green water

[lotta coral man]

i have had my 29 gal SW set up for about a half of a week now and i have under-gravel fileration hooked up at the moment(i will have it changed soon) but after i put the gravel in it was cloudy so i ran the filter and it cleared up by the night and it seemed pretty good to me. i put the salt in and dissolved it (after i put the dechloriner in obviously) it was fine at that moment but the next day and now it is greenish water. i think that it is because i have a poor filter system in now. if thats the reason should i buy a small external hanging wet/dry filter(like a millineum 2000) and hope that that is the reason?if thats not it plz help me out and tell me what i should do.
thanks -shane-

 

[finland]

When you say "gravel", do you mean crushed coral or colored gravel? If it is colored gravel, that could be a source of the green water. I don't know if your filtration would have anything to do with the green water, since it has only been up for a few days. I would look for other reasons. Any decorations that could possibly leach dye? I would recommend removing the undergravel filter now, while the tank is still new. I am assuming that there is no livestock in the tank yet, so now would be a good time. Try using some carbon, it might help clear it up.

 

[lotta coral man]

when i said gravel i meant CC but i have an undergravel filter and a canister filter hooked up at the moment. i just hooked up the canister filter yesterday and the water is still a little green. i hope it goes away soon, i also hope that the nasty smell goes away. help me out some more ppl!
-shane-

 

[beaslbob]

Green water is algae. Try turning off you lights for a few days.
I used a UG for years with no problem. I now use sand with Crushed Coral on top. the main reason is to provide an surface for macro algaes/plants.
I highly recommend you add macro algae or marine plants to keep ahead of the "ugly" algaes.

 

[lotta coral man]

so what you guys are saying is to ditch the UG filter and the CC. i had allready planned on doing that but i dont think that it is algae but i could be wrong. the reason that i dont think that it is algea because it is a new tank and ive only had it set up for like 4 days. i hope to get some LS in like a few days over the weekend. i want to get a pound or two of LR to help cycle the tank. i have some dead coral and a pike fish in there now.tell me some more ways to cycle the tank and how long do i have to wait to get tropical fish?
-shane-

 

[finland]

Shane, That is why I asked if you had colored gravel or decorations that could have leached dye. It would be hard for me to believe that you would have an algae bloom only after 4 days of setting up the tank. I suppose it is possible if you have a source of nutients in the water, but 4 days seems a little soon. As far as the undergravel filter, ditch it. You can use cc but you have to vacuum it when you do water changes, and cc traps waste which lead to higher nitrates. An aragonite based sand would be a better choice IMO. You will need a cleanup crew to clean the sand for you. Oh yeah, what kind of lighting do you have and spectrum of lights. Too low of a spectrum bulbs can cause algae blooms.

 

[beaslbob]

Four days is more than enough time to get an algae bloom. I still feel it is algae and will go away if you keep the tank dark for a couple of days. Again macro algaes/marine plants will help

 

[lotta coral man]

well, i have planned to ditch the UG filter and the CC, so now im not sure if i should get another filtering system even though i will still have the canister filter. but acually since i have had the Canister filter the water has gotten better color-wise,so i dont know for sure if the new C filter is working it good or not hopefully it is ok. at the moment i have shitty lighting, all i have is a regular aquarium single light fixture and a zoo-med aquatic ultra-sun,super daylight bulb that is only 15 watts and you can buy it at the store for like $20.
it says that it is ideal for marine aquariums,reef tanks, and freshwater aquariums where maximum daylight is required. so i think the light bulb is only for daylight resembance not to keep coral and stuff alive but i dont know. should i stick with that or get something else, i dont want a reef tank just LR and LS and fish.
help me out with this stuff and also how long should i keep cyclers in and what kind?
-shane-

 

[beaslbob]

The water will get better with filtering. But without correcting the underlying cause, it will come back soon. Sometime a week of circulation is all that is needed. But usually, you need to stop feeding, add more plant life (macros), remove the fish, or take other actions.
In one case (freshwater) I had way too much light. The tank would get green water in a day. I would use a canister filter with "water polisher" cartridge installed, and it would clear up in two days. Then a day later it was cloudy again. When i vastly cut down on the lighting, it stayed clear for months.
So cut down on feeding, add more plant life, reduce lighting, remove fish until it clears up.

 

[cindyski]

I notice you are from Florida. I am from northern Fl and when i set up my 125 gal fresh water tank, my water was also green. if i fill a glass of water it is clear, but in volume, such as a bath tub and fish tank it has a green cast to it. i used carbon in my tank and after a few days the green cleared up. this could very well be your problem also. let me know what happens. i am studying salt water and want to set up a 50 gal reef tank & i am considering bottled water!