my tropical fish tank water keep going green.why?

Question

the water in my fish tank goes a greeny colour even though i am cleaning it sometimes twice in a week .i never needed to clean it more than once every six weeks a short while ago.i have ample filteration in the tank.why is this happening

Answer 1

It's an algae bloom, check this site out to see what causes it and how to get rid of it. http://www.drhelm.com/aquarium/cloudy%20water.html

Answer 2

For algae to grow it needs a warm, moist environment, if the tank is in direct sunlight or the temperature of the water is too high then this can be the cause. Also if you are feeding your fish to much and leaving the food in the tank this makes the water dirty, the fish only need to be fed once a day or every other day and as much as they will eat, as the fish will also eat the algae. The filter should be cleaned out once a week or if need be more often. Also when cleaning the fish only a quarter to half of the water should be taken out as the fish need the water they are in to keep the bacteria they need. You could also buy sucker fish to help clean the tank, and when cleaning wipe the algae off the sides and the ornaments in the tank, but do not take out all the water.

Answer 3

Ok, there have been lots of ridiculous answers on here. Don't listen to most of them, people just say crap that makes no sense sometimes.
Make sure your fish tank does not get any direct sunlight during the day, or if it does it's no more then 2-3 hours at most. Also, make sure you don't leave the light on the tank on for more than 8-10 hours a day.
Make sure you're not overfeeding. I don't feed my fish more than 4 times a week, that's more than enough. Make sure that all the food that you put in the tank is consumed within 2 minutes, otherwise it fouls the water.
The reason the water goes green is because algae is growing in it. Algae is a microscopic plant. If you make sure you're tank isn't getting too much light and there's not too much fertilizer (rotting fish food), then the algae will have nothing to feed off of and will stop growing.
For a couple months put activated carbon in your filter. You can buy it at the fish store. This will help polish your water and help take all the green out of it.
Good luck!

Answer 4

Tank water goes green because of algae. Green algae usually means your tank is getting too much light. If it is near a window move it to a darker part of your room. If you have artificial lights then try putting them on for 8 hours a day or less. Do this for a week or two to see if this makes a difference. Green water may also mean you are feeding your fish too much food. Only feed them what they can eat up in 5 minutes and only do this once or twice a day. After the five mins remove any uneaten food. Use a sponge to scrape any algae from the inside of the glass, clean the filter sponges and change 25% of the water once a week. If you have a lot of fish in your tank or you have just got some more fish it may just be that you need a bigger more powerful filter or that your existing filter if powerful enough, needs cleaning (not too much though or you will remove the beneficial bacteria from it). Despite what some people have said DO NOT get snails, they cause more mess than they clean up. Trust me I keep tropical fish. Good luck!

Answer 5

Fish Tank Going Green

Answer 6

Do not go out and buy a bunch of algacides and dump them into the tank. They are highly toxic, and while they kill the algae, they also have been known to kill the fish in the tank as well (ever notice how many "DANGER" warnings there are on algacide packaging?). These chemicals get rid of the algae, but do not solve the problem as to why the algae is growing. You'll need to change some of the conditions in your tank so that they are not favorable for algae to grow.

The causes and control of green water, a form of suspended algae, can be numerous and complex. Because of this, it would be impractical of me to write a huge essay on the topic here. I will therefore direct you to a very informative article on the subject at Otocinclus.com. It should be remembered, though, that green water is not harmful to fish, it just signifies an imbalance of light or nutrients (or both) in the water. You do not need to panic and perform emergency water changes.

http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/greenwater.html

Many people I have talked to that have had problems with green algae have sound this article to be helpful. I hope it helps you, and good luck with getting the water cleared up.

Answer 7

High Phosphates plus sunlight will cause rapid algae growth. Easy to put right. Make sure your tank is not in sunlight, Buy a phosphate remover from your local shop. But the best and cheapest way which i have used for years is ordinary pond snails. They are 100 times better than any algae eating fish and any tropical snails. They can tolerate the warm water ok and will breed quite readily. You will be amazed at the difference in a day or two. And unlike other snails which eat you plants these snails much prefer the algae. Good luck

Answer 8

Stop cleaning, and turn off the lights, remember algae is a plant, plants need light, a very simple fix, if it's really bad, turn and leave it off for about three days. It will not hurt the fish, they require only a few hours of sunlight, just like they would in nature. Also make sure it's not getting to much direct and by direct I mean in a window direct sunlight.
Leave the chemicals alone, and try getting fish that will also take care of the growth as well. Depending on how big your tank is, and what type of tank you have, you could try. A pleco (but he will get really big really fast and become mean, Cory Cats, Loaches, Any type of catfish, Tetras, most livebearers, and there are a few more that can help take care of it naturally for you.
Green is good, just looks bad, so you’re doing fine. Keep up the good job, but relax on cleaning it, to clean of a tank will have more problems.
Is your tank new?

Good luck to you...and enjoy your fishes...

Answer 9

It's probably algae but it's always good to check your filter over and replace or clean any sponges. Your filter sponges may need to be replaced so are working the oppisite effect.
Is your fish tank in sunlight? If so move it to a more shaded area, sunlight speeds up the algae growing process. If you have a light you could cut down on the time it spends on. Also maybe reduce feeding, a good rule of thumb is if there is still fish food in the tank after five minutes you are feeding too much and it needs to be removed before it decays and rots.
Hope I helped!

Answer 10

It sounds like you are getting direct sunlight on your tank; see if this complies with the area where the green is. I am not sure but florescent lighting may also cause algal buildup. You know, there'd be a pattern adhering to the area getting the most light. You can take a razor blade and scrape on the class inside of the tank and see if it is algae. It has never bothered me too much; I just clean it so that I can see my fish and let it be. But, I am sure that there are many remedies.

Answer 11

clean out 20% of your water everyday or every other day and put fresh de chlorinated water back in this should make the algea go away also get a few ghost shrimp or a loach that will eat the algae from the glass also guppies eat the algae as it is part of thier natural diet. clean your tank properly once evey month and that will reduce the algae as well