Algae?

[newtosnails]

Okay, I finally got rid of all the meds in the tank (mutiple water changes, ugh). The water was totally clear last night and this morning it is green again. Do I have algae? And how do I get rid of this? I thought I remembered reading to blackout the tank for 3 days, but maybe it was 7 I really can't remember. Any help would be appriciated. :)

Thank you so much!! ;)

[5Bettamom]

Never had problems with algae myself, but know my friend sarahs tank is covered in it. No idea how to get rid of it..//..shes changes the water in her tank weekly..

[Shagmaster]

Blackout for 1 week, IE 7 days. No peeking, or feeding.

[liv2padl]

The green water, often referred to as "cloudy water or pea soup", which makes your fish disappear right in front of your eyes, is an algae bloom. Free floating planktonic single celled algae growing at a rate that turns the water green.

The cause is always the same, too much light and excess nutrients (nitrates) often resulting from overfeeding. Excessive light cannot only be attributed to the aquarium lighting but also intense room lighting and direct sunlight.

Keeping nutrients low can prevent Green water, while water changes provide little to no help in clearing the water. The algae spores are readily available in the water, including most waters used for changes. These spores will thrive in nutrient rich water, adding to the deterioration of the visual appeal. An algae bloom can become so severe that the content of your aquarium can literally vanish in the green water.

Some insist that turning off the lights will eliminate the problem, only to add that the problem just keeps re-occurring. So this hardly seems like a solution.

Algae will consume oxygen at night during photosynthesis. A severe algae bloom can deplete the tank of oxygen, so adequate oxygenation must be provided during the light off period.

Dying organic matter creates phosphates, so the filter should be rinsed more frequently during an algae bloom, eliminating some of the decaying matter. Vacuuming the gravel will also help.

A couple of more expensive solutions would be to use a diatom filter or a UV filter. The diatom filter uses a very fine diatomaceous earth to trap the algae while a UV filter kills the algae by destroying it's DNA.

[TKOS]

I my experiences, algae blooms have always occured when the tank needed a little extra maintanence. This doesn't mean I wasn't doing my gravel vacuuming and water changes. But a food source was being missed. In my cases it was java moss or hair grass. Both of these plants were trapping lots of debris which in turn was feeding the algae. It required, in both cases, a severe amount of pruning, followed by filter cleaning and large water changes. I also cut back feeding both times to min (every other day). Once the prunign and cleaning was completed the green water has not come back for me.