My water is GREEN and I'm at the end of my rope with this tank...

btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Southern Wolf http:///t/388241/my-water-is-green-and-im-at-the-end-of-my-rope-with-this-tank#post_3422958
Ok... I realize I dont know squat about saltwater. I did have a freshwater tank that did this. The green water was actually very tiny algae suspended in the water. How I got rid of it was doing a large water change and keeping the tank dark for 7 days. I did minimal feeding during this time.
This got my green water under control. After that I cut back on my lights by a couple hours.. and never had a problem again.
Could this be the same thing that is happening in saltwater?
That's my understanding of what's going on. Culture green water, like we've been discussing, is actually suspended algae (really tiny algae) that feed the pod populations. I've been doing large water changes and smaller ones, it just doesn't have any effect. I've decided to just leave it be so that the pod population can really grow out. I'm going to slide the tank into another room so I don't have to look at it. These guys are all going in a larger tank in the near future anyways.
 
southern wolf

southern wolf

Member
If you take away the lights... then shouldn't the algae die off because there is no light for photosynthisis... thus no way for them to live?
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
The macro algae need the light though. I can't really go more than 3 days without lighting on the tank, and I think it would need longer than that to eradicate the problem :-/
 
southern wolf

southern wolf

Member
Yeah... it took me about a week. But I didn't have any algae that I wanted to keep. I just had a freshwater tank.
Sorry I cant be of any help.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
If these darn Splendid Garden Eels weren't in there I'd just slap on a UV sterilizer and be done with it. And of course, they're really neat fish and my husband loves them, so getting rid of them isn't an option ... Grrrr. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't in my living room!
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
20% water change every other day until the green is gone then 20% twice a week for for a couple of weeks to make sure you have balanced again. It is still nutrient and light feeding the green water.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiefers http:///t/388241/my-water-is-green-and-im-at-the-end-of-my-rope-with-this-tank/20#post_3423227
Ever consider a poly fiber and or Chem pure elite?

I'm already running Chemi Pure Elite and I'm afraid to use the poly fiber because it will catch all the pods.
Quote:
Originally Posted by spanko http:///t/388241/my-water-is-green-and-im-at-the-end-of-my-rope-with-this-tank/20#post_3423080
20% water change every other day until the green is gone then 20% twice a week for for a couple of weeks to make sure you have balanced again. It is still nutrient and light feeding the green water.
I'm glad you chimed in on this. I'm going to be moving these fish within the next 4-6 weeks. Would it hurt to leave the water like this as long as all numbers read normal and the fish are okay since the conclusion is that it's helping with my pod population, which I need at the moment for the Splendid Garden Eels? Or do you not believe it's helping that?
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
I think it will be fine as long as you have the water being oxygenated enough during lights out. Skimmer, water falling into a sump, surface agitation etc.
"Dissolved oxygen (DO) is oxygen gas (O[sub]2[/sub]) that is dissolved in water. Most DO in ponds is produced during photosynthesis by aquatic plants and algae. For this reason DO increases during daylight hours, declines during the night, and is lowest just before daybreak."
Here is the entire article.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa002
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Thanks! I do have a lot of surface agitation in this tank, and there is macro with a light on it 24hrs in the little sump, which I think helps with the oxygen, but may also be feeding the water. Time to go read that article.
 
tur4k

tur4k

Member
I think I would probably try a double dose of GFO and lots of water changes to try to limit phosphates.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by tur4k http:///t/388241/my-water-is-green-and-im-at-the-end-of-my-rope-with-this-tank/20#post_3423368
I think I would probably try a double dose of GFO and lots of water changes to try to limit phosphates.
Honestly, I run double the recommended amount already, on all my tanks with any coral in them.
I'm just throwing my hands in the air and waiving the white flag with this tank. The fish are happy, the garden eels are eating, I just have to deal with disgusting green water in my living room until my husband moves the tank, LOL. At least when people go "Why is that water green?" I can tell them it's supposed to be like that, LOL
 
tur4k

tur4k

Member
Crazy. I really can't think of anything to do other than yanking all of your macro's, putting them in a bucket of saltwater with a light for a week and killing the tank lights. I think your choices are nutrient starve it, light starve it, kill it with UV or live with it.
Maybe you should bottle your tank water and sell it for $30 a pop. Call it "BTLDreef's mean green phyto".
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
With a sump with macro algae I would kill the display lights and stop feeding for a few days.
It should clear up nicely and the macros in the sump will like the nutrients as well.
then resume with less duration lighting and lighter feeding.
If you have caulerpa in the sump try chaetomorphia instead.
my .02
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Thanks.
I have caulerpa in the sump AND the tank. I hate chaeto. I have issues with it growing and have found caulerpa to reduce nutrients better.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///t/388241/my-water-is-green-and-im-at-the-end-of-my-rope-with-this-tank/20#post_3423769
Thanks.
I have caulerpa in the sump AND the tank. I hate chaeto. I have issues with it growing and have found caulerpa to reduce nutrients better.
No.
thankyou for your input. (about the caulerpa)
there does seem to be a light green hase I see in tank with caulerpa and not the dreaded sexual event either. So that was just a thought.
I think you will find the combination of killing the lights and stopping the feeding will clear the tank. Of course keep the lights on in the sump/refugium
my .02
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
(back in the old days people just used a vortek diatom filter. But that's probably too old school for this modern crowd.)
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
If you're running Phosban, PO4 reads zero and Nitrate read 5 then I Believe that you, my friend, have some unknown source of Silicates that is allowing a Diatom explosion. Remove the source of Silicates, do a few huge water changes and they should go away. A few large Durasa Clams would also work except you have a puffer.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///t/388241/my-water-is-green-and-im-at-the-end-of-my-rope-with-this-tank/20#post_3423803
If you're running Phosban, PO4 reads zero and Nitrate read 5 then I Believe that you, my friend, have some unknown source of Silicates that is allowing a Diatom explosion. Remove the source of Silicates, do a few huge water changes and they should go away. A few large Durasa Clams would also work except you have a puffer.
BANG....How do you locate the source of the silicates???? I have to wonder if that is an issue for me...hmmmmm....I don't have green in the water...just everywhere else...LOL
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top