I have had three tanks in a row for a few years, mainly for breeding guppies for snake food. It's nice if they look nice, but I don't obsess over anything. All of the fish are and have been the picture of perfect health, breeding well.
One of the tanks is a homemade (purchased second hand) 25 gallon. I like to run this one as an open concept, with plants and decor coordinated in and out of the tank. The other 2 have normal closed tops.
This tank ran great up until about a year ago. That's when the water turned a mysterious shade of green that would thicken quickly into a murky soup, making it impossible to see the fish. I assumed this was algae, and over the course of the past year have tried every idea I've found so far to clear it up. I'm starting to wonder if it even is algae:
When it was clear, it had java moss and java fern growing nicely, plastic plants both in and out of the water, a clay pot, rocks, slate tiles, lucky bamboo, and an ordinary room lamp attached to the side. I have removed and sanitized various components over time, and changed filter types or removed filtering completely, with no difference. All that's left at the moment is the lucky bamboo, some rocks, the clay pot, slate tiles, plastic plants and a small corner filter. The real plants died from lack of light. There are a few small snails that are easy to control with so little left in the tank.
I have limited the photoperiod and feeding; no difference. I have performed drastic WCs, at times keeping only a few gallons in it to make frequent WCs easier. It makes little difference whether I change the water daily or weekly. A 40% WC dilutes the green only briefly, before it's as dark as ever.
All this time, the 2 tanks beside it have remained crystal clear. All 3 grow a little bit of algae on the glass which is very easily kept in check by occasionally wiping it off.
I assume the water is healthy enough given the fish being so healthy.
So... what on earth is this stuff???? And how do I get rid of it? Without using any products that might harm the snake that eats the fish from here...
Any insight most appreciated!
One of the tanks is a homemade (purchased second hand) 25 gallon. I like to run this one as an open concept, with plants and decor coordinated in and out of the tank. The other 2 have normal closed tops.
This tank ran great up until about a year ago. That's when the water turned a mysterious shade of green that would thicken quickly into a murky soup, making it impossible to see the fish. I assumed this was algae, and over the course of the past year have tried every idea I've found so far to clear it up. I'm starting to wonder if it even is algae:
When it was clear, it had java moss and java fern growing nicely, plastic plants both in and out of the water, a clay pot, rocks, slate tiles, lucky bamboo, and an ordinary room lamp attached to the side. I have removed and sanitized various components over time, and changed filter types or removed filtering completely, with no difference. All that's left at the moment is the lucky bamboo, some rocks, the clay pot, slate tiles, plastic plants and a small corner filter. The real plants died from lack of light. There are a few small snails that are easy to control with so little left in the tank.
I have limited the photoperiod and feeding; no difference. I have performed drastic WCs, at times keeping only a few gallons in it to make frequent WCs easier. It makes little difference whether I change the water daily or weekly. A 40% WC dilutes the green only briefly, before it's as dark as ever.
All this time, the 2 tanks beside it have remained crystal clear. All 3 grow a little bit of algae on the glass which is very easily kept in check by occasionally wiping it off.
I assume the water is healthy enough given the fish being so healthy.
So... what on earth is this stuff???? And how do I get rid of it? Without using any products that might harm the snake that eats the fish from here...
Any insight most appreciated!
