My Water Is Brown!!!

[aredmon]

Hello. It has been a while since I have been on here. I have a 75gal. FOWLR. I have 3 fish in the tank and a bunch of inverts. If you need to know what all I have I will be glad to let you know but I don't think that is the root of the problem. I had a horrible out break of this brown slime algea. I finaly got rid of that stuff after much hassle but I noticed that as the brown algea died the water began to turn brown. Now that the algea is gone my tank is totaly filled with this brown stuff. You can see it just circulating around in there like a big cloud. I have done about a total of 50 gal. of a water change and after I changed the water it looked alot better but by the next day it was all back again. My fish and everything seem to be doing fine and happy but my tank looks like diarea!!

Any help would be great and if I forgot to mention anything let me know.
PS
Amm- 0
Nitrates- 0
Nitrites - 0
PH 8.4

 

[mikeyjer]

What type of filtration system do you have?? By running a fuge system along with a protein skimmer will help!!! :happyfish

 

[aredmon]

I have hang on back filters. I was thinking the water turned brown from all the algea that died and all the dead algea is now free floating. But why havn't the water changes helped? I have a seahorse tank set up the same way and i have done the same for it as the big tank but the big tank turned brown and the seahorse tank is crystal clear.

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by aredmon
I have hang on back filters. I was thinking the water turned brown from all the algea that died and all the dead algea is now free floating. But why havn't the water changes helped? I have a seahorse tank set up the same way and i have done the same for it as the big tank but the big tank turned brown and the seahorse tank is crystal clear.
Water changes does help. It just varies from tank to tank. Do you have powerheads going?? Just add a protein skimmer on, it will help you out. :happyfish

 

[aredmon]

I do have powerheads going and I will try to pull for the protein skimmer if I cam find the money. I just got scammed on buying a motorcycle and am fighting to get it. Any thing else anyone can give any ideas with. Has this happened to anyone before?

 

[davidmwj]

I recently had the same problem. Went out of town for 5 days and came back to a green 85 degree tank. Luckily, only lost one fish. I did multiple clean/water changes, including taking out rocks and scrubbing them. The cloud will settle down, but then it just gets all over your rock, etc. again. I finally broke down and bought a skimmer which solved it.

 

[jumpfrog]

How do the filter pads look on your hang filters? Are they turning brown as well?
It sounds like you have high levels of undisolved organics. How much are you feeding? What type of food are you feeding?
The best solution if food isn't the problem is continued water changes and a skimmer when you can afford it.
Good Luck!

 

[sagxman]

The skimmer should help 100 times over. Also, running some carbon might help.

 

[aredmon]

I will definitly try to get the skimmer. The filters don't look all that bad. Almost like they arn't getting that much. I change them every 2 weeks and I run carbon in them. I feed everyother day frozen mysis and frozen alge cube things. (Boy arn't I good with words lol) Never any left behind. I hoped this would have settled but it has been like this for almost a month and a half to 2 months. Oh and the tank stinks like smelly algea.

 

[jumpfrog]

The frozen algae cube things ;-) might be part of the problem. What fish do you have? Most of the smaller fish can get enough algae from the rocks. Only time I would supplement would be if you have tangs and then sheet algae seems to work better. Also, if using frozen it's best to rinse them first to remove the preservatives, thus reducing phosphates from your tank. If your filter pads are not picking it up then organics are probably what's giving you your problem. One way to test, since you don't have a skimmer yet, is to have a power head blow toward the surface. If you have excess organics you will see blobs of nasty brownish stuff form on the surface area. The water will create some whirlpools and result in a surface build up that is almost like a foam. The same action that is taking place inside of your skimmer. You can use a fine net and scoop those foam blobs up to help export your 'skimmate'.
Good luck!. I"m sure this will take care of itself once you have a skimmer in place.

 

[aredmon]

THank you for that explination. It makes alot more sence now. I told my husband that I needed to try and get a skimmer and he said we may be able to get one this weekend. I do see a frothy build up sometimes behind the filters where the water pours back in. I have an angle fish and I feed the formula frozen food cubes desined for him. Plus the clown likes them. I will start rinsing the frozen mysis though. It is always cloudy when I dump it in. How would I rinse it though? Thank you for the advise.

 

[fishguy84]

We feed frozen at work, and just take a cup of water straight out of the tank and let it sit in the cup rather than toss the frozen right in. It'll let it thaw out first, and that way you can rinse it in the water, or dip it in a second cup of clean water first. As for frozen algea cube thingies, I agree with jumpfrog. Unless you have a huge load of tangs or somethig, I wouldn't go with frozen like that. If you don't have a lot of sitting algea, then get an algea clip, and clip on a small piece of romaine lettuce each day. It'll promote grazing rather than a once or twice a day feeding, and it'll stay intact a lot better than frozen algea cube thingies, or even dried algea sheets.
Oh yeah, and definately get a skimmer. I changed out my CC bed for a sand bed, and the inch of silt went all over the place (the last guy overfed and never siphoned). About 3 days later, the skimmer had moved a majority of the gunk, and I could see the fish. It's been a week and the water is almost crystal clear. If you have the money, I would definately get a remora skimmer.

 

[aredmon]

Ok. I looked everywhere and the only skimmer I found around here was a red sea prizim skimmer. I have had it running for about 2 days now and it hasn't collected a darn thing. Also the colection thing at the top filled with water. Is it supposed to do that? I thought only the foam collected up in it? Any help would be nice.

 

[glowplug]

You have to adjust your skimmer for less watery junk, also skimmers have a break in period from a few days to a few weeks, what you should do for now is run a little carbon in your filter it should get rid of a lot of those particles, I wouldnt suggest allways running carbon but run it for a few days, if it doesnt help throw in a NEW pad for a few more days, if all else fails a UV sterilizer might work, this sounds horrible but I have bought stuff from a big site, not this one, but the other huge one, used it for a few days and returned it, you pay for shipping but you dont have to make an ivestment in a product you may only need once.

 

[aredmon]

I have tries the carbon and changing pads once a week. The tank is more clear in the morning when the lights first come on and then looks like someone crapped in the water by afternoon. And it is not watery junk that the colection thing filled up with it just filled up with water instantly. What does a UV sterilizer do?

 

[gtiguy]

Sounds exactly what I went through, but instead of brown water mine was a greenish/yellow and it came back after each major water change...I even added a better skimmer and carbon and no luck...it happend like the other person above with me being away on vaca and coming back to my tank looking like pea soup!! I also had a HOB filter running bc i didnt want my sump running with an inexperienced person watching it.... :thinking:
I did everything and anything and nothing worked,

i finally broke down and said i would try anything and found some stuff online that was a miracle worker and the stuff broke down what seemed to be an overload of bacteria from something in the tank....withing 2-3 weeks it was clear again and never had any problems again,

actually looking to buy some more soon bc it also helps lower nitrates and phosphates....
Try it and see if it works for you, the product is "algone" and they have a big website, check it out....

 

[aredmon]

I will try it out. I am so fed up right now. This happened to me and I wasn't even gone. man I am fed up with this cr*p. But about the skimmer. I paid $150 for that thing and if it isn't working I am taking it back. Is it suposed to fill up with water in the colection tank or just foam? Thanks guys!!

 

[sharkbite]

When my skimmer fills with water it is due to the foam filter where the water exits. I pull the filter down a little so there is better flow. Also, there is an adjustment knob to restrict the water flow. The collector cup should not fill with water. To clear the water I use 2 mesh bags (small) filled with active carbon.

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by aredmon
I will try it out. I am so fed up right now. This happened to me and I wasn't even gone. man I am fed up with this cr*p. But about the skimmer. I paid $150 for that thing and if it isn't working I am taking it back. Is it suposed to fill up with water in the colection tank or just foam? Thanks guys!!
If you are willing to pay $150 for a skimmer, pay a little more and buy an Aqua C Remora instead!!! Haven't heard much good stuffs about prism skimmers.... :happyfish

 

[aredmon]

Ok. I figured out my skimmer problem. It is pulling out some serious junk now. Smells awful!!!! I hatched ducks and they stayed in the house till they were big enough to handle the weather. I would rather smell the ducks than the stuff I dumped out of that collection cup!!! I also ordered some of that algone. The only other sugestion on what to do to clear it up is a uv sterilizer. I would like to wait on that one. Is there any other suggestions?