green Water

csmall1972

csmall1972

New Member
I have two saltwater tanks one 40 gallon and one 55 gallon. I have recently had a problem with both of them. The water has turned green slowly over a week. I have a maximum of two fish in each right now about 3 to 4 inches long (trigger and puffer in the 50and two clowns in the 40. I not sure how to treat this problem.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by csmall1972
I have two saltwater tanks one 40 gallon and one 55 gallon. I have recently had a problem with both of them. The water has turned green slowly over a week. I have a maximum of two fish in each right now about 3 to 4 inches long (trigger and puffer in the 50and two clowns in the 40. I not sure how to treat this problem.
I highly suspect the green water is suspended algae. As you know algae is plant life and plant life needs carbon dioxde, nutrients (both from your fish), plus light. So by eliminating any of those things the suspend algae would die off and the water would clear up. You could, for instance, turn off your lights for two weeks and the water would clear up. With no other changes the green water would return when you resumed your current lighting.
I would add some desirable plant life (macros or marine plants) to consume the nitrients (ammonia, nitrAtes and phosphates) to starve out the undesirable green algaes. You may have to add a refugium or culture the plants in another container to protect the plants. If you also reduce the lighting and insure you are not overfeeding, the green water will be a thing of the past.
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
I'd also suggest running carbon to help clean up your water. if right now you only have fish in each tank then I'd go with the no lights.
More importantly I'd suggest checking your water source. I would highly suggest a water change for each tank using RO or RO/DI water.
Good luck!
 
csmall1972

csmall1972

New Member
I changed the carbon on both filter systems. (pengium bio wheel 330 and magnum canister for the 55 gallon and the pengiun 330 for the 40 gallon). The water is clearing up a bit. I'm going to try a water change and use distilled water instead of using the tap water.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by csmall1972
I changed the carbon on both filter systems. (pengium bio wheel 330 and magnum canister for the 55 gallon and the pengiun 330 for the 40 gallon). The water is clearing up a bit. I'm going to try a water change and use distilled water instead of using the tap water.
Hope you can get it clear. Distilled water will not remove the nitrates from the fish.
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member

Originally posted by beaslbob
Hope you can get it clear. Distilled water will not remove the nitrates from the fish.
but the water change will remove the micro algea particles causing the green water.
One other thought is putting some rotifers inyour tank. Rotifers are tiny and would be eaten by your inhabitants but they would also eat teh green water.
I'd think a water change with distilled over tap water will help you out a lot as well!
 
bullshark

bullshark

Member
This happened to me as well. I turned off the lights for 2 weeks. No change. I did 50% water changes. No change. It was SO green that I could not see the fish(1 grouper and 2 med triggers in a 120). I put in a phosphate filter pad. No change.
I gave up and left it alone. It was green for like another month.
Over the course of a day and a half it cleared up completely, all by itself. Never happened again. Weird. Very weird. In 12 years of saltwater fish keeping this has never happened to me before.
 
dreeves

dreeves

Active Member
The green water is the results of an on going algae bloom caused by a sudden increase in nutrients...
How old is the tank? What are the water readings?
Changing water will lower the nutrient level providing you use water which doesn't contain nutrients (phosphates, nitrates)...otherwise...shoveling against a tide comes to mind here...
If the tank is new and cycling or just finishing a cycle...this could cause a bloom as well...bottom line is nutrients...
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by Bullshark
This happened to me as well. I turned off the lights for 2 weeks. No change. I did 50% water changes. No change. It was SO green that I could not see the fish(1 grouper and 2 med triggers in a 120). I put in a phosphate filter pad. No change.
I gave up and left it alone. It was green for like another month.
Over the course of a day and a half it cleared up completely, all by itself. Never happened again. Weird. Very weird. In 12 years of saltwater fish keeping this has never happened to me before.
I "let" my macro algae tank get cloudy. also had green water in an old fw tank about 5 years ago. Both cleared up in a day or two just as you explained. Sounds like your tank finally caught up with the excess nutrients then the existing plant life took over. Tanks can do amazing things if allowed to. My macro clouded up after I received a bad batch of macros. The FW was simple way too much lighting. Reduced lighting was necessary with both. After that the system was able to process the waste without cloudyness.
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member

Originally posted by beaslbob
My macro clouded up after I received a bad batch of macros.
Out of curiosity what do you mean by a bad batch of macro's?? dead? going sexual?
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by overanalyzer
Out of curiosity what do you mean by a bad batch of macro's?? dead? going sexual?
Actually don't know. They were in shipment for two days and the tank started having a small white cloud around them in about a day or so. The macros lost their color and decomposed. Then ammonia, nitrites and nitrates rose. During the next week the cloud increased and ammonia fell to 0.0 in a day, nitrItes took about a week and a half and nitrates fell faster. After two weeks all were 0.0 and the tank was cloudy. After a month I turned off the lights for two weeks. At some point during that two weeks, the tank started to clear up and once started was totally clear in about three days. Meanwhile the turtle grass, kelp like caulpera, and previous feather had all grown. The bad macro was a new feather which never recovered. I would have taken action sooner but the tank was an out of sight plant only tank. I have continued with only half the tank lit and now almost all the hair algae is gone and the plants continue to show growth even on the unlit side of the tank.
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
sounds like it went sexual on you .... I was just imaging a bunch of macro's showing up with tatoo's piercings and trying to sell drugs to your other macro's .... psst - buddy want some of the goood schtufff???
LOL sorry
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by overanalyzer
...
LOL sorry
I enjoy your posts and a good joke always. :D thanks and no apology needed.
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member

Originally posted by beaslbob
I enjoy your posts and a good joke always. :D thanks and no apology needed.
It has been one of those days at work - you know a monday that has lasted for about 7 months .....
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Thank the Saltwater GODS this wasn't another. "Green water in my 155 gallon tank" threads.
Yes on the fresh carbon.
Yes on the water change using DI or RO or RO/DI water
Yes on reducing your photo period.
I agree with dreeves theory, and post those test scores.
Thomas
 
tiencvu

tiencvu

Member
Do you have any children in the house?
They might put food color in your tank,
Does it ever occur to you?
Just curious
 
csmall1972

csmall1972

New Member

Originally posted by overanalyzer
but the water change will remove the micro algea particles causing the green water.
One other thought is putting some rotifers inyour tank. Rotifers are tiny and would be eaten by your inhabitants but they would also eat teh green water.
I'd think a water change with distilled over tap water will help you out a lot as well!
What are Rotifers?
 
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