Need help asap with my tank please!

[YoshivsJoshi]

Hey, I posted about my tank before needing help, I brought two amazon sword plants and also did an 80% tank changed my filter water did everything and yet the tank has gone green again, I’ve never had this happen before, I have even less fish than I did before, any help would be amazing thank you

 

[Byron]

This is "green water" which is unicellular algae proliferating. Organics and light aid them. On the light, get some floating plants. How long is the light on for each day, and is the intensity too great?

As for organics, these can come from the aquarium and also the source tap water. At certain times, such as summer, the source water might be very high in organics.

 

[YoshivsJoshi]

The light is quite bright and is on for like 8 hours a day

 

[Byron]

The light is quite bright and is on for like 8 hours a day

Reduce this to six, and add floating plants. This should help.

 

[YoshivsJoshi]

Reduce this to six, and add floating plants. This should help.

What floating plants do you recommend? Also where should I buy them

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

Excess organics can also be present in the tank if you do not use a gravel vacuum to remove uneaten food and waste. It is important to use a gravel vacuum for water changes. How often do you change your water and how much? Too few water changes in combination with not vacuuming can cause green algae to thrive.

 

[YoshivsJoshi]

I try my best to clean it at least once a month, but the gravel cleaner does not really work as well because I’ve got sand so it just sucks sand into the cleaner

Excess organics can also be present in the tank if you do not use a gravel vacuum to remove uneaten food and waste. It is important to use a gravel vacuum for water changes. How often do you change your water and how much? Too few water changes in combination with not vacuuming can cause green algae to thrive.

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

I try my best to clean it at least once a month, but the gravel cleaner does not really work as well because I’ve got sand so it just sucks sand into the cleaner

I have sand too, it just takes some finesse. Just skim the surface of the sand. Over feeding can also be a contributing factor. Once a month water change is no where near enough imo. I would recommend doing weekly water changes of at least 50%. This is probably why you're having a hard time with green algae. Too much organics in the water and not enough water changes, so it just keeps accumulating and producing all the nutrients that green algae love.

Side note, NEVER throw away your filter media. It houses the majority of your beneficial bacteria which are essential to keeping a tank healthy and fully cycled. I would suggest researching the nitrogen cycle to understand why this is so important. Feel free to ask any questions.

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

I just noticed your stocking which is a bit of a mess.. the tank is incredibly overstocked which would contribute to WAY too many organics being present in the water. In short, your bioload is really high and you're not doing near enough water changes to balance it out. In combination with the fact that you throw away your filter media your tank is in a constant state of instability. With a tank like this after you cycle it I would be doing at least 2-3 50% water changes weekly. Yes, it is a lot but from what I can see your are literally that overstocked.

 

[Byron]

Agree with above posts. As for floating plants, check your fish stores. Substantial plants like Water Sprite, Frogbit and Water Lettuce are best.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Watch this vid to learn how to gravel vac properly - keep watching since it doesn't just focus on gravel, but he shows how to clean sand too. You have to learn how to pause the flow so you can clean as you wish, while not sucking up sand etc. He crimps the hose to pause the flow, while I find it easiest to put my thumb over the end of the hose that's in the bucket, only removing my thumb when I want the syphon to start again. Agreed with all the above advice too, and make sure you're not over-feeding!!

 

[YoshivsJoshi]

Thank you, I appreciate you all

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thank you, I appreciate you all

It's one of the things we're here for
If you follow the above advice, you'll see a big improvement in your tank soon. Please update when you do!

 

[YoshivsJoshi]

Hey, I don’t throw away my filter media, I try to reuse it but sometimes I have to clean the inside of my filter because snails have got in there and keep breeding

I just noticed your stocking which is a bit of a mess.. the tank is incredibly overstocked which would contribute to WAY too many organics being present in the water. In short, your bioload is really high and you're not doing near enough water changes to balance it out. In combination with the fact that you throw away your filter media your tank is in a constant state of instability. With a tank like this after you cycle it I would be doing at least 2-3 50% water changes weekly. Yes, it is a lot but from what I can see your are literally that overstocked.

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

Hey, I don’t throw away my filter media, I try to reuse it but sometimes I have to clean the inside of my filter because snails have got in there and keep breeding

Oh okay. I interpreted this part as meaning you changed your filter media. Cleaning the inside of the filter is fine, just not changing the media. What do you mean you try to reuse it? You can just put it back into your filter after your clean out the filter itself. Do you use filter cartridges?

Hey, I posted about my tank before needing help, I brought two amazon sword plants and also did an 80% tank changed my filter water did everything and yet the tank has gone green again, I’ve never had this happen before, I have even less fish than I did before, any help would be amazing thank you