# Green Water Experiment



## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

Okay, i just won the battle on Brown Algae and Green Spot Algae, Now GREEN WATER is my new enemy, Hrrrrr... My tank is showing some haziness and i assumed its green water algae, the problem started when i dose IE Dosing 1/8KNO3 and 1/32 KH2PO4, i research some articles that exess nutrients also trigger green algae, so may be this is the cause. Tom. Sunday i ill be making 50% water change and temporarily stop dosing ferts for the moment and see what happen, Overdosing on my tank can be due in using 1/4 tsp in measuring 1/8 and 1/32 so i went to Linen and Things and bought some measuring spoon (pinch, smidgen, dash and Nip). 

Some Details:
Tank is Running for 1 month, Fully Planted
29 Gal.
100% Flourite
65watts CF + 20watts NO
DIY co2 2x2liter bottle
Aquaclear 50

Note: Not planning to buy UV light, Micro Filter etc.....


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

Make sure your CO2 is good and maintain ferts and you shouldn't have a green water problem. Do the water change, add the ferts, and make sure your CO2 is pumping. I'm betting on CO2 as your problem. You may get some help by cutting out the 20W NO.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

I forgot that i do 100% water change last week due to ferts overdosing, then after water changes i immediatley dose 1/4KNO3 and 1/32 KH2PO4, the co2 reading is 27ppm according to the chart, but like we said its not accurate its just a guideline. But this is my fisrt time having the problem. the tank is running in almost 1 month with the lightning setup and i didn't encounter any green water, this is the first time when i dose ferts. I bought now a measuring spoon and let see what happen, i have a suspicious thats im over dosing the tank.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

You are not overdosing KNO3 or KH2PO4, unless you have a very lightly planted tank. Even if you are making a misreading of the measuring spoons and double dosing, you still will not be causing green water. However, you do need trace elements too, so you need Flourish or CSM+B or TMG, etc in addition to the above ferts. Green water is not caused by over fertilizing. It is usually caused by a spike of ammonia from something like root tabs, or a dead fish, or disturbing the substrate without doing a big water change.


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

> My tank is showing some haziness


Is the haziness green or white? You say that the problem is green water and not a bacteria bloom or the flourite (per your eariler journal pictures). This would seem to indicate it is green. A picture might be helpful if you are not positive about the problem being green water.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

the haziness is dirty white, i cant get a photo i dont have any digital cam right now. maybe im gonna do 100% water change tom. to reset everything, anyway i dont have any fish in the tank.


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## cwlodarczyk (Sep 18, 2005)

xcooperx said:


> the haziness is dirty white, i cant get a photo i dont have any digital cam right now. maybe im gonna do 100% water change tom. to reset everything, anyway i dont have any fish in the tank.


If the water is white then it's almost certainly a bacterial bloom caused by the 100% water change you did a few days ago. Unless you see it turning green then I would suggest you simply leave it alone for a few days and it will go away on it's own.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

ok, i'll be waiting until the waters clear up, i do 50% WC last sunday, today the water gets cloudy, i cant figure it out if its a green or algae bloom, when you look at the upper portion of tanks its white and if you look at the bottom its green i dont know if it is just my Dual daylight bulb that makes the bottom greener when reflected to the plants.

So hoppy you mean that excess nutrients will not cause GW?

The cloudiness start on the day i dose IE dosing, I have my 20L that is crystal clear, its running 4 weeks and still not experiancing algae bloom, also with the 29 gal. its running 1 month and did not experiance any algae bloom, until i dose ferts, My nitrate is 20 PPm on the last test before i water change it










Side View


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## cwlodarczyk (Sep 18, 2005)

Take some of the water and put it in a white bowl. You'll know right away what color it is.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I think your using flourite. When I used flourite and filled quickly I got that cloudiness for a few days. Putting some fresh extra carbon for a week cleared it up fairly quickly. Try doing a couple more waterchanges to and filling it up slowly using a plate or bowl to displace the falling water.

Oh, and just an FYI, it's actually EI and not IE. You're getting that backwards sometimes. No biggie, just confusing to me when I read it sometimes. Good luck! 

-John N.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

Without Flash









With Flash


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

Because of the 100% water change you not only reseted the ferts, but you also reseted filter. Ammonia spikes will go away in about a week depending on what you do to it. It's a bacterial bloom not gw. Just wait it out and keep dosing how you normally dose. One day you'll wake up to a clear tank since your plants and filter will help you get rid of the ammonia. Don't do any water changed before it clears up, you'll just make things worse...


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

so you mean john that no water change every sunday until the water is clear, then how's my EI dosing, on the chart they do need water change every sunday right? to reset the ferts.


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

Not doing a water change is going to be fine. The purpose of the water change is reset the ferts to keep levels safe for fish (among other things). You still don't have fish in here, right?

At the same time, a 50% water change won't kill much of your bacteria. It_ may_ delay how long it takes for your tank to clear, maybe not.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

yeah i dont have any fish at the moment, so 50% will be just fine? is that what you mean mike?


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

Yes. A 50% water change, while it may extend the establishment of bacteria, will not kill it off. It just depends on how long you want to have a cloudy tank. Assuming it's a bacterial bloom, water changes will slow down the clearing. Since you don't have fish, it's OK to not do a water change for quite a while. Even with fish, I have gone weeks between water changes thanks to business trips, vacation, etc.

It all depends on what your goals are and what you are comfortable with.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

about my water at the bowl, what do you think, it is algae bloom or green water?


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

I don't see any green in it. Did you see any in it? I ask because there is no telling whether or not the picture coloring comes across right.

If you don't see any green, it's not algae. It's bacteria.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

My experience is that when you have green water, no one needs to confirm it for you. Green water gets green, very green, densely green, green enough that you can't see through it, green, in other words!!


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

Updated Photos:
I can see slightly green on the bowl, but not so green










Top View


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

It's a baterial bloom.... just don't do water changes or put any fauna in it yet.. Your plants will help you out here.. Green water is called "Green" water for a reason.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

OK, i'll do that, here's another shot of my whole Tank

With Flash


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

i check the water on a bowl again, and i can see the green water on it, i think im dealing now with green water


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

An algae bloom may lead to a green water bloom if the ammonia is not gone...


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

yeah thats what im thinking, so maybe im just gonna wait a longer more and let the ammonia settle down, i install another filter that came on an establish tank to help get rid of ammonia. and not do WC for a moment, i'll updated the outcome, thanks john for helping me on this matter 

I check the Ammonia and it reads 0ppm, on a AP test kit


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

In my experience once it gets established gw does not need amonia. I did get rid of a slight case of gw by doing a water change and making sure all the ferts whre inline but that was cause by uprooting a lot of debri. 

If it gets really green then I would just do a blackout. That is how I have gotten rid of it its the simplest and cheapest way. If you cant stand not looking at your tank for 4 days then maybe you should look into a diatom filter or a uv sterilizer.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

TANK UPDATE:

The tank is now clearing up, yeah its an algae bloom and not a green water.. phew! Like suggested i didn't water change the tank today. I'll do it next week, Dosing is now accurate, i purchased the equipment needed like, measuring spoon for Dry ferts and Syringe for the Seachem Flourish :rain: 

Thanks for all the suggestion


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

xcooperx said:


> The tank is now clearing up, yeah its an algae bloom


You mean bacterial bloom.., but you should have did a water change after it cleared up..


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

its not really cleared up but i can see the plants already


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

after clearing up, i do 50% WC and yeah its clouding again, maybe its on my filter im using AC HOB 30, im still waiting on my xp2 maybe nextweek.


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

What do you do everytime you wc? How many times do you wash your filter? How do you wc?


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

i do 50% water change (Half of the tank) i clean the filter every 2 weeks with the water on the tank. Then do the dosing schedule.

oh Im putting Seachem Prime now a days cause im wondering that it would help to remove ammonia. After water change the water is getting cleared after 1 day its starting to cloud again.

Sometimes im thinking doing a 100% WC, all started when i dose dry ferts (im dosing the dry ferts direct on my tank, dont have fish yet) My 20L and 10gal. did not go through this bacterial stage (i haven't dosing anything yet for this both tanks)


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

How are you dosing your dry ferts? If you just dump the powder in there it'll cloud. Don't clean the filter as much. Maybe just once a month. 100% was not good.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

1/8 Kno3 and 1/32 KH2po4, 2ml Seachem Flourish

oh really putting them directly will cloud the water, maybe im just gonna get a few amount of water on the tank and mix it with the ferts, that way i dose it by liquid. Putting 1/8 KNO3 or 1/32 KH2po4 on a half cup of water tank will not effect measurement right?


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

No it would not affect your measurements.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

thanks i'll be doing that and let see what will happen


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

That's how most people dose dry ferts anyway.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

Hi john, the tank now is really cloudy, i get some water and put it on a white bowl, and now i can see the green water. Im planning to do Blackout but how will this affect my plants ainkille


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

Cover it all up, turn off the lights, just feed the fish. All that for four days and 3 nights. Once that's done, your water will be crystal clear. You shouldn't have to use that white bowl everytime you check to see if you have green water, you can just tell if you have green water in your tank. Plants may seen to look a bit weak at first, but once you start the EI after the black out you will be fine.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

oh john dont worry about feeding fish, i have no fish at the moment, wat will happen if i just do 100% WC again.?

The reason is, the plants that i ordered arrive today and i cant see anything on my tank, i want to aquascape it right now


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

You'll just make things worse, dump the plants in then blakc out, or dump the plants in your other tanks for now.


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