Amanda

My 55 is green. SOLID green.

Algae bloom I guess? I rinses my Can filter out - everything was green. I don't know what else to do, I've done HUGE water changes, and fasted my fish to limit nitrates. I can't even tell if everyone is even still alive. I also lost fish in my 20, no idea why.
I'm just really discouraged in this hobby, it's becoming a lot of stress & tears and it shouldn't be that way.

Lucy

Aww Amnda, I'm so sorry.
It can be frustrating. Maybe you should look at your phosphates.

bolivianbaby

Amanda, I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time right now. Please don't get discouraged. Unfortunately, I have NO experience with algae, but I hope you get it figured out and resolved soon.

sirdarksol

Test your source water. River water, in particular, can go through nitrogen spikes, but ground water can, too.

Nate McFin

UV Sterilizer. 2 days. Say goodbye to it forever. I use the green killing machine from PetCo, cheap and effective. Also good for parasites!
Also for what its worth the nitrates causing algae theory is pretty much history. Tom Barr has done loads of tests and found excess will not cause algae problems....fish problems are another story.

Jaysee

A UV filter might help out significantly. One of my tanks recieves some direct sunlight and as soon as I started getting algae I got a UV sterilizer and haven't had an issue since.

Amanda

How much are UV sterilizers? I'm spending so much on my 150, so I need something relatively cheap.
How do they work?

Jaysee

They work by exposing the water, and everythng in the water, to an ultraviolet light which destroys things on a cellular level. I think you can count on spending at least $100, but probably less than $200.

Amanda

Oh jeez...that's def. not in my budget right now.
What could be causing it? Is there anything I can do to fix it?
Do you guys think that it will still happen when I start my 150?
This tank isn't exposed to outside light, only what's on the tank. And the light is on around 10-12 hrs. a day (6am - 6 pm)

Amanda

ALSO:
This green water happened after I added a water conditioner to aid in slime coat for my Oscar that leaped out of the tank. I normally don't use water conditioner, as there is absolutely nothing in my water (bad amanda, I know, I know)
Could that have something to do with it?

harpua2002

I've never dealt with green water, so I'm not sure if it will work, but have you tried a blackout? If you don't want to do that I would at least suggest cutting way back on the lighting schedule.

Sorry you're having so many problems.

MissMTS

Aww Amanda that really stinks. Things have been pretty discouraging for me the last couple days as well. I don't know what could be causing the bloom, but if you really want to get rid of it, you could sterilize the tank and start over (use TSS or other filter media to do an instant cycle). I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but that's all I really know to do

iloveengl

I'm sorry Amanda, I don't know anything about algae, but I do know what it's like to get discouraged from the stress of losing a fish and tank problems. It'll be okay. We're all here for you!

Jaysee

OOOOHHHHH, you could get a UV on the 55 for $50-$80. I thought it was for the 150.

This (9w) is what I have on my 45, which gets direct sunlight. I'm a believer!
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...3B+Circulation

sirdarksol

It's possible.
I'd go with a couple of days of blackout, check the water source, do a good vacuuming, and see what happens. It takes a bit for algae blooms to clear out, so give it a bit of time.

Tony G.

Oh no amanda!!!
You could try a black out. Just wrap your tank with black plastic bags for like... 3-4 days no food in the meantime and it should help...

namehater

your fish are probably just swimming around in there like whales with their mouths open! your gonna get that water cleared up just in time to see a bunch of fatty fishies!

i would do a large water change, then wrap the tank to block out as much light as possible, id leave it like that for at least a day.

Tony G.

LOL we all wrote blackouts

Shawnie

aww amanda~! for it to be that green, without sunlight , do you know the wattage of your bulbs? have you been too busy to water change like you usually do? are you overfeeding like i do!!!!!!? is it overstocked? most of those will give y ou an answer to the green water....is the filter too small?

id also go with a blackout and a fasting for a few days...do a huge gravel vac and maybe run carbon for a few weeks..the carbon will do wonders and much cheaper than a sterilizer...of course you have to change it in a month...but it will at least clean you up and be more affordable for now....good luck and dont loose faith!!!!! I know t hat 150g, school, cars, and such are bringing you down..but you do amazing for the time and money you have to work with !!!!!!

shellbell4ever

yep I was going to say black out too and then cut back on the light exposure I have live plants and only have my tank light on for about 8 hours a day...hope that helps

sirdarksol

In addition to carbon, you can get resin that absorbs nitrates. It's a temporary thing, but it will help get the aquarium's equilibrium back.

Shawnie

if her lighting isnt too much per wattage, IMO the green isnt from that...I keep all my lights on about 12 hours a day but i have only 1-1 1/2 watts per gallon....

Shadowbeam

When i had an algae problem it lasted for weeks Finally the water changes payed off though.
I did 30-50% water changes daily and blackouts, now my water is lovely and clear, I dare say it will come back again though

Amanda

I have 80w over my 55.
The tank is overstocked...it's the house of the Oscars for now. I'm hoping to have the 150 running by christmas.

gremlin

I had the green pea soup algae in my pond every summer. Until I got a uv sterilizer. No trace of the green pea soup algae anymore. I couldn't exactly do a blackout on my pond, so the uv was the way to go. There are different sizes and styles. Maybe ask Santa for one for an early Christmas?

Nate McFin

This is the brand I have as well. I bought the bigger one but it is overkill. The 9 watt would be fine. I use it for one hour every water change and not only is the green stayed away but the water has never been clearer. Best thing I have bought for my tank hands down.

Jaysee

I leave mine on 24/7. I agree, it's been a lifesaver for that tank. It's also supposed to kill water borne pathogens like parasites. Not that I normally have sick fish, but I haven't had any kind of sickness in the tank since the UV was put in.

The nice thing about the brand that we have is that the powerhead is integrated with the UV, so there's only one thing to plug in. Many other models require a seperate pump to opperate. The thing is $40, but I would gladly pay twice that.

Bubba the Gump

ive heard a team of bristle nose plecos can knock out algae in a matter of a few days, but as i said in an earlier post my LFS want 31.99 a piece. and you say the tank is not in line with direct sunlight?

Amanda

No, no direct sunlight.
I have off the rest of the week, so I may have some time to work on the tank. My pump should be coming SOON (*fingers crossed*)
But, I saw both of my Oscars & my Firemouth yesterday. I haven't seen my Cons lately, and my BR Parrot doesn't seem to be doing so hot.
The UV Sterilizer that Jaysee gave a link to - that's all you need? Just buy that and the water should clear up? There's nothing else to buy?

Shawnie

i feel your frustration although i have more time than you, when the oscars were here, it was a love/hate the maintenance kinda thing...I miss them a ton~!! but not the other issues to keep them healthy ...good luck amanda