# Green Water



## andyniceday (29 Dec 2009)

Hello there,

Im having a bad problem with green water in my tank at the moment, no manner of water changes are helping at all and im getting frustrated with it now   

Tank specifications - 240l tank
Water - 26 deg C, pH 6.0, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were all zero when tested this morning.
Lighting -  2 x 40w T8 bulbs (the standard lamps with a fluval roma 240 setup) on for 8 hours per day.
CO2 - DIY yeast setup, delivering 1 bubble every 3 seconds, drop checker is a nice lime green colour
Filtration - Fluval 305 external rated at 1000L/hr
Fertilisation routine - Not dosing anything atm, have only just discovered it to be honest but TPN+ solution has just arrived and can start dosing immediately.

I'm a bit of a noob to all this, but dont be afraid to hit me with everything im doing wrong or should be doing, desperate to get this sorted as it looks awful in my front room!


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (29 Dec 2009)

Andy
Have a read at the attached shortcut may be helpful:

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/phpBB/ ... 1db90232eb


http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

Possible culprit - no fertz being added that if is a planted tank.

Regards
Paul


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## wearsbunnyslippers (29 Dec 2009)

hehe, it was a novelty first time i got green water  that wore off pretty quick...

i tried everything except a blackout only thing that worked for me was a uv sterilizer.

how long has your filter been running, i only got green water with a new filter, i had about 10 otto's that 1 kept dying every couple of days, i couldnt find the bodies, they were just going missing, my ammonia tested zero, but i think the green water was sucking it up as fast as it was being produced so the test kit was useless...


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## andyniceday (29 Dec 2009)

Filter has been running about 6 weeks, i cycled the tank correctly using ammonia and it was turning 5ppm of ammonia right through to nitrate within 24 hours. Did an 80% water change and allowed it to settle for a few days before adding 5 corys.

One died and i never managed to recover the body - having read more in depth today im wondering if a big ammonia spike caused by the decomposing dead fish and the introduction of light 8hrs a day has caused this algae bloom?

Anyways, ive just done a 50% water change and am currently trying a blackout.


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## daniel19831123 (30 Dec 2009)

I'm assuming that you are using DIY CO2 for planted tank, so with 0 nitrate, your plant is starving and not growing well and hence giving algae to flourish. Either up your fish load if you are doing low tech or add fert into your tank. 

James planted tank website has gives you a wonder algae guide including the causes and ways of eliminating them. Beware though with 0 nitrate, you'll soon get BGA which is pain to get rid off.


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## NatureBoy (5 Jan 2010)

definitely give this a go...willow branches, youngish ones, not too barky, cut at about 50cm-75cms and leave the leaves on. plonk in the back of the tank. wait 5 days and you'll see a small difference, do a little water change, and in a day or two it will be crystal clear again.  

The theory could be that willow is a hungry puller of nutrients, and it does sprout roots and grow quick, implying it limits nutrients. The other theory is willow releases chemicals that kill algae. Whatever, it works a treat for green water


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## andyniceday (7 Jan 2010)

in the end i bought a Â£23 UV steriliser off ebay, ran it for 3 or 4 days and with a couple of water changes its crystal clear!


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