Green Water

[sp8600]

Hi, I have a green water problem at the moment... ank set up is a Jewl Reo 180L, Eheim 2324, injected CO2 and EI.

I bought a UV Sterlizer two days ago in the hope it would get rid of the green water however it hasn't done anything... Its a Vecton 600 and states its good up till 600L.

Any idea's?

 

[JamesC]

Normally I'd expect to see a difference after a day. May take several days to totally clear.

James

 

[Graeme Edwards]

Help it along by doing regular daily water changes.

 

[sp8600]

I did a water change yeterday, about 50% however the water is still green! This means the UV light has been in place for almost two weeks... And made no difference at all, could it not be working properly? Or could there be another problem?

 

[Aeropars]

Its possible that its not being caught in your filter. When I had greenwater I used a product called Seachem Clarity. Its stick particles together which can then be trapped in your filter. Took me 5 doses to do it but had crystal clear water after that. Dont forget that the Uv just kills the algea... it doesnt remove it form the water.

Its also a possibilty that your UV is not stong enough for your tank.

 

[SnBMeg]

You might try treating the cause(s), rather than just trying to cure the results.

The two main factors in greenwater are light (especially sunlight) and excess nutrients.

If the tank is near an unshaded window, and if the fish are overfed or simply produce a lot of waste (like algae-eaters and goldfish), the tank is primed for greenwater development. In this case, you could try shading the window or the tank, reducing the photoperiod (the length of time you have the tank's light on), and feeding the fish a bit less. If you use plant fertilizers, stop until you've got the gw under control.

Once you've got gw, the best way to get rid of it is lots of large water changes: along the lines of 50-75% every day for as long as it takes.

Last summer I got severe greenwater in a 10-gallon trop tank, and it took about 3 months to permanently clear it up. (For whatever reason, my 20 and 36 gallon tanks, which also had gw just as bad, only took a few weeks, if that, to completely clear.)

 

[Dave Spencer]

The two main factors in greenwater are light (especially sunlight) and excess nutrients.

The OP is running an EI tank, so there should be an excess of nutrients.

If you use plant fertilizers, stop until you've got the gw under control.

Causing a nutrient deficiency for the plants will only makes things worse and cause other types of algae. Your green water may well have been caused by an ammonia spike, possibly caused by a substrate disturbance.

It is surprising that your UV isn`t clearing it. Are you sure it`s working?

Three day black outs can be successful, but there have been one or two people recently, with severe cases of GW, where they haven`t worked.

Dave.

 

[sp8600]

It is surprising that your UV isn`t clearing it. Are you sure it`s working?

Thats what I thought... Is there anyway I can check if its working?

 

[sp8600]

Well I've just worked it out... Opened up the UV sterlizer and the wires were loose

Should have guessed really, there was no light coming out of the ends of the UV before and now there is...

Can't wait to see what its like in a few days, gonna carry on with the water changes however.

Thanks for all your help guys/gals

 

[Aeropars]

Don't forget to change your fine filter floss every day. You'll be amazed at how quickly it clogs up when your ridding of greenwater.

 

[Budde]

What is Green Water caused by, and how do I get rid of it?

Josh