Algae Help

[gwugrad03]

Is there a type of algae that makes the water cloudy. I have had algae growing on the side of the tank and I have learned how to control it. But as of recently i have had some cloudy water problems. It has a kind of green tint which lead me to believe that it was some form of algae. i have done some massiave water changes to try and defeat it but it continues to come back. When I test my water everything comes back fine so it doesn't seem dangerous to my fish. Right now i have cut the time my lights are on to see how that helps. If anyone else has had any issues with anything like this I would like to know what you did to fix it. Thanks for any help.

 

[celaeno]

what you have is called green water or free-floating algae. i recently bought a 9w internal uv sterilizer. let's hope it does the trick.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Most algae blooms like this don't last for too long and are more common in younger tank set ups as the tanks ecosystem establishes itself. A UV steriliser can get rid of the algae bloom (it basically makes the particles of algae stick together so they can be sucked up and caught in the filter), but most such algae blooms don't last long anyway, and if you can find the source of the problem then this is the cheapest way to treat the algae.

What are your Nitrate readings in the tank (if you don't know, you need to buy a test kit from your lfs/local fish store) and how long do you leave the tank lights on per day on average? Other info like how many gallons is the tank, what is its stocking, how much do you feed the fish and how etc will also be very handy to know.

 

[TreesSZ]

I had exactly the same problem. I was told to turn off the lights and make sure the tank was in the dark for a week. Added a nitrate
absorbing 'teabag' in the filter and everything was eventually crystal clear.

hope this helps.

 

[celaeno]

Most algae blooms like this don't last for too long and are more common in younger tank set ups as the tanks ecosystem establishes itself. A UV steriliser can get rid of the algae bloom (it basically makes the particles of algae stick together so they can be sucked up and caught in the filter), but most such algae blooms don't last long anyway, and if you can find the source of the problem then this is the cheapest way to treat the algae.

i've had green water for half a year now, so they can last long. a uv sterilizer kills the algae; it doesn't make the algae clump together. finding the source of the problem is easier said than done.