I have a fresh water 10gal. fish take with 3 gold fish, a tetra and 4 other fish that I cannot remember what species they are. The water will turn cloudy first and then after about 2 days in turns green. There is no algy on the sides of the tank...just the water turns green. I even have a new filter that work in 20gal. tanks! It's frusterating..any thoughts?
2007-01-27 05:21:16 · 9 answers · asked by beaner250 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
You have to figure out what is causing the growth in your tank. Changing light bulbs is NOT going to stop growth of algae in your tank. Algae Thrive on bright light and nitrates. Changing the light will make it worse.
Ok, is your tank situated near a heat source? i.e. a heat register baseboard heating?
Does it get any sunlight from windows? How about the temperature of your tank? You need a regular floating themometer not one of those stick on the side of the tank ones. (they do not register accurately the water temps) Ok, if everything here is fine you need to test your nitrates. a really good reading is around 20-40 ppm. If you don't have a test kit, get one If not, take a sample to a reputable store and have them test it. Some will do this for free.
Your phosphorus could also be out of whack. You can buy phosphorus pads at your pet store, usually a large sheet for around $2.00. This pad can be cut to the size of your filter and added to it. These are always a good idea for any tank anyway.
Now, while you are waiting to either move your tank, or the pads to work you are going to have to Clean your tank. Scrape all the sides of your tank. Use your syphone and do a 10% water change.
You will have to do a 10% water change every day for atleast a week. Honestly though, the pads will help remove most of the phosphorus algae. Never do a 50% water change in a saltwater tank. No more than 25% at any one time. Also, don't remove your fish unless you absolutely have to. This places undue stress on the fish
Be sure to change your filters and clean any decorations you have.
2007-01-27 05:40:10 · answer #1 · answered by danielle Z 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hm... well, goldfish tend to be very messy fish and will dirty up your tank in an instant. That could be why your tank is getting cloudy first. Regarding the green water it does sound like algae, even though it is not on the side of the tank. Acrylic tanks grow algae more because they scratch easier (making a nice home for the algae to grow). I got a glass tank and don't have near as much trouble. You could try an algae killing liquid but make sure you have no invertebraes, I believe it can hurt them. The most important thing is... keep your tank out of direct sunlight! That will cause excessive algae growth. Hope this helps!
2007-01-27 05:30:11 · answer #2 · answered by bluefairy421 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
You get free floating algae for the same reasons you get the normal green algae, too much light and too many phosphates. 3 goldfish is WAY too many for a 10 gallon tank and can be causing the nitrates to get too high which algae eats. Either get rid of the goldfish or get a much bigger tank. Fancy goldfish need a minimum of 10 gallons each when babies and 20+ when adults so plan for the adult size unless you want to upgrade again in a year or so. Tetras are schooling fish so they need to be in a group of no less then 6, so either return the one you have or get more. Goldfish are cold water fish, tetras and probably the other fish too are tropical which need warm water so they don't even belong in the same tank.
Check out this site for more info on green water, it lists the causes and how to get rid of it. http://www.drhelm.com/aquarium/cloudy%20water.html
2007-01-27 05:28:37 · answer #3 · answered by Nunya Biznis 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
I think this referred to as a "Bloom", it is algae, even though you not see any on the glass. It could be in the Gravel. Do you leave your light on all the time? If so, turn it off when you go to bed and on when you wake up and feed. You may need to break down the aquarium and wash everything well or they sell a liquid algae killer you can try. Get you an Algae eater and it will help. I like the Chinese Algae eaters as they do a good job, just buy a small one as it will grow. This all I know, if, I find a link I put it here, PetSmart usually have some good free information on various subjects on-line @ http://www.petsmart.com/ps/main.jsp
Below article and link for Ponds but it same for an aquarium as far as algae growth, I know petsmart have a guide it just finding it.
Water Changes
Algae blooms require nutrients like phosphates and nitrates. In order to control the algae you have to remove all or most of the nitrates and phosphoric compounds. This isn't easy but is doable by partial water changes. The added water contains no nitrates, so the algae growth is reduced. Partial water changes are excellent for fish health as well, so this is a highly recommended way to control algae.
http://www.petsmart.com/global/articles/article_detail.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673268049&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696503994&bmUID=1169923623149&No=36&In=Fish&N=156691
2007-01-27 05:35:33 · answer #4 · answered by Snaglefritz 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋
just because you cant see the algy building up on the side of the tank doesn't mean its not there. Buy an algy eating fish, this will help you clean your tank less. You should have a bigger tank for 8 fish though. also sunlight = fast algy growth
2007-01-27 05:29:31 · answer #5 · answered by graphix 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
This happened to me at first too. Go to your nearest pet store and tell them you need the treatment for cloudy,green water. They will know what to give you. Also make sure your tank is not directly in front of a open window where too much sunlight gets in this can cause excessive algae growth in the water.
2007-01-27 05:30:13 · answer #6 · answered by fluffy 1 · 0⤊ 4⤋
If you have your tank anywhere near a sunlit spot that will do it. Your tank should be on an inside wall and should not have any sunlight on it. Flourscent light will not promote as much of this material. Incandecent lights will cause this faster as well. So get rid of any outside light, and change your lighting if you can. If the lighting is not possible, then at least make sure that you get rid of any sunlight. !!
2007-01-27 05:29:32 · answer #7 · answered by having fun 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
turn down the lights in your tank. unless you are growing plants a couple of hours at feeding is plenty. more than 8 and you are begging for algae
2007-01-27 05:36:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
because it gets dirty
2007-01-27 05:46:13 · answer #9 · answered by ivan_ayarza10 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋