Green water

[raingirl]

Hello I have a chiclid tank and just reciently my water has been green I have done tank changes I have also changed my filters and nothing seems to be helping. I have two filters on my tank and it is a 38 gallon tank. I also have put in carbon filters in both of them and also a filter to help with oder and discoloration in the water and still nothing. I don't have my tank in the direct sunlight and I am not sure what more to do to the tank. can you help me out...

[jvision]

Green Water thrives on ammonia. When you say you chaged the filters, did you clean out the biomedia? If so, you're going to have an ammonia and nitrite spike as the tank cycles again. Those filters with disposible inserts are not really a good idea, as they rely 100% on the biological filtration that occurs within the tank, where as all other filters have special ways to have more biofiltration in the filter so that all tank water passes through it.

Some ways to get rid of GW are:

50%+ Water Changes every day with a black-out

- use a water conditioner like Prime that actually sequesters the ammonia in the water

50%+ WCs and add some plants

- floating plants are great for removing excess ammonia fast

- terrestrial plants like Pothos, Ivy, Philodendron, etc. with just their roots hanging in the water work well, too

Use a UV sterilizer, or floculant, or micron filter... but, these will only treat the symptom and not help cure the problem.

[D-TRAIN]

Do what he says and get some phosphate remover. Put some of that in and completely darken the room your tank is in. Within a week the algae bloom should be gone.

[Kronosdelsol]

If you are impatient then borrow someone's UV sterilizer. It will be gone in a day. Otherwise do the blackout. Your fish should be okay.