Can’t Tell If Green Water Or The Rock

So I have my 30 gallon set up going on 2 weeks. Well we have 3 platys a pleco that’s going to a new home soon and 3 snails. Well it turned white which I thought was a bacteria bloom so I didn’t mind. Well my wife has noticed that it’s starting to look a little green. I can’t tell so I’ll let you guys decide. If it is what do I do? I had the tank set up a while back and had it go green constantly. And I could only stop it if I do full water changes ever few weeks. I don't really want to do that again. I’m baffled I’m waiting on my apI kit. I can try to bring some in to lfs and see if they will test

Specs
30 gallons
3 platys
1 Pleco
3 snails
Heated to 72-74
Penguin 200 accompanied by a round in-tank sponge filter
And air stone
Lighting 3pm to 830pm with leds
Feed once in the am and only feed them what the can eat in 1 min
No direct sunlight either

 

How long do you keep the lights on?

 

How long do you keep the lights on?

5 and half hrs. From 3pm to 830pm that’s it and we only upped it an hr cause of the java moss. It was 4pm to 830pm till 2 days ago and I do weekly water changes about 30% of the water I find it’s a good amount to vac all the rocks clean

 

Oh I wasn’t sure what you meant in the original post. So from 3 pm to 8:30 pm, How many watts is your light? do you know? Or how many Lumens it has?

What kind of mechanical filtration do you have in the filter? Is the just the cartridge? If you’re doing weekly water changes and it isn’t going away, try adding some filter floss, it picks up really fine particles. Or keep the lights off for a few days, Java moss is a somewhat slow growing plants. It can grow in a tank that only gets light from your normal room lamp.

 

Oh I wasn’t sure what you meant in the original post. So from 3 pm to 8:30 pm, How many watts is your light? do you know? Or how many Lumens it has?

18 watt led

 

18 watt led

Then it’s probably a bacterial bloom, what's the longest that you’ve left it like this without doing a water change?

 

I would suggest using Purigen in your filter. It should start to clear up within 24 hrs. You should maybe think of putting in a couple of live plants.

 

Then it’s probably a bacterial bloom, what's the longest that you’ve left it like this without doing a water change?

This past Sunday was my last change so 4 days I can do one tomorrow again say Half tank worth if needed

I would suggest using Purigen in your filter. It should start to clear up within 24 hrs. You should maybe think of putting in a couple of live plants.

I have a thing of java moss that I put in yesterday. My firsts plant in my tank.

I would suggest using Purigen in your filter. It should start to clear up within 24 hrs. You should maybe think of putting in a couple of live plants.

I don’t know where to get it. It wouldn’t hurt the fish would it?

 

Your local PetSmart, LFS, some Walmart, or you can order from Amazon. It is safe for all fish and invertebrates, and can also be recharged.

 

Your local PetSmart, LFS, some Walmart, or you can order from Amazon. It is safe for all fish and invertebrates, and can also be recharged.

I’ll stop in and see if Walmart or my mom and pop fish store has it. What will it do

I’ll stop in and see if Walmart or my mom and pop fish store has it. What will it do

Do I put it in behind the filters in the filter case? And should I do a partial water change first?

 

It's used in place of carbon, it does the same thing as carbon, but better.

 

Will not changing the filter cartridges with the carbon in it be part of the issue? Yes I am going change to 3 media’s not the cartridges but I wanted to wait till my tank cycled and I knew it cycled. But it’s been 50 days since the cartridges have been put in there

 

You can put it behind the existing cartridges. Take the one that has the carbon, split it open and remove the carbon and then put the cartridge back in.

 

What does the Purigen packaging mean when it says it is “easily renewed with bleach”
I’m still new to fish care and I’m curious how that would work

 

After it's been in use for a while the substance will turn brown, which means it's doing it's job. When it gets too mucky, you can regenerate it in a solution of bleach and water.

 

You can put it behind the existing cartridges. Take the one that has the carbon, split it open and remove the carbon and then put the cartridge back in.

Okay I’ll have to pick some up and spilt my 2 cartridges open and add it till I get it setup better. I’m gonna leave the tank in the dark tomorrow till I get home and then do a water change up to like 50% To help remove the old food and whatever is feeding algae. I know it won’t completely take care of it but I’ll have to do a partial water change to battle it till I can get some purigen to try.

 

Do you gravel vac when you do water changes?

 

Do you gravel vac when you do water changes?

Yeah I do I start on one side and I do front to back in lines to try to get it all. Usually first 5 gallons of water I’ll be able to do most of it and then the last 5 I go over it again to double check. I seem to get a lot of it because the second pass I rarely get any more. Maybe a few spots like where I put food in(I always put food in one side of the tank.)

 

You're doing great then. Keep us posted on using Purigen or any other problem you might run into.

 

You're doing great then. Keep us posted on using Purigen or any other problem you might run into.

That’s what baffles me. I limit my lighting I strictly control food.I am way under the suggestion of stocking the tank. I do water changes reg I have a lot of filtration... I’m on my way to a planted tank. I don’t add anything unneeded I don’t bother the tank unless I’m cleaning. The fish seem happy and active. It’s heated. It’s got tons of air supply it has good water movement. I add water when it Evans from the tank . I’ll order some purigen when I get the money. I hope between that and water changes it clears up. I see tons of people with nice clear or mostly clear tanks and that’s what I want to achieve but I don’t feel like can .

 

After it's been in use for a while the substance will turn brown, which means it's doing it's job. When it gets too mucky, you can regenerate it in a solution of bleach and water.

Oh I was under the impression this was more of a liquid but I guess it’s some sort of solid that you use the bleach solution on outside of the tank? Sorry for my ignorance I’ll look up some YouTube videos it looked like a liquid additive from the bag to me.
Edit: I see now it’s a lot of micro spheres. I’m going to look into it more!

 

So I have my 30 gallon set up going on 2 weeks. Well we have 3 platys a pleco that’s going to a new home soon and 3 snails. Well it turned white which I thought was a bacteria bloom so I didn’t mind. Well my wife has noticed that it’s starting to look a little green. I can’t tell so I’ll let you guys decide. If it is what do I do? I had the tank set up a while back and had it go green constantly. And I could only stop it if I do full water changes ever few weeks. I don't really want to do that again. I’m baffled I’m waiting on my apI kit. I can try to bring some in to lfs and see if they will test

Specs
30 gallons
3 platys
1 Pleco
3 snails
Heated to 72-74
Penguin 200 accompanied by a round in-tank sponge filter
And air stone
Lighting 3pm to 830pm with leds
Feed once in the am and only feed them what the can eat in 1 min
No direct sunlight eitherView attachment 443244View attachment 443245View attachment 443246

I used to have the same issue with my thirty gal when it was cycling, water changes and water changes was the solution. Also I had another issue of this once before it turned out it was just a bacterial bloom in the water cause I was cleaning out my filter and whem I connected and turned it on it shot all the detritus and stuff that had been resting inside and made the water milky for like 10hrs or so. You could also try turning off filters for an hour and see if that stuff settles down on the ground and see if anything else might be leeching stuff out into the water. Only difference with my thirty gal I started off with planted the plants mostly being filter plants like Hornwort and duckweed which does wonders in keeping ur water clean. : )

 

I used to have the same issue with my thirty gal when it was cycling, water changes and water changes was the solution. Also I had another issue of this once before it turned out it was just a bacterial bloom in the water cause I was cleaning out my filter and whem I connected and turned it on it shot all the detritus and stuff that had been resting inside and made the water milky for like 10hrs or so. You could also try turning off filters for an hour and see if that stuff settles down on the ground and see if anything else might be leeching stuff out into the water. Only difference with my thirty gal I started off with planted the plants mostly being filter plants like Hornwort and duckweed which does wonders in keeping ur water clean. : )

That’s what I’m gonna do until I can get some purigen and try that

 

You're doing great then. Keep us posted on using Purigen or any other problem you might run into.

Well varmint I did little over 15 gallons of water double vacuumed the rocks rinsed the filters in tank water been control feeding and light has only been on for an hr today(while I was cleaning the tank makes easier to see) here’s a pic gonna do another 5 gal on Sunday to see if it helps