Need help asap with my tank please!

[Colin_T]

The tank is green because there are not enough plants and too much light. Add more live plants or reduce lighting

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

The tank is green because there are not enough plants and too much light. Add more live plants or reduce lighting

That is simply not true about there not being enough plants and OP only has the lights on for 8 hours per day. Plenty of unplanted tanks don't have green algae issues. The issue is not due to a lack of plants it's caused by an excess of nutrients in the water column and a lack of water changes/vacuuming uneaten food and waste. As a result the algae get a buffet of food which allows them to grow their numbers rapidly. The tank is very overstocked as well which means the nitrates are probably sky high with OP only doing 1 water change per month.

 

[YoshivsJoshi]

That is simply not true about there not being enough plants and OP only has the lights on for 8 hours per day. Plenty of unplanted tanks don't have green algae issues. The issue is not due to a lack of plants it's caused by an excess of nutrients in the water column and a lack of water changes/vacuuming uneaten food and waste. As a result the algae get a buffet of food which allows them to grow their numbers rapidly. The tank is very overstocked as well which means the nitrates are probably sky high with OP only doing 1 water change per month.

If I clean my tank I try to reuse the floss, and if I get new floss I soak it in the old water, I’ve brought some more water safe and going to try and get some more plants, which would you say is like the number 1 best plant to get?

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

If I clean my tank I try to reuse the floss, and if I get new floss I soak it in the old water, I’ve brought some more water safe and going to try and get some more plants, which would you say is like the number 1 best plant to get?

Unfortunately soaking the new floss in the old water won't do anything because the beneficial bacteria live ON the filter media not in the water. Do you have a hob filter? If so I would add some course sponge and ceramic rings. Both of those won't breakdown nearly as fast as the filter floss and can last for years before needing to be actually replaced (when they begin to fall apart).

Eh something fast growing, maybe water sprite or water lettuce. The plants won't make as much of a difference as increased water changes and vacuuming uneaten food/mulm will.

 

[YoshivsJoshi]

This is the filter I have, it has the beads in it and the filter pads and the floss, the pump part is broken but seems to work fine, I’ve never had this problem before I’ve had the fish about a year now and had more fish before and never had the problem but now even after having less fish it is still happening also I’m unsure they even leave left over food, they eat it really quickly

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

This is the filter I have, it has the beads in it and the filter pads and the floss, the pump part is broken but seems to work fine, I’ve never had this problem before I’ve had the fish about a year now and had more fish before and never had the problem but now even after having less fish it is still happening also I’m unsure they even leave left over food, they eat it really quickly

Yeah I have no idea how to modify that, I have a hob. Even if there isn't uneaten food that many fish will create a lot of waste which isn't being removed by enough WCs. In such a low volume of water it will accumulate very quickly. Over time parameters will get worse. I don't want to overwhelm you with information about water parameters but I would bet you have very high nitrates. Algae consumes nitrates which means they have a bountiful food source in the tank.

 

[YoshivsJoshi]

Yeah I have no idea how to modify that, I have a hob. Even if there isn't uneaten food that many fish will create a lot of waste which isn't being removed by enough WCs. In such a low volume of water it will accumulate very quickly. Over time parameters will get worse. I don't want to overwhelm you with information about water parameters but I would bet you have very high nitrates. Algae consumes nitrates which means they have a bountiful food source in the tank.

I’m grateful for all the advice I will try my best to implement it

 

[Essjay]

the pump part is broken

You had me worried there for a minute. I thought, if the pump is broken how does the water go through the filter, but then I looked at the photo and realised it's the priming pump that's broken

Do you have a hob filter?

It's a canister filter

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Sticking neck out here in regard to the priming gizmo being broken

You don't actually need to prime any canister type filter.

When you do your canister maintenance (and the same goes for a brand new one that is being hooked up for the first time)

Once you have done all you want/need to do inside the canister, stand it in the sink and fill to the brim with dechlorinated water. Gently lower the top and lock it down...it will spills ome out, hence standing it in the sink (or a bowl). Carry the canister back to the aquarium, gently pour declorinated water down the inlet and outlet holes til full of water. Reattach the hoses (again they might dribble), open the taps and turn the filter on.

By doing all of the above negates the need to prime...since priming gets rid of any air in the system and gets water to flow into the filter from the aquarium and then back up into it again. Making sure that the filter, head and hoses are totally full of water means no air, no break in the flow ability.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Sticking neck out here in regard to the priming gizmo being broken

You don't actually need to prime any canister type filter.

When you do your canister maintenance (and the same goes for a brand new one that is being hooked up for the first time)

Once you have done all you want/need to do inside the canister, stand it in the sink and fill to the brim with dechlorinated water. Gently lower the top and lock it down...it will spills ome out, hence standing it in the sink (or a bowl). Carry the canister back to the aquarium, gently pour declorinated water down the inlet and outlet holes til full of water. Reattach the hoses (again they might dribble), open the taps and turn the filter on.

By doing all of the above negates the need to prime...since priming gets rid of any air in the system and gets water to flow into the filter from the aquarium and then back up into it again. Making sure that the filter, head and hoses are totally full of water means no air, no break in the flow ability.

I don't use this method myself, but I can see how it would work! When my canister is ready, I fill the canister right to the brim while standing it in a bucket, so full that attaching the lid means water spills over the sides, then plug back in/turn on/open the water lock valve. Usually there will be some air bubbles in the hoses, but lifting the canister high, so it's equal to/just above the waterline allows the air to flow into the canister and out, restoring full flow and leaving only water in the hoses. Then canister can be returned to floor level.

With either method, no need to faff about with priming and trying it again and again!

 

[YoshivsJoshi]

Hey, do the little snails cause algae build up? Theres like 10+ in my tank, they keep laying eggs it’s annoying since some are in hard to find places

 

[Slaphppy7]

Hey, do the little snails cause algae build up? Theres like 10+ in my tank, they keep laying eggs it’s annoying since some are in hard to find places

They produce waste, which feeds the algae...

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Hey, do the little snails cause algae build up? Theres like 10+ in my tank, they keep laying eggs it’s annoying since some are in hard to find places

They produce waste, which feeds the algae...

It's also just another sign that there's plenty of organics in the tank for the snails to feed on, causing a population increase....