My fish tank water is dirty and I cleaned so many times?

Question

It keeps getting dirty, it takes 1 day to turn a really disgusting green.

46 gallon tank
11 fish
2 tinfoil barbs
2 silver dollars
6 Parrotfish
1 algaeater

All tropical fish

On gravel.

Please help

Answer 1

What you have there is green algae and it's sometimes a pain to get rid of it quickly. Algae need two things to grow, nutrients and light. Make sure your tank isn't getting any direct sunlight and only keep the light on about 10 hours a day. Also when you clean your tank, are you using a gravel siphon to clean the gravel? If not get one at the pet store to use, they are really cheap. Clean the gravel as you remove water and change about 25-35% of the water once a week. Be sure to rinse out your filter pad in the old water and replace the carbon at least once every two weeks when you do the water changes. By doing this before long the green water will go away. It could take a few weeks to be completely gone, but it will go away without you having to use harsh chemicals or anything like that.

MM

Answer 2

For that big of a tank you probably should have more than one Algieater. Also, try replacing the gravel , buy new gravel and throw the old out.
I have noticed that after cleaning my tank that the water sometimes turns green again for a day or two and then clears up. There also should be some type of drops that you should be able to use that will not harm the fish. I think that you can buy them at Wal-mart. I do not remember what they are called because i do not have any right now. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Im going to start out by giving you the bad news first.......the main cause of your problem is that you have to many fish in your tank. Even the Parrots alone are pushing the limits for a healthy 46 gal tank. The main thing that is causing the algae growth is the wast amount left in the tank vs your filtration system. Parrots themselved produce a lot of waste and im sure thats the reason for the pleco (algae eater) being with them right? But keep in mind while the pleco does help clean the tank from algae they also produce quite a bit of waste! Im sure you've seen the chain of waste that follows behind them.

So let me guess.......your not going to buy another or a larger tank and your not getting rid of any fish right? Ha ha ha thought so....next!

You may want to consider the filtration sysem you have in the tank, im sure at this size you dont use an inder gravel filter and if you do......theres your problem. For a tank with this many fish and with its size i would recomend at least a filter rated at 80GPH to ensure its propor filtration. Also a neat little trik i use is to find an old pump from a fully submergable filter or even a pump from one of those table top fountains and place it on the bottom of the tank opposite of your filter. This will help stop the waste from hitting the bottom and just festering. Dont want to spend more $ on filters???......next

Watch your feeding!! Most cases the bacteria from over feeding and stagnant food at the bottom of a tank is the main cause of algae growth, feed no more than the fish can eat in a couple of minutes. If they are stil hungry feed them some more later. Its better to feed in small portions and more often than a large portion all at once.......think your feeding them right??? Ok then on we go!.......

Last, I alwas chose chemicals at a last resort because even with water changes whatever is placed in the water stays there for a long time! I use a product made by Kordon called "AmQuel+" that destroys a lot of the things causing your problem, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, Chlorine and Chloramines. First step though in this area......double check my sudgestion and get yourself a small water test kit that tests for these. Im almost posative you will see your Nitrate reading extremely high even if the PH is steady. Also no matter what method here that you use the test strips will allow you to check for progress in fighting the algae. Amquel+ and vacuuming the gravel (ONLY THE TOP LAYER) once a week with regular water changes (50% every week or so) should clear you right up!

If none of the things i mention above seem to check out for you the last advice i would offer is to steady the water changes. With newly established tanks or sometimes with water changes the minerals from the new water will cause a bacteria swarm(generaly not harmfull to the fish) that goes away in roughly 1-3 days.

Hope this helps and good luck with the beautiful fish! Im a fan of Parrots with 4 of my own!

Answer 4

You are quite overstocked. Those tinfoil barbs can grow bigger than dinner plates. You need to have the light on less and clean less. Sounds crazy to clean less, but you don't want to be messing up the water parameters all the time. Water changes are the only cleaning you need. Keep the light off for a few days to see how that does.

Answer 5

Are you cleaning only a 4th of the rocks at a time. This keeps the good bacteria in. IT sounds like it is just stired up really good. Be sure your filters are working correctly. Normally, this will not hurt the fish unless the tank hasn't been cleaned in a long time.
I sure miss my tank
GL

Answer 6

If it is a new setup let it cycle and generate good bacteria. Just do a 25% Water change from the top. Just try to wait it out. It also might be your filter. Plus don't listen to what some people say on here....DO NOT SHOP @ WAL FART!!!! That place is terrible, at least go to petco or something.

Answer 7

There are a few ways to control algae. Also, monitor your lighting and excess food in the tank.

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.

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.

be sure to 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.

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.

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. 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

I WOULD RECOMMEND TO JUST LEAVE IT ALONE......IF THE PH IS GOOD (6.8 -7.2) MAYBE GIVE OR TAKE A LITTLE.....AND IF THE FILTER HAS BEEN CHANGED RECENTLY.....

THERE MAYBE 1 TO MANY FISH ALSO......

OTHER THAN THAT BE PATIENT.........IT WILL CLEAR UP....IT MY TAKE A WEEK OR TWO.....OR MORE..........

GOOD LUCK....

Answer 9

maybe cat-fish will help it clean my fish tank very good but i get less fish then you

Answer 10

if it is in sunlight it will turn green fast.