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Green Water

Started by Guest_Slasher_* , Feb 15 2008 02:07 PM

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22 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Slasher_*

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Posted 15 February 2008 - 02:07 PM

My 55 gallon tank has had this problem with green water for a while now. It has one 40 watt light over it, with the light on for no longer than 8 hours a day, with no additional sunlight. It has no plants currently, and it has 2 small green sunfish, 2 3-4" bluegill, a 5" pumpkinseed, 3 4" stonecats, and a crayfish.

I've tried those medication things to kill it, only for it to come back a week later. I don't try it now because of the crayfish. It gets a large water change about 2-3 times a week.

The only thing I can come up with is the food I'm feeding. They're on Tetra's cichlid sticks. They're all messy eaters, so tiny pieces the fish don't even look at as food float around.

Any ideas?

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#2 Guest_bullhead_*

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Posted 15 February 2008 - 02:23 PM

Too many nutrients! Do you have a well or city water? Cities sometimes add phosphates to minimize pipe corrosion. Wells can have nitrates/phosphates/iron/etc. which act as fertilizers.

Try:
More/bigger water changes.
If necessary, mix RO or DI water with your tap water to cut the incoming nutrients.
Add plants to use up the nutrients. Even just a sprig or two of floating hornwort will help.
More/better filtration.
Carbon and/or phosphate resins in the filter.
UV units will kill green water.
Diatom filters will eliminate green water.

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#3 Guest_spinnerbayt_*

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Posted 15 February 2008 - 02:27 PM

Sounds like you have something in the water column that the algae is feeding on. Probably ammonia which tells me the tank isn't fully cycled. How long has the tank been set up? Did you add the fish all at once or a few at a time? What meds did you use to kill the green water as some can kill your good bacteria and you have to cycle all over again in which case the green water comes back. Check your water for ammonia, nitrite, and high levels of nitrate then we'll go from there.

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#4 Guest_Slasher_*

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Posted 15 February 2008 - 02:44 PM

Let's see here. I'm using well water. I do usually over a 50% water change each time. I think I have a decent filter, rated for up to 75 gallons. The tank has been set up since last spring, and the fish come in one or 2 at a time at a small size. I have no idea what it was called, but the meds just said something about killing algae and it was in a green liquid form. I have to get a new test kit, mine is old and hasnt been used much.

I try to find some plants and a test kit and see how it goes from there. Thanks.

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#5 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 15 February 2008 - 03:02 PM

Do I understand correctly that you do "a large water change about 2-3 times a week" at "over a 50% water change each time"?
That's an incredible amount of water change!
Also, only 40 watts of light for 8 hours and no sun?
Somethin's screwy!
I don't see how green water would have enough time or enough light to be a problem.
Any chance the well water is colored right out of the well?
You don't by any chance have green gravel or a green decoration that could be leaching color?
Could you be underestimating the amount of sun light that reaches the tank?

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#6 Guest_schambers_*

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Posted 15 February 2008 - 03:54 PM

As you know, food can contribute to cloudy water. If the other suggestions don't help, try a different type of food, or try feeding less to see if it helps.

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#7 Guest_mrgrackle_*

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Posted 16 February 2008 - 05:43 PM

As you know, food can contribute to cloudy water. If the other suggestions don't help, try a different type of food, or try feeding less to see if it helps.

to much food? If they're wasting all that food maybe they're spoiled? If you cut back the amount of food you gave them maybe they'd clean up their own mess?

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#8 Guest_nativeplanter_*

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Posted 16 February 2008 - 06:21 PM

I agree, something is screwy. I'm surprised that you're getting greenwater with just the one bulb. Are you sure it is really green algae and not a bacterial bloom? A bacterial bloom will be a hazy whitish color, but will cloud the water much like green algae. Frequent, large water changes actually make the problem worse, too.

A few ideas:
Stop with the large water changes.
If that doesn't help and it really is green algae, put a timer on the light so that it is only on when you are home.

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#9 Guest_schambers_*

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Posted 16 February 2008 - 06:58 PM

to much food? If they're wasting all that food maybe they're spoiled? If you cut back the amount of food you gave them maybe they'd clean up their own mess?

Ha! That'd be nice. But no, I've had food that would dissolve and cloud the water if not eaten. That could turn the water different colors depending on what's in the food. This is separate from that whole "too many nutrients" thing.

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#10 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 17 February 2008 - 12:04 AM

Well, there are two contibuting factors here, and they've both been named. Algae need two things in order to grow: nutrients and light. Obviously in this case you have both. Floating plants will help with both. Duckweed or Salvinia will do the job. Hornwort, while not really a floating plant, would do well in your tank too.

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#11 Guest_Slasher_*

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Posted 18 February 2008 - 01:10 PM

It's not so much over feeding, it's when they eat it, some of it gets pushed through the gills in tiny pieces. Currently I've just been turning on the lights around 5 and turning them off at 10. The only decorations in there are just rocks. I've been feeding less and switched to a food they can't push through their gills. It seems to have slowed it down a lot, but hasn't gotten rid of it yet. I've stopped the huge water changes, I think next time I'll just do a 20-30% and see how that works. I didn't get any plants yet, but I'll go with what is suggested. With those plants would I have to leave the lights on longer though?

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#12 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 18 February 2008 - 06:19 PM

With those plants would I have to leave the lights on longer though?

I made those particular recommendations based on your current lighting regime. In other words, No :-)

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#13 Guest_bullhead_*

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Posted 18 February 2008 - 09:37 PM

OK, I have run across another promising GW solution--willow branches. Cut some live branches, and place them into the tank (with tips out of the water). As they start to grow and root, they apparently absorb a lot of nutrients which starves out the green water algae. I have always been a believer in emergent vegetation being the best nutrient remover.

There is extensive discussion here:

http://www.aquaticpl...eap-method.html

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#14 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 19 February 2008 - 01:02 AM

Interesting idea.

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#15 Guest_mrgrackle_*

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Posted 19 February 2008 - 01:17 PM

Interesting idea.

I've read that willow branches can also be put in water with other plants that you're trying to get to root. Apparently willow gives off some rooting hormone.

I use plants to remove nutrients from my system. So much that I don't do water changes. Of course, my 'filter' is half the size of my tank (300 gal. tank, 150 gal of gravel filter with plants in it) Plants work great! I doubt you can have enough plants planted inside your aquarium to get rid of all the nutrients unless you have a very low fish population, but it'll definitely help!

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#16 Guest_scottefontay_*

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Posted 20 February 2008 - 09:34 AM

java moss also has low light requirements, does well in cooler temps (not cold) and will take up nutrients

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#17 Guest_riffles_*

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Posted 21 January 2009 - 03:14 PM

for the willow method will it work with branches right now in winter? should they be submerged or emergent?

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#18 Guest_Moontanman_*

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Posted 21 January 2009 - 04:23 PM

Ahhh, green water, when you want it you can't get it and when you don't want it you can't git rid of it. Light and nutrients is the cause limiting one or the other is the cure, a healthy growth of plants will prevent green water and old tanks seem to be less likely to go green, at least for me. A better bio filter might help but the root is too much food for the algae. I've found that lots of bogwood seems to prevent green water, Acidic water is less likely to go green.

Edited by Moontanman, 21 January 2009 - 04:27 PM.

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#19 Guest_BLChristie_*

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Posted 21 January 2009 - 06:57 PM

We recently had a bloom of what we believe to be Schroederia or Pseudoschroederia in a few of our tanks...it grows exceptionally fast, and will choke out a tank in days even with good water quality. We got it under control in the tanks with a lot of water changes, filter socks, and Daphnia - and have since enslaved the nasty little micro-organism and isolated it into culture to feed our Daphnia tanks. It grows so rapidly it will go from a nearly clear jug to a dark green microalgae culture in just 24-48 hours, we're still experimenting with it but it seems to be a great food source thusfar, and extemely low-maintenance to culture.

Edited by BLChristie, 21 January 2009 - 07:00 PM.

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#20 Guest_Moontanman_*

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Posted 21 January 2009 - 07:23 PM

We recently had a bloom of what we believe to be Schroederia or Pseudoschroederia in a few of our tanks...it grows exceptionally fast, and will choke out a tank in days even with good water quality. We got it under control in the tanks with a lot of water changes, filter socks, and Daphnia - and have since enslaved the nasty little micro-organism and isolated it into culture to feed our Daphnia tanks. It grows so rapidly it will go from a nearly clear jug to a dark green microalgae culture in just 24-48 hours, we're still experimenting with it but it seems to be a great food source thusfar, and extemely low-maintenance to culture.

Are those species available as cultures? An easy to culture unicellular algae would be a great help to me in breeding fish. Growing fairy shrimp, Daphna, and all the other little filter feeders. i once had a marine aquarium go green, a 50 gallon tank, it stayed the way for three months, it would go away if I left it in the dark for several days but came back as soon as the lights were on a couple of days. The individual cells were very tiny, it took extreme magnification to see them. I raised some brine shrimp on them but when the weather cooled down the green water disappeared. after they went away the tank had lots of tiny oysters and sponges growing in it! I've often wondered if some of the organisms we inadvertently culture might be unique strains of these organisms that are suited to culture better via selection just because they live in captivity. I've noticed that some people will have a "plague" of one organism that other people cannot grow. Possibly these odd strains of organisms should be preserved in some manner as cultures to be used by people instead of trying to culture organism from the wild. Any thoughts?