fishchick

I have tried to figure out what this but i think its algae bloom ! don't have anything for the tank now ! its a pea color in the water ! the fish are ok m, but the tank is a 75 gall tank ! been feeding as little as possible with the pleco with 1 disc every other day !any ideas?

alicem

Probably is.

Do you mean you don't have an additive for this? I don't think that would help.
At the very least, you need to do partial water changes daily and keep the lights off.

There is a procedure called a total black out where you:
*do a partial water change & gently clean the filter making sure it is operating properly,
*completely cover the tank so no light gets in, not even room light, for 3 or 4 days,
(you can use black trash bags for this)
*do not feed the fish during this time,
*after 3 or 4 days, uncover and do another partial water change.

Green water is generally always an algae bloom. It will get worse unless you get a handle on it and
figure out what is causing it.

So the only fish in it is the pleco?

There are many things that cause green water. These are only a few examples:
*poor filter maintenance, which results in high nitrates
*too few/small partial water changes, which results in high nitrates
*some flake foods have excess phosphate, which is released if not eaten by the fish
*over feeding (see above)
*over stocking the aquarium...excess nitrates if adequate partial water changes aren't done
*lights on too long... if you don't have live plants, turn them on only for viewing when you are home and feed them during that time.
*direct/indirect sunlight from a window or really bright, sun lit room
there are other causes too, the above are some of the more preventable ones...

Any time I have set up a new tank, I have trouble with green water. I guess the tank needs time to "settle down" or "balance out".
It's a real battle until then.
Keep up with your water changes and routine gentle filter cleaning.

You are not alone, most of us have had this trouble.
Best of luck,
alicem

fishchick

i did a partical water change last night , and i am keeping the light out only when i come home at night ! could the amonia be high ? i put some ammo lock in the tank . I also have angelfish and a red fin shark!

mathas

It could be an ammonia issue... green water is actually a colony of single-celled photosynthetic organisms, often found when ammonia levels are elevated for some reason.

Ammo-Lock doesn't truly eliminate ammonia, it turns ammonia into ammonium, which is less toxic for fish but still usable for photosynthesis... meaning Ammo-Lock likely wouldn't prevent a green water outbreak.

fishchick

i tested the water also and the pH was 7.0 ! which is in the safe range