why does the water keep turning green in my aquarium?

Question

2 weeks ago my african dwarf frog died and the water turned green so i cleaned the tank and everything but the water continues to turn green. could it be algae or what? what can i do to get rid of this. i've had to clean the tank and change the water twice. but also my fish are fine and dont seem to be affected by the water change.....

there is a filtration system and it works fine!how to get rid of the algae problem?

how expensive are algae eaters and what would be the best kind for my situation: 5 gallon tank 2 neon tetras plus i might add an african dwarf frog cuz my last one died

how expensive are algae eaters and what would be the best kind for my situation: 5 gallon tank 2 neon tetras plus i might add an african dwarf frog cuz my last one died

srry more details lol i do use the start right water crap to get out the chemicals but my question is what kind of algae eater should i get and can they live in a 5 gallon also can i keep my cave, rocks, and plastic plants?

Answer 1

A green tank is infact caused by an algae bloom. Guess what those are caused by. Overfeeding. Right now, do a blackout. Turn off the lights over the tank, and do not let any light in. Cover it up with something. Do not feed and let no light in for 3 days. Also, unless your tap water is loaded with neutrients, change water, 50 % isn't too extreme.After that, feed less, make sure your tanks gets no more than 8 hours of light a day, unless planted, and recieves no direct sunlight.

Overfeeding cause algae blooms because first of all when fish eat the stuff, it comes out in forms of nitrogen, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, which incidently, plants, such as algae, love. Also they are loaded with phosphates, neutrients and many other things that cause algae blooms.]

Also, this place is good to look at http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/
as is this
http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?act=idx

DON'T ADD BLEACH

Answer 2

What you have is an imbalance in the tank. Algae is a plant and it need light and food to grow. Do you have the tank by the window? Do you leave the fish light on at night for a night light?. Also you might be over feeding the fish. Do you have too many fish in the tank and their waste is feeding the algae?

Move the tank away from a window, or get a plastic background with cardboard behind it to help block some of the light.Some people have put a mirror behind the aquarium. Turn off the light. Only leave it on for less then 4 hours a day for awhile. If you have a 10 gallon tank or smaller, get a Chinese algae eater. If you have a larger aquarium, get an plecostomus. Cory cats also eat a lot of the food that goes to the bottom of the tank. They like to school together, so it would be nice to get 2 of them. Only feed the fish once or twice a day, and only what they can eat in 4 minutes.
Did you ever think of buying live plants? I bet that they would grow very nice in your aquarium.

Get a hose type thing called a siphon hose or a gravel washer. Take out no more then 1/4 to 1/3 of the total amount of the water in the tank every week or so. Do not take out all of the water. What you have to do is get the good bacteria to grow in the tank. The good bacteria lives on the fish waste and extra food. After about a week or so, your aquarium will get cloudy. This is called the "BLOOM" stage. If the water starts to smell bad, take out 1/3 of the water that week. The nitrates are building up in the tank, and the bacteria is multiplying and is digesting the waste products. This stage is hard on your fish, but the tank has to go through its cycle. Your water will look almost pale white. Grit your teeth, keep the light off for a couple of weeks so you won't have to look at the water. Just turn the light back on so your fish can find the food. You can also buy a nitrate tester for you water, but I always go by the smell of the tank. Do not let the water smell too bad, or the water will hurt the fishes gills. This is the hardest part of starting an aquarium. Don't add anything to get rid of cloudiness, just let nature run it's course. A filter with charcoal will help get rid of the bad gasses.
Within a two or three weeks, your tank will be established. Remember not to change all of the water, or you will have to start all over again.

It is really easy to suck out 1/3 of the water every week or month with a gravel washer, and certainly beats picking up an aquarium and carrying it to the sink. It is a lot easier on your fish, your back, and the seams of the tank.
Remove most of the light source, cut down on the feeding, and get an algae eater. Enjoy you aquarium and keep it a hobby, not a chore.

Answer 3

Don't bother getting an algea eater. They don't eat the algea most of the time and they don't eat green water algea. He will also dirty up your tank with more poop. Green water is suspended algea. It is a different kind of algea than the algea that will grow on a rock or the side of the tank.
Don't leave the light on. There is enough light in the room for them to eat. They are happier with the light off. Only use the light when you are veiwing them.
Listen to Game_bundee You need to work toward healthy water. You can add some healthy bacteria to help get the water balanced. I have tetras too. Remove 20 % of the water once a month. Make the water you add the same temp as the tank water. Add plain salt: 1/2 teaspoon + a little more is ok to one gallon of water you are adding.
When you add water between water changes because of evaporation do not add salt. When the water evaporates the salt remains in the tank.
Be patient. Never clean the filter and siphon or do a water change the same week. You will destroy to much beneficial bacteria. The gravel washers [remove poop from the gravel] are great if you don't have one. You can cover the end of the tube in the bucket with you finger while you move the washer to keep too much water coming out with out getting around to more spots in the tank. If you didn't get it all you can get the rest the next week. I put a switch on my outside filter box wire so I can turn the pump off while I feed them so the filter won't suck up the food. Just feed a very small amount of food and watch them eat. If the fish let any food go to the bottom. Stop. That meal is over. Check to make sure they clean that food up next time you check on the fish. People tell me those white frogs will eat your fish. If that is the frog you are talking about. I think the frog would mess up my tank. Surely he would torment the fish. Make sure that is really what you want.

Answer 4

The green you see is algae and it's a good thing. Algae is a plant that feeds on sunlight and organic waste that has been broken down to nitrates. You probably need to use a gravel vac and do some water changes to remove some of the waste from the tank. I only change about two thirds of my water each time. When you change your water it is best to use water you have treated with starts right crystals and allowed to sit for about 24 hrs so the chlorine and dissolved gasses can escape. This also lets the water temp adjust. Besides doing a weekly water change I would add a good carbon filter that uses activated carbon and change the filter when you do a water change. I had a 55gal tank by the front window. I let the algae grow really thick on the back glass. This not only made a neat background it also cut down on some of the light and gave the fish something extra to eat.
Remember a fishes stomach isn't much bigger than their eye so it's really easy to overfeed. Feed once in the morning and once at night and if they don't eat all the feed in a few minutes you have overfed them and your starting to pollute the tank. Also the larger the tank the easier it is to keep, smaller ones pollute faster.
A 5gal tank is going to be a headache. I never used anything less than a 30. For a 5gal I would say move it out of the light and dont put very much in it. If you have a goldfish or two I would say it's full. Gold fish are really messy and grow large. Keeping a goldfish in a 5gal is like keeping an elephant in your room.
Like I said if your keeping any goldfish you tank is full. Do not add anymore fish and don't mix tropicals with goldfish.

Answer 5

Assuming you have a filter, heater, fish, food, oh yeah.. and a tank.

CHANGING WATER. If you're changing the entire tank's water - stop. Only do up to 30% at the most per week. There's a condition called cycling. It's what your tank does naturally. It takes a couple weeks to months for your tank to become normal. Fish poop in it., the poop does turns into one thing, then turns into another, filters do this and that yada yada yada.

Use a product called "cycle" to help the spikes in this cycling proccess be less harmful to your fish. You can also use this product to cycle your tank without fish. Continue using it even after the tank is done cycling.

ALGAE EATERS: Don't get no stinkin' algae eaters. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T GET A STANDARD PLECO! Your tank is only 5 gallons. You shouldn't need algae eaters for a couple of tetras in a 5 gallon tank. If you HAVE to.. get a rubber lip pleco. They're small and work very well.. many algae eaters only eat the green algae.. and not the brown. But again, you only have a 5 gallon tank. You shouldn't need it.

FEEDING: Remember that fish only need to eat the quantity of food equal to the size of their eyeball. Yeah.. if you keep feeding, they'll keep eating. They're piggos!

Go to google or whatever search enging and type 'fish tank cycle' without the quotes if you want to learn more about cycling a fish tank. Try not to worry too much though - you can really go overboard on all kinds of chemicals and test kits - I used to do that ! :)

I have NEVER ever had green water, and I'm not sure why others have it. I am going to assume something.. either you leave the light on lots, or it's near a window or has sunlight getting to it. I have a 2,000 gallon pond outside., and it gets algae.. but it has direct SUPER direct sunlight. I put lots of plants in it and it all goes away. Plants take the food from the algae and the algae dies.

LIGHTING: Fish don't need the lights that come with the tanks. Only turn the light on when you want to see them. The more light, the more algae problems. And DEFINITELY keep them out of sunlight.

I also keep my tanks at 80 degrees. You heard of the "ick" disease or problem. Parasites (ick and others) can't usually live at 80, but most fish can. Then you have no problems having to buy the ick medicine and worrying about all kinds of problems.

Any other info just email me if nobody else gives any better advice. [e-mail]

Answer 6

THIS IS THE RIGHT ANSWERE
To start with, the alge will not hurt the fish, it just makes it hard for you too see them. Sunlight causes the alge to grow green. If your tank gets a lot of direct sunlight it will keep growing it no matter how many times you clean it out.
Removing all the water and starting over is NOT good for the fish. You are supposed to remove 1/3 the water each week and replace it with clean water. That keeps the amonia and nitrates from getting too high. If you wipe the alge off the glass with a clean sponge the filter should remove it from the water. But, like I said if it is in the sun it will come back. Move the aquarium to a more shady spot. And whatever you do DO NOT put any kind of cleaners or bleach in the water unless you want dead fish. If you do take out all the water to clean the tank or just want to remove plants and decorations to clean them use white vinegar. It will kill the alge and bacteria and as soon as it dries cannot harm the fish. As long as you have a good filter you shouldnt have to use chemicals. I never have. My once .20 cent feeder fish are now 8-10 inches long and heathy. Feed them a little 2-3 timed a day instead of a lot at once. Also you dont need to buy expensive test kits...if you cant smell the water its fine. If it gets a rotten or amonia smell, clean the water, thats all there is too it.
P.S. if they are goldfish, thats why your frogs died. goldfish will eat anything they can fit in their mouths. even if they didnt totally eat the frogs I am sure they were trying to suck them in. goldfish will eat frogs snails other fish, anything that moves. sorry

Answer 7

That does seem strange. I assume your frog is in the same tank with your fish(?) I have two goldfish and use 3 different chemicals in the water: Stress Coat (water conditioner), Stress Zyme (live bacteria to enhance biological filter) and Ammo Lock (neutralizes ammonia). The Ammo Lock I found to be ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL. I couldn't keep my fish alive for longer than 2 months without it. Be sure you are cleaning that tank once a week and be careful about the amount you feed. Fish should be able to get their food up within 5 minutes. Use the chemicals every time you change the water. I don't know anything about frogs so I don't know why he died and the fish didn't. Also, be sure your tank is large enough for all your pets and your water filter should be changed every 4-6 weeks. YOU MUST BE CONSISTENT ABOUT CLEANING! I have a 6 1/2 gallon tank with 2 large goldfish. You can get the chemicals at the aquarium shop/pet store and you should probably call to find out what they say. You should also get an ammonia test kit and a pH test kit from the store.

Answer 8

dont put bleach in the water unless you want to kill your fish. if you dont have an algae eater you can get some algae destroyer and that will clear your tank up in about 2 hours. after that, get an algae eater to maintain the algae. they're not expensive ($5 each, roughly) and they can grow pretty large relatively quick. make sure to ask someone at the pet store (we prefer PetSmart) which kind will be best for your size tank. you can, also, get a snail to help eat other stuff off the bottom & walls of the tank as they are also bottom feeders. if you do those three things your tank will get clear and remain clear with minimal maintanance.

Answer 9

Yes, you can keep the caves and whatnot. Just ask the clerk at your local pet store for an algae eater. They cost very little, it was around 10 dollars for me. They clean up the tank in no time..you might want to consider a bigger tank if there is a lot of algae so you ccan have more than one algae eater or snails.

dont give up! good luck!

Answer 10

Why in the world would you want to keep a frog in with tropical fish, is beyond me, but it is for you to decide about that, you can get any type of loach, the clown loach or even a baby plecostumus, but just about any fish that are bottom feeders, they are not aggressive, so your fish will be safe no matter what you get. You say you cleaned the tank but did you boil the stones or wash under hot running tap water, if not, then that could be the reason, and if you did then it could just be an algae buildup