My sis came over the other day and pointed out to me the tank water looked greenish. I did a 25% water change but it still looked the same. I put a cup of water in a glass but the water looked normal--not green. Could the green tint be algae growing on the glass? My pleco is always eating from the front of the glass. Thanks! (P.S. The fish seem fine.)
greenish tint
- Thread starter emmaS
- Start date
You could try to disturb the gravel at the bottom of the tank to allow the water to have a change and cycle, also the dirt (if any) that is settled on the gravel shuld be extracted by the filter.
The other easy option is to go to your local fish shop and get a water sample and they can give an accurate answer to if you fish tank is at the correct water standard
The other easy option is to go to your local fish shop and get a water sample and they can give an accurate answer to if you fish tank is at the correct water standard
Have you tried rubbing the glass to see if there actually is algae on it? Just looking at it doesn't always give the answer--hands-on always wins out. Good luck!!!
I had this happen and I tried everything suggested. Finally they suggested to do a 75-90% water change. They told me it was an algae bloom in the water. Normally happens when there is a warming of the weather. Don't vacuum the gravel when you do the water change though....Good luck.
I had this happen not long ago. I bought two aquatic plants (sword and wisteria) and reduced the time the light was on, and a few days later, the water was clear, and since I've had minimal growth on the glass (easy to scrape off). Before getting plants, be sure to read the plants threads. There is some special care for them as well.
These algea blooms are usually a result of having too many nutrients in the water for the single cell algea to feed from and multiply quickly. I agree that the water in the cup wouldnt be as green as the tank because of the lower quantity of water, but to be sure, try looking at it under the tank lights or a florecent light since different bulbs highlight different colors.
You could do a big water change and be ok for a while, but the best approach, in my opinion is to remove the food source and the algea will remove itself. Make sure you are cleaning out the gravel well, like was already pointed out, and make sure your nitrates are not getting too high between water changes. Make sure you are not over feeding at all since this will add nutrients. You may also want to look at the amount of phosphates in your water (PO4) as this can contribute as well. Many flake foods have a relatively high amount of phosphates in them as well so over feeding adds to the PO4 of your system.
A UV sterilizer would also take care of the problem for good, but I figure it is cheaper to prevent rather than buying a UV unit and bulbs for it every six months to a year.
You could do a big water change and be ok for a while, but the best approach, in my opinion is to remove the food source and the algea will remove itself. Make sure you are cleaning out the gravel well, like was already pointed out, and make sure your nitrates are not getting too high between water changes. Make sure you are not over feeding at all since this will add nutrients. You may also want to look at the amount of phosphates in your water (PO4) as this can contribute as well. Many flake foods have a relatively high amount of phosphates in them as well so over feeding adds to the PO4 of your system.
A UV sterilizer would also take care of the problem for good, but I figure it is cheaper to prevent rather than buying a UV unit and bulbs for it every six months to a year.