Why is my saltwater fish tank a cloudy green???

Question

I cleaned my fish tank out a week ago. I changed out half the water. It is now a very cloudy green. I tested the PH, amonia, nitrites, nitrates, and salt level and everything is correct. I can barely see my fish but they are still alive. I don't know what is wrong. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

it might be algea i'll ask my cousin he knows all about that stuff........my cousin wasn't home but my aunt said it's too much algea.Try getting a scum sucker fish they eat that stuff and there are some 4 fresh and salt water.

Answer 2

Algae, but to see free-floating types on a saltwater tank is unusual. Most algae problems are from attached types.

Did you happen to be growing any Caulerpa macroalgae in the tank and was it getting large? The will sometimes burst and spontaneously release the intracellular contents into the water. These can be somewhat toxic, so if you had a caulerpa and weren't trimming it back, do a good water change and add some carbon to your filter.

If you didn't have Caulerpa and you've got that much algae, they're absorbing the nutrients, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to multiply. That's why you aren't seeing them in your test results. You'll still need a water change to reduce the number of algae, but did you use water from a different source than usual for the last change? It might be worth testing your tap water if that's what you used. Also test for phosphates if you have the kit. Phosphate is often added to public water supplies to prevent pipe corrosion. Unfortunately, it's a plant (and algae) fertilizer. You can get pads to cut and put into your filter to remove this, or you can switch to bottled reverse osmosis (Culligan) water for a few water changes to get rid of the algae. If you don't have photosynthetic organisms (corals, clams, anemones) you can keep the tank lights off for a few days to control it as well. But you still want to do some water changes, because if a lot of algae dies at once, it'll increase your ammonia.

Answer 3

It's very common, sounds like an algae bloom, there are a few things that promote algae growth, like sunlight and bright bulbs. this is easily cleared with fluid or tablets for algae problems, it will not harm your fish and will clear the bloom right up. if the tank is in a sunny window, I suggest moving it or putting up a curtain, try reducing the amount of time tank lights are on.

good luck!

Answer 4

Everybody else seems to think the same as me. is your tank near a window or does it get a lot of natural light? If so, move it. Mine isn't but I have a lot of nutrients and mine has algae problems here and there. I got 3 Mexican Turbo Snails and they ate it all up. They're great.