Green soupy water

[yashinfan]

Alright, so I searched through the old articles and I couldn't find anything that matches my situation so I decided to post.

My 10 gallon now has green soupy water! I cannot see the back of the tank any longer and I really want it gone. It started off as brown algae on the sides of the glass, which disappeared once I got new lighting. Then it grew back as green-blue algae which, is because of too many nutrients in the water. So I did tons of water changes and it wouldn't go away! So I scraped the algae off the sides of the tank and then came back a couple of hours later and the water was so green!! AHH!

So I did a lot of water changes but this didn't work at all! Now I have more algae growing on the glass and everything in the tank besides the fishes! They don't seem to mind this at all, but it's really gross and I can't look at my fry!!

I really don't know what to do?! I suppose I could buy an otto but I heard they die really easily during addition to a tank and also I don't have any room in this tank to add anything else. I move about 5 fish to the 23 gallon every week but this does not seem to help either! Also, the fish are fry and I don't know if ottos will eat 'em?? I don't think so but I would want to be 100% sure.

Any suggestions?!

[OrionGirl]

If you have a healthy, planted tank, get a cup or two of that water (collect it from around the plants with a baster) and move that into the green tank. If you have some java moss, clip a chunk and let that float in this tank as well. It sounds like the tank is out of balance on the micro level, meaning the micro fauna that normally dines on free floating algae is out of whack. The water from the healthy tank, and the java moss will re-stock the green water tank, and they should take care of it. In the mean time, a black out period of 1-2 days will help, but unless you either remove the excess nutrients the algae are feeding on or get some more micro fauna in there, the green will return.

Many of these micro fauna are eaten by fry, which may be why the algae was able to get a foothold in the beginning. You may need to tranplant them regularly to keep a population resident to the tank.

There are some filtration options--a diatom filter will clear the green--but they will be a short term fix until the source of the excess nutrients is resolved.

[yashinfan]

Thanks for the advice, I just added a big cup of water to the 10 gallon from my 30 gallon. I wasn't aware of the whole micro-fauna thing- guess it might have paid off to pay attention/attend grade 10 science lol! The problem with a black out of this tank is that it is in the basement so it won't get ANY light and therefore, the fish will just sleep and will not eat at all. Wouldn't 1-2 days without eating be really bad for the fry??
Should I keep doing daily water changes or will that do nothing?

[OrionGirl]

You don't have to do the black out--just an option. If it will harm the fry (and 2 days without food wouldn't help them) than don't do so.

[29gallonsteve]

You have green water from a nutrient imbalance...for me it has always come with overdosing ferts...here is one of many links on the unicelluar algae that everyone cries about...it is not a big deal...i usually black out, with surface agitation, no co2, no feeding for 3-5 days. Fish will be fine...


http://aquabotanicwetthumb.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=4006090712&f=6606090712&m=1266007244&r=7246053444#7246053444

Thanks,
Steve

[yashinfan]

No fertilizers or CO2 were added to my tank, since there's no plants in the tank. I guess I will have to go steal some java fern from my boyfriend.. lol.. he won't be too happy. 3-5 days without food will definitely not be good for fry, sorry, that's not even going to be considered. The least I will feed them is once a day!!!
As for a black out, what I have been doing is turning on the lights for 20 minutes in the morning, doing a feeding, allowing for another 2-5 minutes to look for leftovers on the bottom and then lights off. When I come home in the afternoon (~4), I turn the lights on and then they go off at 10.
Is this too much light to help combat the algae? I turned off the light in my tank today after one hour of light so it's probably had 1.5 hours of light today.

[29gallonsteve]

Sorry...didn't notice that you said the fish are fry.

How old are the fry? Green water is an overabundance of unicellular plants life in the tank.

Fry should love the regular food supply that the green water provides. Look up 'infusoria', that is exactly what green water is...

There are 4 ways (combined with water changes) to stop green water...

UV Filter
Diatom Filter
Blackout
or
Do nothing and see if it eventually fixes itself...

The last will not happen unless you keep up with very regular, frequent water changes and stop over feeding (if you are)...

If it is green water, I would think that you don't even need to feed the fry if they are very young...they should be feasting on the infusoria.

Java Fern is a VERY slow growing plant without CO2 and light...you will not be helping yourself with that...

Good luck.

Thanks,
Steve

[OrionGirl]

The java fern was recommended to help introduce the critters that eat the algae, not to compete with the algae.

[29gallonsteve]

OrionGrl...

Would you agree, though, that if there if the cause of the GW was a significant imbalance...over fert, over light, over feed, overstock...then the population of rotifiers will not ever be able to keep up with the growth of the GW?

Thanks,
steve

[yashinfan]

Okay fry are from early July so... almost 5 months? Some of them are almost adults but they are in the 23. The smaller ones are in the 10 gallon. Over feeding is not possible with these guys, if anything I under feed them because there's no way all of them get to eat. The problem is that when I started I had marbles at the bottom and all the waste was there and I didn't even know! When I moved some to the 23, I saw how much crud there was and algae had already started to grow. I did a massive cleaning and put in another filter to help out, so I assume that helped spark the problem. It is possible that the fry ate the micro fauna because I'm sure they were v. hungry.
So why would a java fern not help again? I am so confused, I forgot to grab one from my boyfriend! *smack* I really don't ever want to have to invest in CO2, and I know a java fern would do really well in this tank since the conditions seem to be absolutely perfect for the algae. Anyway, time to goth myself up 'cuz I'm going trick-or-treating for UNICEF and the food bank! Yay community service!! :)

[29gallonsteve]

Have you tested the NH4, NO2/NO3???

They could be off the charts. If you NH4 or NO2 is high without any NO3, then it definitely is a biological issue. If there is not NH4, but high NO3, then water changes will solve the problem.

Definitely add any plant life you can. Hornwort, Java Moss and Java fern will all help without CO2. If you can try some water sprite and you have the minimum of 1.0 wpg, you will see the nitrates dissappear with the addition of those and regular (40-50%) water changes weekly over the next 3-4 weeks.

Thanks,
Steve

[OrionGirl]

If there is an overabundance of something that is not remedied, then yes, the rotifiers will be overwhelmed by the GW. My assumption is that this is a tank that never had a high population of rotifiers, since it is likely that fry consumed them previously, so a re-introduction will recolonize the tank, and allow them to become established in levels high enough for the fry predation to have minimal impacts.

[famman]

The problem is that when I started I had marbles at the bottom and all the waste was there and I didn't even know! When I moved some to the 23, I saw how much crud there was and algae had already started to grow. I did a massive cleaning and put in another filter to help out

A typical algae bloom due the the sudden release of nutrients collected over time within marbles.
Remove the marbles if they are still there.
50% water change + gravel(?) vacuum.
toss in a plant or two to establish microfauna, any old aquatic plant will do, it doesn't have to be permenant.
be patient.

good luck
:)

[guppies]

I am not sure we have the same problem. a year ago, i went on holiday for 2 weeks, i using those 2 weeks vacation food to feeding my fish, when came back, the water are all green, no matter how much water change i make, it don't help, 25%,50%,75% doesn't matter in my case, finally call the local fish store, and purchase a stuff call fincare 1 (i believe), put it in, all green stuff was gone in 48 hrs.

[guppies]

try fincare I, work for me before

[anonapersona]

How many fry? How big, you said nearly adults. I suspect they have outgrown the tank.

[yashinfan]

Oh yea, the fry definitely need a new home. But I'm getting another ten gallon this week finally! Hurray! So I have already removed more than 50% of the marbles. There were about 4 litres of marbles in the begining, now there is less than one. When I get the 10 gallon, I will also get the java fern (which I keep forgetting! GRR!) I don't have any kits to test for NH4, NO2 or NO3, sorry. I'm trying to not spend any more money on my fish except on buying them, meds or food.
I've been leaving the lights off during the day and turning them on after 4 each day to reduce the growth of more algae. I've done pretty big water changes but those seem to help only temporarily. I think I will just move all the fish into the new 10 gallon and give the old one a good scrub and then move half of them back into the 10. Seems the most logical to me....

[yashinfan]

So I finally got a java fern, I was wondering how much light do they need to do well, because I want to give my tank less light than usual to help combat algae.

[JSchmidt]

You don't use Proper pH or some other phosphate based softener/pH lowerer, do you? Anything that adds phosphates to you water will feed the unicellular algae like crazy...

Just a thought...

If all else fails, there's always a UV unit.

Jim

[yashinfan]

Nope, no pH modifiers in the tank. I'm so stingy right now, I really don't want to shell out any extra cash. Do you have an idea of how much they cost?