View Full Version : Green water again!!
I thought I had this green water thing nipped in the bud about a year ago but I still have it. Last year I posted about the pea soup algae and found out the ph regulator was causing the problem. I have since stopped using the stuff but still continue to struggle with it. Now the water does not get complete green (like before) to the point were you could not see the fish in the tank but it always has a green hue to it.
Tank is in the basement and gets no sunlight what so ever. Tank light 40-watt bulb, is only on when I am on the computer. I do 25%-30% water changes every 5-7 days. Feed two 3-4 inch goldfish lightly every other day. Only additive that I use is Prime for my water conditioner.
Are there any tests that I could do to try and find out what is wrong?
Thanks
yashinfan
10-10-2003, 5:17 PM
How big is the tank?
stik6shift98
10-10-2003, 6:08 PM
one of my tanks just did that too....and its in the basement where no light gets to as well...im guessing i leave my lights on too often...???
The tank is a 55-gallon; I do not keep the lights on any longer than 1 hour or 2. One thing that I noticed is the have an Emperor 400 and the bio wheels are completely green. Could this be causing the tank to keep its green hue.
The Gipper
10-10-2003, 6:38 PM
Size of tank?
fish?
fertilizing?
plants?
CO2/
55 gallon, 2 3-4 inch goldfish, no plants
stik6shift98
10-10-2003, 9:19 PM
i have green biowheels as well...i think that might be it ....im gonna clean em right now...i keep my lights on about 10hrs per day
yashinfan
10-11-2003, 5:26 PM
Usually it is caused by excess waste and new lighting. Otherwise if you had old lighting (like mine that is 16 yrs old), you would just get brown algae. Why do you give your fish such a little amount of light time? Mine are on from 8:30-10:30 every day. Goldfish are messy lil buggers, which I am sure you have noticed, so you would have to do water changes and siphoning quite often to get the excess waste down to a comfortable level. Maybe you need a good pleco or cat fish?
stik6shift98
10-11-2003, 6:49 PM
im almost positive its not from waste or new lighting....i did clean my biowheel and it got a lilttle bit better
I am going to run my diatom and replace the bio wheels after I hit it with a dose of PP.
stik6shift98
10-12-2003, 1:02 PM
Originally posted by avoxo
I am going to run my diatom and replace the bio wheels after I hit it with a dose of PP.
whats pp?
PP is Potassium Permanganate.:)
125gJoe
10-12-2003, 2:51 PM
Originally posted by avoxo
The tank is a 55-gallon; I do not keep the lights on any longer than 1 hour or 2. ...... I don't understand this at all....
What type of fish food are you using?
stik6shift98
10-13-2003, 4:04 AM
Originally posted by avoxo
PP is Potassium Permanganate.:)
where can i get it??? does it really help??
Right now I am feeding Bio-Blend, TetraExotic and duckweed.
PP can be purchased from pond suppliers, most people use it as medication to clear up parisites and algae :eek: :eek: :eek: CAUTION :eek: :eek: :eek:, this stuff is highly caustic use with extreme caution.
DeVitaf
10-13-2003, 10:10 AM
Originally posted by stik6shift98
i have green biowheels as well...i think that might be it ....im gonna clean em right now...i keep my lights on about 10hrs per day
NEVER clean your bio-wheels. That goopy dicoloration all over those wheels is your beneficial bactaria. Cleaning those wheels will interupt your nitrogen cycle and cause your ammonia to spike.
Does the water smell?
Do you reuse the same filter media in your emperor?
If so than the carbon is long dead by now. Activated carbon only stays activated for about two weeks. Activated carbon will remove any smell and discoloration from your tank. Try replacing the filter media with brand new ones.
I have never cleaned my biowheels; my concern is that they have green algae on them. I think the green algae is feeding off of the nitrate that is being produced by the bio-wheels which is good in a way but it just drops the algae back into the tank. The tank always has a green hue to it. I have another tank (20 gallon), which is always clear. I do the same thing to this tank as I do to the 55. I do not use carbon.
tricksterpup
10-13-2003, 4:14 PM
hmmmm.. wish I had your problem.. I would place a refugium on the back of the tank and load it up with Daphnia. The Daphnia would devour the green water like it was out of style. :)
jim
What exactly is a refugium?
tricksterpup
10-13-2003, 5:40 PM
A refugium is a place for micro organisms and bugs can hide from the fish that will not be eaten, a refuge.
Here is a picture of CPR's hang on Refugium with light. Many reefers keep them for many of the creatures and macro alage in a reef tank .
jim
http://www.cpraquatic.com/product%20images/RF-1.jpg
run your diatom.
check your nitrates and do more water changes.
i still really don't get it. i have a 55g that gets partial or indirect sunlight, and the light has been on for well over a month now, and i never get green water. (if i shut the light off the catfish eat my convict fry and i wanted this batch to last.) all i do is water changes. i do have a bio-wheel (emp400) and i also have a fluval 404 and an aquaclear300 on the tank atm. all i do is water changes........ :confused:
i even overfeed.
is the tank properly cycled? maybe the algae is interrupting it somehow. i know this sounds weird, but i was able to make 1 of my tanks go green once and it was after leaving the lights on forever and throwing the cycle out of whack. the plants actually take up ammonia easier than nitrate, so maybe that's why you're seeing it on the bio-wheels. maybe put new ones on after the diatom and re-cycle the tank.
as a shot in the dark, maybe the algae is doing the cycle NOT the bacteria.
edit: and the emp400 cartridges only get changed when they fall apart or become uncleanable. i reuse mine as long as i can, i just wash them in high-pressure tap water.
125gJoe
10-14-2003, 9:46 AM
I would stop the DuckWeed feedings for now....
phosphate is another 1 to check, i forgot on my earlier post. nitrate and phosphate make plants grow. :)
OrionGirl
10-14-2003, 11:40 AM
Duckweed is probably not the problem. I have duckweed on almost all of my tanks--I add it to tanks that are showing a bit more algae than I like. Duckweed pulls nitrates out quicker than anything else, since CO2 is never a limiting factor for it like it can be for aquatic plants.
If anything, I would see about setting up some sort of safe zone where the duckweed can thrive and not be eaten--it will likely help reduce the nutrients in the water column.
125gJoe
10-14-2003, 2:57 PM
Originally posted by OrionGirl
Duckweed is probably not the problem. ... ...safe zone where the duckweed can thrive and not be eaten--it will likely help reduce the nutrients in the water column. I suppose stopping the duckweed feedings might help...