11 day blackout!!! Still have green water!!

[jec0995]

Well, I've done a 50% water change followed by a 7 day blackout and another 50% water change. The tank looked crystal clear. Two days later, green again.

So, another 50% water change, a 4 day blackout, and another 50% water change. Tank looks great. Perfectly clear. Two days later...green coming back.

What do I have to do to beat this **** green water? I have media in the fluval 404 to remove nitrates and phosphates. The tank is fully planted (they were healthy before the 11 days of blackout). Now, the plants aren't looking so good. This is an established 75 gallon tank.

Ammonia = 0ppm
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate= 10

My other tank is fine so there can't be a problem with my tap water. How many blackouts will I have to do to get rid of this problem. I'm really frustrated with this and I'm thinking of getting rid of the tank. This is not much fun anymore and I've have fish for about 5 years now. Never had a problem frustrate me so much. :mad2:

Any comments??

 

[Roan Art]

The last thing you want to remove are the nitrates. The plants NEED those to consume the phosphates. The algae needs the phosphates.

Get a phosphate test kit and post the numbers from your tank and your tap water and we'll see what's going on.

Roan

 

[abraham]

Have you added any "driftwood"? I had this happen to me once a long time ago when I was a kid. I put some in my tank and it turned the water green. Same kinda thing you're talkin' about. turns out that the driftwood was really just some branches that had thrown in the lake and were still green (cut from a live tree). Took them out and di a water change and everything got better.

Abraham

 

[jec0995]

Roan,

The nitrates are still at 10ppm...right where I want them. I don't have a phosphate test kit but I had it tested. There were phosphates in there but nothing outrageous. I don't remember the exact number. :duh:

I used the phosphate remover to try and help during the blackouts. I thought...not only kill the light resource but also decrease the nutrient resources within the tank during the blackout phase.

This just feels like the never ending battle with green water. I know my plants could use some fertilizer after all the blackout but I'm afraid of using it. The algae will probably use it quicker than the plants. I don't know what to do besides watching the tank turn green, changing the water, and doing another blackout. I don't want to mess with UV or diatom filters. They will only mask the problem. I want to solve this thing.

I just hope it won't take months. I like to enjoy my tank and right now everytime I look at it...it makes me mad. This has been going on since Jan 1st.

I'm out of answers...

 

[Jay]

"Green Water" is a real PITA algae. It does not respond to many algae eradication strategies.

A UV sterilizer will kill it.
A Vortex diatom filter will clear it out.

A water change or blackout will have little effect on it unless the root of the problem is found. This algae will go away if the source of nutrient that is buoying the bloom is eliminated. It is particularly fond of urea, ammonium, organic phosphates etc. Dead or dieing plant material, excess fish poo not vacuumed up, over feeding of any kind. I have no idea what your plant mass is, lighting, fert routine, consistency of co2 etc. so I cannot advise there.

The persistence of this algae is almost always a tank management - nutrient management problem. I would look there to solve the problem.

Jay

 

[Roan Art]

. . . The persistence of this algae is almost always a tank management - nutrient management problem. I would look there to solve the problem.

Exactly what Jay says. You have to find out what the excess nutrient is in order to control it.

You may want your nitrates at 10ppm, but if your phosphates are at 1.5ppm, that's too low.

I'd post in the plants forum. There are more people there who deal with this kind of thing and they don't come into the other forums.

Roan

 

[jec0995]

Thanks for the help. I'll post in the plants forum.