What does green water mean?

Question

I have an aquarium and for the last couple months I have been getting green water.( it's freshwater tank) I would appreciate it if somebody could help me out.
I have had fish aquariums for many years, and have never had this problem before.

Answer 1

That's an algae bloom. Free floating single cell algae in the water. It's caused by the combination of two things....too much nutrient in the tank and too much light.

Reduce the nurtients by doing a large water change and be sure to clean the gravel very well in the process. Also replace the arbon in the filter. A few floating plants can help reduce the nutrients as well by using them.

Cut back on your lighting. Be sure the tank diesn't get any sunlight and keep your light turned off except when you are home and viewing the tank. The fish don't really need the light so it won't hurt then at all. At most have the light on for 10 hours a day, 8 is even better and less while you are trying to get rid of the algae.

This won't clear it overnight, but given a little time it will die off.

MM

Answer 2

I too experienced green water in my 90g since first setting it up last May. The main thing is whether or not this is a newly setup tank or not. If it is - it could just be a bacteria bloom (which is the colonies for the nitification process trying to get together and formed).

If your tank has been setup for a while, and has been like that for more than a month or two, it could be phosphates in your water. Phosphates build up over time naturally from fishy waste (so it's really important to syphon the gravel on a monthly basis if not weekly with water changes). The best way to get rid of the green water is to simply do water changes, and let nature take it's course. I tried everything from PhosZorb to an API product for getting rid of green water (caused by Algae) and nothing worked (except for time, and changing my main filter cartridges).

What ultimately cures this is just a good maintenance routine. Do at least 15% water changes weekly (no more than 20-25 percent tops) and get yourself a good gravel vacuum like a Python.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Green water is simply free floating algae (diatoms) and microscopic single-cell animals (euglenia, etc.) floating about making the water look green. It happens when there's too much plant nutrients in the water, lots of light--all the things that make plants thrive. Doing regular water changes keeps the green water unnoticeable. Daphnia eat greenwater and enough of them can clear a tank overnight (and then be used as fish food)--but if your tank has fish in it already, you'd have to put the dahnia in a net (like one of those breeding nets) so the fish can't get to them but the water can. Or set up a refugium system. It's probably just easiest to do water changes to keep the nitrites and stuff low, and diminish the amount of light the tank gets.

Answer 4

your having algae bloom.You can like clean it alot until the water gets back to normal or you can go to the store and get an algae destroyer.You also need to find out what caused the algae,is the tank getting sunlight or are you leaving the light on to long,you should only have your light on for about 8 hrs.Get some algae eaters and bottom feeders your local pet store can help you with a selection.

Answer 5

Algie groth, get an algy eater/ sucker fish The'll clean it up. Turn off teh lamp, I have my light on a timer about 8 Hrs of light. Feed the fish less they will eat the algy as well.

Algy is a plant groth. It's good because it means yor tank can sustain it self. This algy also keeps the amonia and nitrite down
If you have baby fish they eat this stuff too. I dont like chamicales because you mess up the eco ballence

Answer 6

Green water means you are doing something right. The only way to get rid of it is a U.V. filter. My water is always the color of pea soup. I intend to get a u.v. when I can afford it. But for now green water does no harm just looks bad. The fish love it and it also makes the colors pop!

Answer 7

Algae are mostly-photosynthetic organisms that sometimes resemble plants but are not plants, having no true roots, stems or leaves. Algae grow in freshwater and saltwater. Saltwater algae are sometimes referred to as "seaweed." Like plants, algae require light and nutrients to grow. We supply plenty of both in our aquariums, with several hours of aquarium lighting a day and nutrients like nitrates and phosphates from fish waste.

Algae come in many forms. There are microscopic, one-celled algae, filamentous algae that resemble hair, algae that grow in sheets, and macroalgae that look like plants. There are even algae that live inside the outer integument ("skin") or calcium shell of some corals, anemones, and other sessile invertebrates called zooxanthellae. There are slimy-looking algae that are often not algae at all, but a colony of primitive photosynthetic organisms known as cyanobacteria. There are also very hard-to-remove little dots of green that sometimes grow on aquarium panels which also are not algae, but diatom or radiolarian colonies (microscopic, one-celled, animals with hard shells) with algae incorporated in their matrix. With all that said, let us answer some common questions right up front:

Algae growth is inevitable in an aquarium.
Algae consume nutrients in the aquarium that if allowed to accumulate, are harmful to fish. Algae can be a good thing.
The presence of green algae in an aquarium indicates a healthy environment for fish.
There is absolutely no way to completely prevent algae from growing in an aquarium, without killing the other life in the tank.
Chemicals should never be used to control the growth of true algae in an aquarium, and should only be used in rare circumstances to control cyanobacteria.
Correcting a severe algae problem requires time and patience.
Natural methods of controlling algae are the best and most effective.

Algae removal from the tank panels can be done on an as-needed basis, but no more than once a week. Removing algae involves either correcting negative water conditions to control or slow excessive algae growth, or an age-old process known as "elbow grease" (scrubbing it off!). Algae removal in an aquarium should be done only when necessary. We have seen many aquariums where daily removal of algae resulted in fish that were so stressed, most had diseases and were dying. You should never remove all of the algae from your tank. Allowing some algae to grow in the aquarium can be beneficial to the aquatic environment. When algae is removed from aquarium side panels, care should be taken to select an algae scrubber that will not hurt the finish of an aquarium. Be careful not to get gravel caught in an algae scrubbing pad where it can scratch the aquarium. Never use household cleaning pads to remove algae. They contain fungicides that kill fish.

Your first mistake is boiling the water. Boiling water consentrates the nitrates in it causing algae to grow even faster. However, I've never heard of it growing within an hour Wow!

First, test the water you are filling up your tank with. Many public water supplies (our homes) have a concentration of nitrates at around 7ppm or higher. (Bottled water is no better).

This could be the start of your problem.
Be sure your tank is not within direct or indirect lighting such as a window or in a room where the lights are on constantly. Is you tank near a heat source. Sometimes we do not take into consideration a fishtank is near a heat register which can and does add additional temperature changes to your tank.

Did you clean the filter as well? Be sure the entire filter is cleaned and free of algae.

Use a razor or scraper and gently scrape all sides of your tank. Clean your gravel and return it to the tank as well. DO NOT wash the gravel in the tank. The residues of the algae will remain.

Since you have NO FISH I am assuming, use cold water to start your tank. Algae likes heat and light. Using cold water will prohibit growth. Allow your tank to run bringing it to room temperature. Then you can plug in your heater allowing your tank to run.

If you have a stick on thermometer, get yourself a floating one. The stick on thermometers pick up ambient air temperatures from OUTSIDE the tank and can be up to 10 degrees off. DON"T trust them. Try keeping your tank at 72 for a couple of days.

You can also purchase phosphorus pads for around $2.00 at your local pet store. These can be cut to fit with your filter and remove large amounts of phosphorus. These can be reused over and over just remember to rinse them out well when you clean your tank.

Test your water. Since you have not gone thru the cycle process allow your tank to run. This should really help with the algae. If you find your water quality is all your tank isn't near a heat or light source, ok but still getting algae turn the temperature down or off and let it run. You will want to scrape the sides of the tank and do a water change no more than 20% every other day. This should only be done if the algae returns in a heavy form.

If you need any more help, you can im or email me.

Answer 8

Hmmm, this is a tough one, could it be Elgie? Or maybe the water was stagnant for a while?
Do you have a filter? Maybe the filter needs cleaned, good luck

Answer 9

buy an algae eater

Answer 10

to sounds like algae to me.