# Green water frustration



## gbsfan (Mar 25, 2012)

So I've had my 20 gal set up for about 2 1/2 months now. I have 6 dwarf neon rainbows, 5 cherry zebra danios, 3 corys and 1 betta. I cycled with the danios, and only lost one, and that was after the cycle was complete. The rest of the fish have been in there for several weeks and are all doing well. There are live plants in the tank: swords, grassy type plants, a few shorter ones I can't remember the names of, and 2 moss balls. The tank was, and is, very healthy looking, except that now it is a pea soup green. I have added fertilizer for the plants, but have stopped now and have done enough water changes since that there is likely none left in the tank. I think I may have overfed at first, so that, combined with the fertilizer and some direct sun have resulted in the algae. Ugh. I've been reading here and see that one solution is to black out the tank for at least 5 days. I would like opinions on a couple of other things, and I know you all are not shy about that! Number one, a product called Algae Destroyer. Has anyone used it, is it really safe for plants and fish, and does it work? I know, I'd rather not add chemicals to the tank, but hey, I'm looking for an easy, safe solution. Number 2, Green X Phosphate Remover. Does it work, and will it remove the nutrients in the tank to the detriment of my plants? I really appreciate all the opinions and comments. If blackout is the only way to go, that`s what I`ll do. Thanks in advance.


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## clep.berry (Mar 4, 2012)

Black-out is your best solution as it won't harm the fish or plants.
The hard part is providing ventilation for the fish as the CO2 will rise and O2 levels drop as a direct result.
I learned the hard way that even with copious plants, you still need to deep vacuum the gravel especially if you've been overfeeding.
Chances are though that you've got 2 or more contributors to your algae problem.
1 - identified light imbalance from sunlight
2 - unidentified nutrient imbalance. - possibly caused by overfeeding and/or insufficient water changes.

Plants consume different nutrients at different rates at different times in their life cycle and obviously with different lighting. You don't mention what your nitrates are but I'd hazard a guess that they are above 150ppm if you've been over-feeding.

I'd also guess that with those stocking levels, you'd be needing water changes of more than 10 per week. The easiest way to measure this is by measuring your nitrate week-on-week and seeing if it's climbing or falling overall. There are other ways of determining what your nitrate production is that are a bit more convoluted, require a bit of maths and a more accurate Nitrate measurement but this should be sufficient.

Lastly, with driftwood, some people mistake the tannin release for algae - this may contribute to your problem.

cb


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

How much more easier and safe can you get than covering your tank for 5 days? Algaecides will stress your fish...I don't care what the label says. I would cover the tank and then do a 75% water change or so. You probably need weekly changes in the 50% area also. Keep the direct sunlight off of the tank if at all possible. Just feed 4-5 times per week max and even then sort of sparingly. I would stop putting in ferts until you get it under control and then start off slowly.

You don't mention what your lighting is and how long you leave it on for?


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## gbsfan (Mar 25, 2012)

I have been doing regular water changes in the range of 40% about every 10 days. I've only ever fed them once a day, but may have given too much at the beginning, before I got the corys to help eat any extra food. It's definitely algae, as it looks green when I put some water in a glass. I don't have any wood in the tank, but am actually soaking a piece right now to get the worst of the tannins out before I put it in the tank. I can't even really see into the tank well enough to rearrange everything to put the wood in, lol. My light is an 8000 full spectrum daylight, and it is only on for a few hours in the evening right now. I keep the tank covered with a towel most of the day right now, but I'll have to find something better to do the blackout. And, long term, I will probably have to move the tank out of the sunroom. Sigh. Thanks.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

i found that a thick comforter will cover a tank nicely and blacks it out really well also. Just remember it needs to be total...no peeking, no feeding, nothing.

For a 20g, maybe a smaller side blanket folded would do the trick.


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## Tiari (Apr 25, 2012)

I have, in the past used Algae Destroyer, and, it does work. However, I would not recommend its use, and I used it long before I knew some of the other consequences that come along with it.

#1 It will kill your plants
#2 It is extremely hard on fish
#3 It is a heavy duty carcinogen

For these above reasons, do not use this product. Yes, you may get instant results, but the risks are pretty steep.

The blackout method will work, as will using a UV Sterilizer. Expensive certainly for the sterilizer, however they do work.

Another thing you can try, is to try a phosphate remover or phosphate removing pads or other media in your filter compartments. These have worked great for me in green water problems, but not so much for brown Diatom algae, go figure.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

If you've got about $50 to spare (in the US, not sure about elsewhere), you could invest in a UV sterilizer. They are the BEST at eliminating green water, and they also sterilize bacteria like protozoa. Also, I just read that they're great at maintaining a good redox potential in the tank, which is way too technical for even me to understand, but it's good to know nonetheless.

I've used the Green Killing Machine from PetsMart successfully in treating green water. It cleared a 29 gallon with soupy green water in 3 days, and kept it gone until I eventually removed the sterilizer a few months later. I love them, especially for sterilizing a QT tank if you're getting any new arrivals.


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## gbsfan (Mar 25, 2012)

I just ordered the uv light last night! I had no idea they made one for aquariums with a powerhead until I got searching, and found one at a supplier here in Canada for $55. Dirt cheap, in my opinion. We've had an inline uv light in our pond for years, so I know how well they work. I'm so looking forward to getting it, and I can leave the tank right where it is in the sunroom. Yay!


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