Green water

[Stasher]

Ok, I have a question on for my brother.
He has a 90g with about 12 1" or smaller africans/s.american cichlids in it. The tank is around 3 months old. He is using 2 hagen 802 ph's in the tank for movement and has both a Fluval 304 and 404 for water filtration. His water has been tested constantly and the parameters are all in line.

The problem is that the water in the tank is a cloudy green and you can't even see the back of the tank. He is doing extreme water changes to battle the color of the water but is having no luck. He just did a 75% water change the other day and by the next morning the water was completely green again.

He is unfortunately using tap water but can't afford an RO unit at this time. What can be causing this water born algae bloom. The glass, rocks and sand in the tank are extremely clean, the water is the only problem in the tank. They have reduced feedings significantly and lighting also.

Thank you for any insight into their dilema.

Chris

[StirCrazy]

sounds like phosphates in the tap water.

Steve

[Richer]

A small ammonia/nutrient spike probably caused the green water bloom. All levels are inline, because the algae in the water is absorbing all the nutrients in the water column. Water changes will not fix this problem, as any leftover algae in the water will multiply very quickly. A black out method will work to fix the problem.

Increase the surface aggitation of the tank, do a 50% water change, clean out the mechanical filters in the tank, and/or add more mechanical filters (ie. those powerhead quickfilters). Shut off your lights. Cover the tank with heavy blankets/black garbage bags, and make absolute sure that no light gets into the tank. Leave for 2-3 days. During this time, do not feed your fish. If your friend has plants, don't worry about them. Healthy plants can do without light for a 2-3 days, though some plants can get a little "leggy". Afterwards, remove the tank cover, do another 50% water change and reset the tank to its original setup. Afterwards, just make sure the nutrient levels in your friend's tank is good, and the green pea soup shouldn't show up again.

-Rich

[Stasher]

A small ammonia/nutrient spike probably caused the gren water bloom. All levels are inline, because the algae in the water is absorbing all the nutrients in the water column. Water changes will not fix this problem, as any leftover algae in the water will multiply very quickly. A black out method will work to fix the problem.

Increase the surface aggitation of the tank, do a 50% water change, clean out the mechanical filters in the tank, and/or add more mechanical filters (ie. those powerhead quickfilters). Shut off your lights. Cover the tank with heavy blankets/black garbage bags, and make absolute sure that no light gets into the tank. Leave for 2-3 days. During this time, do not feed your fish. If your friend has plants, don't worry about them. Healthy plants can do without light for a 2-3 days, though some plants can get a little "leggy". Afterwards, remove the tank cover, do another 50% water change and reset the tank to its original setup. Afterwards, just make sure the nutrient levels in your friend's tank is good, and the green pea soup shouldn't show up again.

-Rich

Thank-you very much for your input, I will tell him right away.
Chris

[Richer]

Happy to help :razz:

Please keep us updated on your friends tank :cool:

-Rich

[muck]

Wish I would have know about this board a few years back when I had the same problem in my African Cichlid tank. Would have saved me a lot of grief... :rolleyes:

[Stasher]

Happy to help :razz:

Please keep us updated on your friends tank :cool:

-Rich

I definately will.

[Fish Breath]

If he has access to a UV sterilizer run that on it for a day or two and that should clear it up Also Diatom filter may do the trick

[Richer]

I agree that UV sterilizers and diatom filters will work, but blackouts are basically free, so why not try them? :razz:

-Rich

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

If you were nearer to Vancouver, I'd loan him my UV unit, but alas, we are a couple of provinces apart. UV is designed for just this sort of problem & since it's only algae & not ick, you could use a faster flow rate & clear up the green water tout de suite. (pardon my French :lol: ) A Magnum HOT filter with a micro-filter/water polishing cartridge can function like a small diatom filter.

Good luck.

Anthony

[Stasher]

Would a uv sterilizer be a good investment for a freshwater tank? I know there is good and bad on reef tanks but am curious for his fw tank?

[Richer]

I'm lean towards the "not bad... but definately not needed" side of the arguement. If you do have a uv sterilizer, I don't see the harm in using it. In all honestly, I cannot see myself investing money in a UV sterilizer for my fw tanks. A good water changing and feeding routine, plus a low-moderate stock goes a long way in keeping water quality good in an average fw tank.

-Rich

[Fish Breath]

My opinion is Not woth the money for fresh water as you would hardly ever use it (only with a green water outbreak and that shouldn't happen very often) a better investment would be a magnum filter as you can use it for a regular filter and as a diatom filter. The diatom use will cure Ick too
But thats just my opinion

[Rikko]

I've found algal blooms are usually just when something goes out of balance in the system. It WILL clear up on its own, but some people I've told to wait came back after 3 months rather annoyed and said it finally cleared. (Hey, I never told them it would happen overnight!)
I had the same problem with my 77 gallon last summer after doing an enormous cleaning and nothing seemed to help.. Water changes just aggrivated it (influx of fresh trace minerals and massive export of this "balance" I keep referring to but can't scientifically define). Reduced photoperiod had no effect. I didn't try blackout simply because the way the tank is set up in the room it would be an absolute nightmare to cover, and the neighbouring reptile tank wouldn't be impressed with me.

I finally broke down and bought a flocculant. A bottle of Green Water Clarifier (Laguna/Hagen pond liquid - I think it's just a more concentrated and cheaper version of P Clear) and I was set. Green algae comes.. Throw some poly floss in the filter (I didn't even do that) and the correct dosage of flocculant and the algae will clump and get drawn into the filter. I ended up having to add it 3 times over a week and the algae was gone. I even did a hefty water change after that and no algae blooms.

[Stasher]

I got him to email a picture of his tank for you to see...

http://ist234.sasktelwebsite.net/P1010068.JPG

[Rikko]

Man, can't even see the cherubs...

[meltdownaverted]

Had the same problem a year back. Before going to the trouble of the other methods try using filter floss (looks like cotten batting). My algea looked exactly the same, put the coten in and a day later the water was clear. Good luck