# help green water driving us all crazy



## discusnuts (Apr 2, 2008)

help help help

hi im new on this site i found it by looking for algae help
well this is the problem the 95g wave tank at work has gone green water, this tank is heavly planted with 7 discus. it gets a 20g water change 2 times a week. the pramerters are amonina 0, nitrite 0, nitrates 0. ph was staying at 6.8 and has now jumped to 8 out of the blue. the water is soft and almost no alklinty. this all happened the last time we cleaned the filter out. we use mircale grow liquid for the 
plants. we only put three drops to 95g with great results. we have been using mircale grow for many years with no problems. there is african driftwood in this tank that has only been in there for about a month and a half. if you take a cup of water out it looks clear. we have tried every thing we can think of. we have used tetra algae control it cleared it up and it came back. we also tried algone pads to that did not work. my husband thinks it may be the light. lighting is 4 130w cp blubs in a orbit extreme light. it has to run form 10:00am to 6:00pm for store hours. please help im going to pull my hair out.

there is no other algae in this tank no hair algae b/c of these great little snails that don't breed in fresh water called olive nerite :help:


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## xspy (Mar 29, 2008)

I found this over at csd.net when looking for algae problems.
Green Water: This is a free-floating form of algae. Normally the result of high light, and VERY high nutrient levels. There are water additives that claim to eliminate or clear up green water problems. Water-polishing filters also will clear the water. But these solutions don't address the original cause of the problem: The excess nutrients. Green water can appear if you have high nitrates, but plant growth is insufficient to reduce the nitrate level. This can happen if you don't have enough fast-growing plants, or if the plants don't have the CO2 needed for fast growth. Extremely high nitrate levels, besides being harmful to the fish, reduce plant growth, and actually increase the amount of CO2 needed by the plants. 

Hope this helps


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## Felf808 (Mar 21, 2006)

Miracle Grow+high light=green water, I know this because many daphnia breeders exclusively use miracle grow to sustain multiple cultures at once but daphnia would be out of the question since you have discus unless you keep them contained in a really fine net breeder so the discus cant get to them while you try to figure out what the main cause(s) of the algae outbreak are since it could be a combination of things. Other alternatives would be using a vortex or UV filter.


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## Varig8 (Dec 25, 2007)

I had the same problem- try Natural Aquarium Vital- heres a link http://www.marcweissco.com/freshwater/natural_aquarium_vital/natural_aquarium_vital.html
Also Ketapang (Almond leaves) is a known inhibitor for algae, it will also provide the correct ph in your water for Discus as well as other reputed side effects such as anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agents. Phosphates will encourage algae growth, especially Miracle Grow- its LOADED with phosphates! Try Flourish fertilizers, or just stick with the "Vital".


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

IME Green Water has always been caused by NH4 in the water column. I can get it at will if I uproot a large plant or a bunch of smaller plants and fail to do a water change after uprooting. 
Unfortunately, once you have the green water, it is too late to test for ammonium. I would assume that cleaning the filter may have removed some of the bacteria and allowed the NH3 to spike slightly possibly causing your green water. 

Others have already mentioned this but I believe the N in Miracle Gro is a form of ammonium. The combination of that plus a slight increase in ammonia may have been the breaking point for the start of green water.

The jump in pH seems a bit odd also. I would assume with your light levels that you are using CO2, did your tank run out? That has caused some green water in my tanks before.


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## Peteman (May 28, 2007)

I'd go for a UV filter if you give up on other methods There are other ways like black outs to handle it, but green water is one I had a battle with and got tired of having my tank be covered up for a week only for it to come back. 

Did a big water change, put the UV filter on for a week (regular lighting, ferts, no algaecide), another big water change. Looked crystal clear and never came back. The UV filter also has another great use if you have a disease breakout, used it to stop the couple of ick breakouts I've had (new fish) with no use of other chemicals. 

Pete.


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## Chroe (Mar 8, 2008)

Great comments so far, and for me, anytime I've had a green water problem, a complete blackout for 5 or so days did the trick.

When I say blackout, I mean BLACKOUT. I cover the sides of the tank with large sheets of cardboard, and then cover the top with a couple layers of blankets; absolutely NO light can get in - even from a tiny crack. Keep the aerator/filters on during this time, and keep up with changing filter media and carbon - but NO light.

Give it 5 or 6 days and you'll have crystal clear water. Even in heavily planted tanks, the blackout doesn't hurt the plants any (you may see a little more "upward" growth as the plants start looking for light) but it completely starves the suspended algae particles.

Chris


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## frozenbarb (Feb 8, 2007)

20 words. UV sterilizer do a big good waterchange before adding the UV. Second day waterchange again and Third day its clear.


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

People will chime in and say using a UV is not getting to the root of the problem or that it is cheating of some sort. However, I got into planted tanks to enjoy their beauty, not to play scientist. I went with a UV years ago and never looked back. Best aquarium equipment purchase I ever made.


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## Red Leader (Sep 17, 2007)

You will continue to have algae problems if you do not deal with the root of the problem. I second what Chroe said - do the blackout as he prescribed and then make sure that you're providing for the needs of your plants. If you have healthy plants they'll outcompete algae in your tank so that it's barely noticeable. Do you have CO2 going into your tank? If not get CO2 in there as soon as possible. 

Personally, I would do the black out, take out 1 or 2 light bulbs, inject CO2, stop using Miracle Grow, dose potassium and micros, get a bunch of algae eaters - 6 siamese algae eaters, 10 otos, 90 shrimp (amano, crs, red cherries). Provide for the plant's needs, put in fauna that eat algae and you'll have an algae "free" tank. You have 7 discus in a 95 gallon tank. They should provide plenty of nitrates if you keep your lighting to 2.0-2.5 watts/gallon.


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