Green water in my nanocube

[scubaamber]

I have a nanocube with only a clown and chromis in it. My blue hep tang kicked the bucket after having her for only 3-4 months. All of our levels seem to be fine but we have a green haze in the water that won't go away. We do regular water changes and do not overfeed. There is an airstone and another pump in the tank in addition to the internal one that it comes with. The fish guy at the pet store told us that mroe air might help. We've even gone as far as doing a complete water change, water was crystal and still turned green. There is NO algae in the tank. The water just keeps turning green, we can't see our fish or the pieces of coral we have in it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! We have also tried Marine-Clear...no luck. Please help!!

 

[bigarn]

What kind of water do you use? Get rid of the airstone and get a powerhead for circulation. IMO

 

[flatzboy]

Also run some carbon or if you alread are then change it out and that should clear the water up.

 

[vibe]

i second getting rid of the airstone. air stones are usless in saltwater tanks. LFS sometimes lie to you to make a sale

. also can you post a pic of the tank so we can see what it looks like.

 

[scubaamber]

Thanks for the quick responses and I will take out the airstone. The carbon has been changed and we rinse it everytime we do a water change. I will be posting a pic tomorrow for a visual aid. A powerhead in addition to the internal pump? I'm just afraid that the poor fish will die from exhaustion having to fight the current. It already makes the food flakes go crazy at feeding time. I'll try anything at this point though. We use filtered tap water...is there something better? We let it set up for three days when we did the complete water change just a couple of weeks ago.

 

[bigarn]

It could very well be the water. Try RO or if possible RO/DI. I bet you'll see a big difference.

 

[scubaamber]

bigarn: I'm pretty new to this and not up on the jargon. What is RO and RO/DI?

 

[bigarn]

RO.... Reverse Osmosis RO/DI...... Reverse Osmosis Dionized
They sell units you can buy to make your own, or you can get RO water at most supermarkets. Some local fish stores will sell RO/DI water. This water is about the purest you can get. Try it...I bet you get results.
:happyfish WELCOME TO THE BOARDS

 

[clarkiiclo]

Your green water is probally an algae bloom. A UV will get rid of that.
Also if you dont have RO or RO/DI water avaliable distilled water from the store works too.
I suggest biting the bullet and buying and RO or RO/DI.
It is better for humans too.:yes:

 

[laddy]

I second...er third...the use of RO water. It lowers phosphates and controls algae--a problem I had too. Have you tested your phosphate levels?
IMO--don't worry about over circulating the water in your 12g, worry about undercirculating the water. I have two two powerheads in my tank and am always worrying about dead spots.
Just my opinion, though.

 

[laddy]

.....I should have mentioned I have a ten gallon.

 

[scubaamber]

Here's picture and I will definitely be looking for RO water. Thanks!

 

[clarkiiclo]

Oh yeah that is an algae bloom. Or at least it looks like one.
Changing your water is not going to kill it.
Some LFS will rent UV filters if you dont want to buy one but I would suggest it.
I would also suggest at least one more powerheard. I have an Eheim 600. It is really small and fits nicely right under the exsisting output. I pointed mine going across the back wall.
Some people have had good luck with Algone too. Might try that.

 

[clarkiiclo]

Is that CC or gravel in the bottom of your tank?

 

[scubaamber]

It's CC (crushed coral I assume!) So, I need a UV filter, another powerhead (I thought a powerhead only did good with an undergravel filter?), RO water and try Algone? I want to do whatever it takes to make it go away and not come back. I want to add more fish because I got a gift certificate for Christmas that is burning a hole in my pocket! Anyone know what causes algae blooms?

 

[moraym]

When there was an algae bloom in my 40g i cut back the use of lights severely, and it eventually went away. But this may not be the rest route if youve got corals and such that wouldnt be able to handle a few days w/ no light.

 

[clarkiiclo]

What the powerhead does is help with circulation. It isnt necessary to have undergravel filtration.
A UV will kill the free floating algaes and will clear your tank up the fastest. You will only need a small UV. The uv has a pump so it may be possible to add the UV and the circulation from the UV may be enough to compensate for a powehead on such a small tank.
Algone works pretty good with algae blooms.
Just type Algone into a search bar plus dot com.
Let us know what happens!

 

[clarkiiclo]

As for the CC I would get rid of it slowly. Take out only a cup or two a week. When you get down to the bottom you can use a piece of 1/2" or 3/4" tubing to get the rest out.
Then start adding in sand only about 1 cup a week. You dont want to cause undo stress on the tank.
Over time the CC builds up all sorts of bad things.:nope:
SWF.com has great sand and if you have another tank you can use the rest of the bag in it!