The water in my aquarium keeps turnin green WHY, what can be done?

Answer 1

nine times out of ten all that is wrong is that you are getting too much light hitting the water either from windows or the overhed light. protect the sides of the aquarium that is facing windows if at the sides by using decorative covering. if the light is coming directly in front of the tank, move the tank to a shadier area. Only turn on the aquarium light when you are enjoying the fish like in the evening and turn it off when you go to bed. LIGHT GROWS ALGAE and that is what the green stuff is

Answer 2

ALGEA EATERS AND SNAILS DO NOT EAT FREE FLOATING ALGAE!

Causes for green water:
1. direct sunlight or leaving the lights on for more then 8 hours.
2. Excess phosphates in the water. (living within 2 miles of a farm and getting runoff from it into the well system) (or the town messing with their water supply)
3. Not enough tank maitenance. An aquarium is a closed system and even tho the water is crystal clear it doesnt mean its clean, there are dissolved organics in the water causing nitrates to get higher, only partial waterchanges and gravel vacumings will control nitrates. If you do not do waterchanges, the high nitrates will cause alot of algae growth on stuff and in the water aswell as making the ph drop and turning the water acidic, eventually killing the fish. Overfeeding will also be a problem.

Remedies-
1. Increase tank maintenace, 30 percent weekly with vacuming the gravel will suffice aslong as you dont have heavy poopers such as goldfish, large south american cichlids, plecostamus, and snails. (Algae eaters and snails may eat algae but they poop ALOT.)
2. Cover the fish tank up for atleast 4 days with a blanket. Do not feed the fish (they will survive), do not lift the blanket up for any reason, and leave the filter running. No light whatsoever will kill the algae spores in the water.
3. There is a product called TetraPond Aqua Rem. It is a pond clarifier that makes the algae spores clump together. Only a tiny bit is to be used in an aquarium. I used a tsp for my 10 gallon and it cleared it up in 24-48 hours. I only used it once 2 yrs ago and i never had the green water come back. In high doses it can kill fish so i wouldnt use more then 2 tsp per 55 gallons. Afterwards you will need to vacume the gravel and clean out your filter because it will be gunked up with algae.

Answer 3

You have an algae problem. Getting rid of algae is not that difficult but can be frustrating.

1) If you don't have an 'algae eater' get one.. if you have one.. get another.
2) If the aquarium is in direct sunlight (even if part of the day) then move it. Algae is a plant and craves sunlight. A 'grow lamp' close by or certain types of UV lights used on aquariams can also create this issue.
3) Change out the water and then uses the above two suggestions should make it stop.
4) If it continues.. look for some chemicals at your local pet shop to help control algae growth.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Answer 4

Most algae eating fish only eat the algae that grows on surfaces. If it's green water that is your problem, then use a multi-part approach. 1. Reduce your lighting. If you don't have live plants, you can cut back a lot. 2. Do more frequent water changes to reduce nitrates. Bacteria convert nitrites to the less toxic nitrates, but then the nitrate levels keep building up -- and algae love nitrates. 3. Feed your fish less. It's usually better for the fish, and every bit of food adds more nitrate. 4. Clean your filter more often. The filter gets the fish poop out of the water, but in the filter it continues to break down -- into yet more nitrates. 4. Adding some of the algae killing liquid from the pet store (it's pretty cheap) can help too, but don't rely on it alone.

Answer 5

Algae requires excess light and excess nutrients in the tank to grow. The fact that your water is turning green (and you're not just experiencing some algae growth on objects in the tank), indicates you need to improve the water quality and control the lighting in your tank.

Reduce the amount of light entering the tank, and conduct routine water changes (at least 25% weekly).

Answer 6

Yes, the sucker fish can help, but some snails are even better than the sucker fish. I will tell you, though, that if you can't get it under control, you might have to start over ... with fresh water. One thing to consider is how many fish you have in the tank; if you have too many, algae will accumulate. And don't put the tank in the sunlight. You should ask a pet store employee about which products you can use to control the levels in the water, too. Good luck!

Answer 7

The green colour comes from algea. You can buy a product to get rid of it in any pet shop.( You would need to know, or work out, what the volume of your tank is). Snails can also help, but you would need a lot to make a difference, and they will eat all of the weed in the tank as well. It (algae) is caused by too much light on your tank. Can you move it away from light sources (windows) ? Good luck!!

Answer 8

That is algea.Grows from the lighting, could turn out the light or move away from the window. But if you have live plants they need the light. So you cold get an algea eater to put in there or snails will help keep it clean also.

Answer 9

Algae. Depending on the kind of algae you have, I might recommend an algae eater (careful-they are semi-aggressive), a plecostomus (pleco for short) (careful-certain kinds can grow to be 12" long), coryadora catfish (cory for short), or sometimes different kinds of loaches will eat algae. Oh-and make sure your tank is not near direct sunlight.

Answer 10

buy one of those fish that suck the walls of the aquarium they eat the algea and make sure the water pump is working properly with the filter