both CO2 and Lights. Lights were starting at 4PM and closing at 12AM (8hrs). (CO2 5PM to 11PM) But sometime, in the week ends, some people come here or I go sleep later in the night, so I keep it open until 3AM. Can I do that once a week, or it's significantly bad for green water ?

 

[Rivercats]

If you don't have algae problems it's fine to do but if you have any algae issues you do not want to run lights more than 6 hours daily until you figure out what is causing the algae and fix that problem. Once algae is resolved you can slowly increase your lighting period by 30 minutes more each week. But once you see algae appearing you need to stop increasing time and back down 30 minutes to where you didn't have algae. Every tank is different and it takes time to zero in on the amount of time they can run daily.

 

[mrvincent]

*** update ***

Yo, I removed the towel (before the light cycle). I did 60% WC. Added some bacterias into the filter (Seachem Stability).

I added some "Nutrafin Clear Fast". It's a flocculent. The water is now crystal clear, but have a glow blue tint (this product is doing that while flocculating I think). It say 3hrs after it should clear. I must keep lights on for 3hrs, it's recommanded with the use of this flocculating agent.

I will not put ferts this week. I don't know why, but all my plants growed so fast under blackout !?!

 

[mrvincent]

Update

THe problem is not solved, the water is still green, and begin more and more green... So I bought a 9w UV sterelizer on eBay.

Green Killing Machine 9W with Powerhead for 92$ CAD

 

[Rivercats]

Plants actually grow at night. We lost power awhile back and it was too late at night to drag the generator out until the next morning. We hooked up the tanks and everything to it but I left the tank lights off in the 220g for 2 nights and a day. Some of my plants had up to 5" of growth when I turned the lights back on.

Green water algae blooms can be very hard to eradicate without the use of a UV. It will clear it up pretty quickly and once the water looks clear in a white cup, run the UV one more day and that's it.

 

[mrvincent]

Yeah, some of my Egeria densas had 5-6" growth in theses 3 days.


I already bought the 9w Green Killing Machine, but I have to wait 2-3 weeks before I recieve it.

I'm thinking about making another 50%WC and 3 days blackout this week.


This must be stressfull on fish 70% and 50% WC ? I'm using a hose, so I try to adjust the temperature most precise possible.

 

[billsey420]

I use a laser pointer thermometer to make sure the temp is the same as tank water

 

[Rivercats]

If you do a black out make sure to completely cover everything, even the bottom of the tank, and don't even peek or it will break the no light cycle.

Something else I've never done but have heard many talk about working is going out and cutting some fresh willow branches and placing them in the tank (just stick them in the substrate). Supposedly they use up all the nutrients and starve off the algae. But they have to be removed as soon as the algae is gone as they will starve out the plants if left in. Might be worth a shot if the black out doesn't help.

I would also suggest an aerator since the algae will be using up so much oxygen.

 

[mrvincent]

I already tryed with the weeping willow branch... Does it work with normal willow branches ? I no roots have growth, but I think it's because I didn't stick the branch in the substrate. So I just removed the leaves, and sticked the branch in the substrate...

For the last blackout, I have stacked towels in the tank. The bottom of the tank is already covered with a black sheet (plastic). I didn't have peek during the blackout.

I'll try with more towels

 

[Rivercats]

I'd so some reseach on the willow branches and wouldn't run the tank lights either as this will just help it grow more. Shame it's going to take that long to get the UV!

 

[mrvincent]

So any willow branch will work ? Not espescially weeping willow ? I will blackout this tuesday and put another williw branch before if we can put any kind of willow branch.

 

[Rivercats]

I don't know since I've never used the process before. That's why I suggested doing some research to see if you can find out. Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[mrvincent]

Update

Water is now VERY grey/green cloudy again. I'll try another blackout this week. I should recieve UV Sterelizer in two weeks.

I'll try the product Kent Pro-Clear in complement after the blackout.

 

[Rivercats]

Be careful with those products as they can be very hard on fish. Also keeping your lights off will help alittle and be sure to keep extra aeration going in the tank so the algae doesn't use all the oxygen up and suffocate the fish which can happen if the bloom gets really bad.

 

[mrvincent]

Last time I did it, fish were fines. I did and will do a 70%WC before blackout to diluate algae cells concentration.