30 Gallon Tank Turned Green In 2days

HI guys new to the forum and kinda new to the aquarium world. I have 30 gallon tank that’s heated to 72 degree. We have had the tank set up for a few months now with a couple common goldfish and 2 sucker fish to help control algae (think they are plecos). We have to treat our water for calorie so we add aqua safe. So in the last few days we had our ammonia spike really high(I have test strips to test everything) after a 50% water change. We did the change because we had to move the tank to paint . We got the ammonia under control by doing a complete change and clean. So we added our aqua safe and added safe start to help the aquarium get going again. Well it been 2 weeks since that and now all of a sudden the last few days our tank water has turned green from floating algae. How do I get my water clear and stay clear? Also how often do you guys do water changes and filter changes ? I’m curious And thanks in advance guys sorry I’m new to this I’ll post pics of the tank

 

Was the tank by a window before? That's certainly helping the algae thrive, if not causing the algae.

 

Was the tank by a window before? That's certainly helping the algae thrive, if not causing the algae.

We have a tank in a corner that has window on each side but they don’t get direct sun light. Our house doesn’t have a spot to put it that doesn’t have a window pouring tons of light in . Old hous with small rooms big windows -_-

 

We have a tank in a corner that has window on each side but they don’t get direct sun light. Our house doesn’t have a spot to put it that doesn’t have a window pouring tons of light in . Old hous with small rooms big windows -_-

How long do you have lights on?

 

I was turning the tank light on when I get up at 630am and off at about 7pm but I’m gonna start waiting for my wife to turn them on when she gets up later

 

I was turning the tank light on when I get up at 630am and off at about 7pm but I’m gonna start waiting for my wife to turn them on when she gets up later

That is 12+ hours of light and I think with some window light is too much. You could do this: turn off your lights for two days, cover tank, no feeding, no looking. Fish will be fine without food for two days. After that remove alge with hand, scratch, sponge etc. and do water change. After that put your lights for 8 hours on daily after some time you can increase lighting but slowly for 30 minutes over some period. And I wouldn't have them on for more than 9-10 hours max (my lights are on for 8.30 hours daily, and no algae problems).

And I would suggest buying mechanical power timer it is cheap like 3-5 euros , easy to set up , and you will have constant light period.

Plus some real plants would help with algae problem, and to make your fish happier plus will make your tank more stable, you can use moss, java fern, anubias, bucephalandra, ceratophyllaceae all those plants don't need to be put in ground, just tie them to some rocks, wood etc.

 

That is 12+ hours of light and I think with some window light is too much. You could do this: turn off your lights for two days, cover tank, no feeding, no looking. Fish will be fine without food for two days. After that remove alge with hand, scratch, sponge etc. and do water change. After that put your lights for 8 hours on daily after some time you can increase lighting but slowly for 30 minutes over some period. And I wouldn't have them on for more than 9-10 hours max (my lights are on for 8.30 hours daily, and no algae problems).

And I would suggest buying mechanical power timer it is cheap like 3-5 euros , easy to set up , and you will have constant light period.

We don’t have any on the walls of the tank just water is green

 

Then skip removing with sponge part.

 

That is 12+ hours of light and I think with some window light is too much. You could do this: turn off your lights for two days, cover tank, no feeding, no looking. Fish will be fine without food for two days. After that remove alge with hand, scratch, sponge etc. and do water change. After that put your lights for 8 hours on daily after some time you can increase lighting but slowly for 30 minutes over some period. And I wouldn't have them on for more than 9-10 hours max (my lights are on for 8.30 hours daily, and no algae problems).

And I would suggest buying mechanical power timer it is cheap like 3-5 euros , easy to set up , and you will have constant light period.

we don’t have anywhere to put the tank that isn’t in sunlight from a window.

 

we don’t have anywhere to put the tank that isn’t in sunlight from a window.

Read again my upper post. Two days cover tank with something so no light comes in it. After that water change. After that buy timer and set it on lights to work only 8 hours per day, lets say from 12.00 to 20.00 that's it. If that doesn't help contact forum again there are still some ways to deal with it but this is easyest, cheapest and should work.

It will not miraculously dissappear but trough the week max two it should be ok. And leave light to work on 8 hours per day.

 

D

Plus some real plants would help with algae problem, and to make your fish happier plus will make your tank more stable, you can use moss, java fern, anubias, bucephalandra, ceratophyllaceae all those plants don't need to be put in ground, just tie them to some rocks, wood etc.

Don't goldfish eat plants?

HI guys new to the forum and kinda new to the aquarium world. I have 30 gallon tank that’s heated to 72 degree. We have had the tank set up for a few months now with a couple common goldfish and 2 sucker fish to help control algae (think they are plecos). We have to treat our water for calorie so we add aqua safe. So in the last few days we had our ammonia spike really high(I have test strips to test everything) after a 50% water change. We did the change because we had to move the tank to paint . We got the ammonia under control by doing a complete change and clean. So we added our aqua safe and added safe start to help the aquarium get going again. Well it been 2 weeks since that and now all of a sudden the last few days our tank water has turned green from floating algae. How do I get my water clear and stay clear? Also how often do you guys do water changes and filter changes ? I’m curious And thanks in advance guys sorry I’m new to this I’ll post pics of the tank

I would suggest to put a background foil on the small sides of the tank through which most of the sun light gets in It looks nice on my tank, and also fishes seem to be happier to have bit more cover/hiding space from me

 

D


Don't goldfish eat plants?

Yes there os definitely possibility that they will. But java fern, anubias barteri, amazon sword, are more fatter plants so they will probably survive. They are recommended to put with them because of it. But its try and miss situation with them.
But they definitely don't live in parts where you can't find any kind of plants.

I would suggest to put a background foil on the small sides of the tank through which most of the sun light gets in It looks nice on my tank, and also fishes seem to be happier to have bit more cover/hiding space from me

Good idea

 

I had a friend also suggest trumpet snail to help keep control what are your thoughts on those ? I guess that’s how the mange it

 

I had a friend also suggest trumpet snail to help keep control what are your thoughts on those ? I guess that’s how the mange it

I don't know, I have few neritas in my tank. But in any situation its better to deal with reason why it happens then with symptoms, that's my opinion.

 

Are you sure the cloud is green? A big water change on an uncycled cleaned aquarium can have just plain ol cloudy water from a bacterial bloom. The green tint cold be from the glass itself.

 

Are you sure the cloud is green? A big water change on an uncycled cleaned aquarium can have just plain ol cloudy water from a bacterial bloom. The green tint cold be from the glass itself.

A good trick to be sure is to put a cup of the water into some white bowl. My bucket for water changes is white so I easily notice when tI start turning green-ish

 

Are you sure the cloud is green? A big water change on an uncycled cleaned aquarium can have just plain ol cloudy water from a bacterial bloom. The green tint cold be from the glass itself.

In my first post I linked pictures to my tank in person it looks green.

In my first post I linked pictures to my tank in person it looks green.

I linked a pic to this reply the picture is 3 hrs ago

 

Your only filter is that whisper in-tank? Even with the water changes, it might be tough to keep the tank cycle and prevent blooms of algae, bacteria, ect if the filter is a single whisper large or xl pad. All this talk of doing 3 day black outs is great but unless there is a canister filter hiding in that stand, I think a larger volume of filter media would do you a great deal of help for this and avert future frustration.

 

I would do a blackout and follow the procedure that others stated, and then run the lights for about 7-8 hours a day, max.Also, if there is light coming into the tank from the window, just put a piece of cardboard on the side of the tank to block the light.

 

How do I get my water clear and stay clear? Also how often do you guys do water changes and filter changes ?

Maintain adequate amounts of beneficial bacteria, moderate feeding and short light periods. I suspect there is some white bacterial bloom in with that algae. Avoid binge-cleaning where everything is cleaned at once. Alternate cleaning one side of gravel at a time or the filter. Keep the old filter pad behind new ones to seed them with bactetia. Larger filters allow a rotation of changing different pads instead of removing all your bacteria on one pad and have biological media that gets rinsed in tank water but not disposed of.
I clean smaller tanks with buckets and larger tanks with a python hose that hooks up to the sink. Weekly water changes of 20 to 75 percent, depending on the tank. I rinse media in hang-on filters or sponges every other week and replace polishing pads. I rinse media in canister filters every few months and replace their polishing pads or fine sponges.

 

Maintain adequate amounts of beneficial bacteria, moderate feeding and short light periods. I suspect there is some white bacterial bloom in with that algae. Avoid binge-cleaning where everything is cleaned at once. Alternate cleaning one side of gravel at a time or the filter. Keep the old filter pad behind new ones to seed them with bactetia. Larger filters allow a rotation of changing different pads instead of removing all your bacteria on one pad and have biological media that gets rinsed in tank water but not disposed of.
I clean smaller tanks with buckets and larger tanks with a python hose that hooks up to the sink. Weekly water changes of 20 to 75 percent, depending on the tank. I rinse media in hang-on filters or sponges every other week and replace polishing pads. I rinse media in canister filters every few months and replace their polishing pads or fine sponges.

Maintain adequate amounts of beneficial bacteria, moderate feeding and short light periods. I suspect there is some white bacterial bloom in with that algae. Avoid binge-cleaning where everything is cleaned at once. Alternate cleaning one side of gravel at a time or the filter. Keep the old filter pad behind new ones to seed them with bactetia. Larger filters allow a rotation of changing different pads instead of removing all your bacteria on one pad and have biological media that gets rinsed in tank water but not disposed of.
I clean smaller tanks with buckets and larger tanks with a python hose that hooks up to the sink. Weekly water changes of 20 to 75 percent, depending on the tank. I rinse media in hang-on filters or sponges every other week and replace polishing pads. I rinse media in canister filters every few months and replace their polishing pads or fine sponges.

Thank you for your info I’m gonna do their advice and yours. I know another person can’t believe that I have only that in tank whisper filter but I planned on getting the tank started and then buying a bigger and better filter I just didn’t have the cash to drop on a really nice setup.

Thank you for your info I’m gonna do their advice and yours. I know another person can’t believe that I have only that in tank whisper filter but I planned on getting the tank started and then buying a bigger and better filter I just didn’t have the cash to drop on a really nice setup.

And that’s why it’s pretty empty with decorations and fish

And that’s why it’s pretty empty with decorations and fish

What should I look for in a new filter when I can buy a new one

 

I linked a pic to this reply the picture is 3 hrs ago

How many "days" ago was the 50% water change?

 

How many "days" ago was the 50% water change?

It was this past Saturday when we did the 50% change and it was a week ago when we had the ammonia spike. I also ordered a new filter setup tonight that has a double filter setup with bio wheel hoping that’ll help problems

 

What should I look for in a new filter when I can buy a new one

I really think the jump to a canister filter will be worth it once you get used to their parts. There are good deals on Craigslist but sometimes they try to sell something with a bad seal or broken part so I'm worried to send you that way. The hang-on Emperor 400 might do well for you without taking the canister leap. Then you could alternate which side of the filter you replace at least.

What should I look for in a new filter when I can buy a new one

I really think the jump to a canister filter will be worth it once you get used to their parts. There are good deals on Craigslist but sometimes they try to sell something with a bad seal or broken part so I'm worried to send you that way. The hang-on Emperor 400 might do well for you without taking the canister leap. Then you could alternate which side of the filter you replace at least.

Dang it. How did I do that twice

 

Assuming you have common plecos, neither the plecos nor the common goldfish are suitable for that small of a tank. Common goldfish can grow up to 12 inches and common plecos get even larger than that. I would suggest rehoming them and cycling your tank first before adding suitable fish for that size of tank. You should always stock a tank based off the adult size of the fish, not their juvenile size.

 

I did end up ordering a new filter setup I think it’s called a marine land 200 it says it’s for my tank size. 2 filter setup with bio wheel I’m hoping it helps. It’ll be here tomorrow. And the reason I got gold fish was because my parent had 2 in their 30 gallon tank for years and they never ever hit 12 inch. When they passed away they where onlyh 5 inch’s max that’s why I went with them. The common pleco I honest didn’t know that till the other day so that was my mistake but I’ll figure it out somehow. We don’t really have pet stores up .Here one small one that barely cares anything and Walmart. So if I buy something it has to be online and ship in. So I started with something cheap that I could get up here to get started. Starting to guess I should just forget it. Fish tanks up here on Craigslist aren’t cheap. I had looked and a fish tank on there goes for 200 bucks with nothing. I got my tank and stand for free and had to buy the filter and rocks and stuff for a quarter of that. Oh well I guess

 

Hello

From what I have seen in your photos,
The algae is normal, however to control it cut back on your lighting time in 30 minutes at a time.
Also you can add a barley additive it we'll stop or slow the algae cell division prosses.
Keep your filter pads or meadia changed daily.

Hope this info is helpful.

 

The reason your mother's goldfish weren't that large is because their growth was stunted by being in a tank that's too small. A common goldfish by itself needs around 75 gallons.

 

The reason your mother's goldfish weren't that large is because their growth was stunted by being in a tank that's too small. A common goldfish by itself needs around 75 gallons.

My personal opinion is that gold fishes are for ponds and not for aquariums, just my opinion I don't want to get anyone mad.

 

Sorry that I'm sort of regurgitating what others said, but I think the more obvious issues should be addresses first.

One, your stock is way too big for that tank of yours. Common goldfish can reach a foot in length, and their recommended tank/pond size is in the hundreds of gallons. You could get away with having a Bristlenose Pleco in there, but I can assume that you have Common Plecos. Common Plecos have a HUGE bioload, and they'll soon get cramped in your current setup.

To address this issue, I advise giving away your current stock (or build a larger tank, but that'll be pricy) and you can put an easier-to-handle community of fish. Livebearers would love that tank.

Before you can make the big move, however, it would be a good idea to keep your parameters in check. Can you provide me with your current ammonia, pH, nitrite, and nitrate levels, if possible? Also, how often do you perform water changes on this tank?

EDIT: My phone isn't loading everything at once due to my bad connection, so my apologies if I ask for information you've already given.

 

My personal opinion is that gold fishes are for ponds and not for aquariums, just my opinion I don't want to get anyone mad.

With regard to common/comet goldfish, I agree. I was just pointing out how much room they actually WOULD need and why that makes them not really suitable for most aquariums. With regard to fancies, I think they are fine in an aquarium as long as they are given suitable space.

 

With regard to common/comet goldfish, I agree. I was just pointing out how much room they actually WOULD need and why that makes them not really suitable for most aquariums. With regard to fancies, I think they are fine in an aquarium as long as they are given suitable space.

Yeah I get it I have a tiny tank with fish that aren’t made for it. Time to empty the tank and put it away till I decide if I want to sink the money into this or not and decide what I want to put in it for suitable fish. Maybe some slender danios.Thanks for the advice guys. I’ll have to save up to buy fish online. The only pet store we have around here sells pond fish or saltwater fish. Family first hobby second. And I know you guys are just giving advice to a newbie just when ya live in very rural spot even a hobby that you think is easy to get into really isn’t easy at all.

 

Yeah I get it I have a tiny tank with fish that aren’t made for it. Time to empty the tank and put it away till I decide if I want to sink the money into this or not and decide what I want to put in it for suitable fish. Maybe some slender danios.Thanks for the advice guys. I’ll have to save up to buy fish online. The only pet store we have around here sells pond fish or saltwater fish. Family first hobby second. And I know you guys are just giving advice to a newbie just when ya live in very rural spot even a hobby that you think is easy to get into really isn’t easy at all.

Hello, and welcome to fishlore forum. You have a very nice tank and stand. I had a goldfish that my daughter won from a county fair. Lol. That was yrs ago. I raised it in a 1.5 gallon tank. I knew nothing about fish keeping. So I would feed the fish every time I came in the room. And s lot of food at once. This caused very dirty water. And gold fish are very dirty already. Then I was doing 90% water changes to compensate for the dirty water. I did not know about the apI master kit for fresh water testing. I also had the tank right in front of a window all day. Everyday! The water turned green. And dirty. Finally, amazingly, the goldfish got so big. From me feeding him so much. That he could not swim. Then he floated. I was so upset. And so was my daughter. That I wanted to learn everything there was to know about fish keeping. We all have been there. I just last night have ordered a 55 gallon aquarium kit from Walmart online for $179.00. Comes with everything you need to start. But I will buy improvements like a sponge filter that sits in tank. It could help and is cheaper. Just listen to all the people on here. And ask questions. And cover the sides and back of tank leaving front open. And do daily water changes of 20%. You will be fine.

 

Welcome to Fishlore! I agree with Jeff that you have a great sized tank! There are many types of fish that you could keep in it. Returning your current fish and considering your options makes sense. Fish keeping can be very rewarding, but there is a lot to learn, and it's not easy at first. Fishlore is a great place to learn about fish keeping!

 

A 30 gallon aquarium would make an AWESOME community tank. I wish I had one that size! My goldfish aquarium is my largest at 46 gallons (my husband doesn't understand why I can only have 3 fancies in it ... look at all that room!!!). My 'community' tank is only 10 gallon, so yeah ... SO envious of the 30 gallon!

 

Buy some Amano Shrimp, they are beats against algae

 

Hello, and welcome to fishlore forum. You have a very nice tank and stand. I had a goldfish that my daughter won from a county fair. Lol. That was yrs ago. I raised it in a 1.5 gallon tank. I knew nothing about fish keeping. So I would feed the fish every time I came in the room. And s lot of food at once. This caused very dirty water. And gold fish are very dirty already. Then I was doing 90% water changes to compensate for the dirty water. I did not know about the apI master kit for fresh water testing. I also had the tank right in front of a window all day. Everyday! The water turned green. And dirty. Finally, amazingly, the goldfish got so big. From me feeding him so much. That he could not swim. Then he floated. I was so upset. And so was my daughter. That I wanted to learn everything there was to know about fish keeping. We all have been there. I just last night have ordered a 55 gallon aquarium kit from Walmart online for $179.00. Comes with everything you need to start. But I will buy improvements like a sponge filter that sits in tank. It could help and is cheaper. Just listen to all the people on here. And ask questions. And cover the sides and back of tank leaving front open. And do daily water changes of 20%. You will be fine.

I’m gonna wrap the tank when we go away next weekend for the 2days but for now I’ll letting my new filter setup get going with the good bacteria (still have my old filter setup in there to help that happen) the when I come back from our trip I will do the water change if all the algae died. Then after my first attempt it getting rid of the plecos if I can... I don’t know Cause I’ve had em for a month or so now . Like I keep saying all I have is a Walmart here and a pet store that sells saltwater fish and gold fish , carp or fish good for outdoor ponds. So I’m limited to options

 

I’m gonna wrap the tank when we go away next weekend for the 2days but for now I’ll letting my new filter setup get going with the good bacteria (still have my old filter setup in there to help that happen) the when I come back from our trip I will do the water change if all the algae died. Then after my first attempt it getting rid of the plecos if I can... I don’t know Cause I’ve had em for a month or so now . Like I keep saying all I have is a Walmart here and a pet store that sells saltwater fish and gold fish , carp or fish good for outdoor ponds. So I’m limited to options

That sounds good. You can advertise or find someone that already has a pond or who would take the fish off your hands for free even. You can also have the fish shipped to your house via from a fish seller. You can find someone online or on youtube. The fish can be shipped in a bag of water and last for two days like that. Just a suggestion. I found a sponge filter at my lfs but you can find one at walmart for $20,00 or less. And make one also if you would like.

 

That sounds good. You can advertise or find someone that already has a pond or who would take the fish off your hands for free even. You can also have the fish shipped to your house via from a fish seller. You can find someone online or on youtube. The fish can be shipped in a bag of water and last for two days like that. Just a suggestion. I found a sponge filter at my lfs but you can find one at walmart for $20,00 or less. And make one also if you would like.

So I did a full water change tonight I had to the goldfish where starting to have a hard time swimming and it was starting to get worse. I removed a couple of my plants because they where so bad. I scrubbed everything and cleaned everything. For now I’m stuck with the fish till spring I’m gonna release them into my buddy pond when it warms up it’s 24 f here right now. But the fish seem to be happy right now. I have to keep an eye on the ammonia levels for a few day. We have been limiting the lightening to when we are home 4-9pm with both windows shades closed all day. Hopefully all this helps

 

So I did a full water change tonight I had to the goldfish where starting to have a hard time swimming and it was starting to get worse. I removed a couple of my plants because they where so bad. I scrubbed everything and cleaned everything. For now I’m stuck with the fish till spring I’m gonna release them into my buddy pond when it warms up it’s 24 f here right now. But the fish seem to be happy right now. I have to keep an eye on the ammonia levels for a few day. We have been limiting the lightening to when we are home 4-9pm with both windows shades closed all day. Hopefully all this helps

Yes, that’s great! Goldfish release a lot of ammonia through a lot of waste. Limit your feeding them to once a day. And only give them enough food that equals the size of their eye ball. They will do fine. Once a week. Try doing a 50% water change. But you could try less at first to see if that’s needed. Use a syphon to clean substrate but don’t change filter until every two weeks. You can play around with this idea as you need. But it’s very important to do water changes often. Like weekly. And clean substrate. By leaving filter in longer. Even as long as a month. But kinda clean the filter in siphoned water weekly. That way you don’t break the cycled tank. I hope this helps.