50 Gallon Tank Please help, my tank water is all green!

I have had this 50 gallon tank for a couple of months now and the water is green! When I turn the light on, I can barely see the fish inside. We have done many water changes but every time the water is always green. I have minimized feedings and also not turned on the aquarium lights. What should I do?

 

First step is to test water parameters... hard to figure out what's going on without knowing this info.

What is the stocking and how much water do you change each week?

 

I have had this 50 gallon tank for a couple of months now and the water is green! When I turn the light on, I can barely see the fish inside. We have done many water changes but every time the water is always green. I have minimized feedings and also not turned on the aquarium lights. What should I do?

Might be really helpful if you could complete the emergency template (although not totally an emergency) as that will give a proper overview of your whole tank.

 

Is the aquarium getting direct sunlight?

 

You can get a UV light sterilizer but before doing that, I would do a 50% water change, vacuum the substrate (just on the surface) and leave the aquarium in complete darkness for a few days.

Do not feed either and when you start feeding again, feed less.

 

Hi MrPotatoPuffer,
Welcome to fishlore.
I believe you have a simple case of green water?
If that is what you have and everyone agrees after you fill out the emergency template answering the questions about stocking etc etc then all you have is an algae issue. This kind of algae is a free floating form . It’s possibly a mixture of several microscopic creatures and plants . While it is harmless to fish it’s annoying to look at. It is actually a food source for some small mouthed fry and fish. If it’s green water in your tank you can starve the algae of the nutrients it needs with fast growing floating plants and fast growing plants that have just their roots in water. It is also possible to use a UV bulb mounted in the water with a pump etc. This unit I have not used is sold by a few names one of which is “ the UV killing machine “
I can say floating plants will starve it out eventually because I deliberately grow a few cultures of green water for raising small fry.
Like all algae problems it’s started with extra nutrients in the water but now it is established it will take time to stop.
Perhaps a combination of pothos plants, floating frogbit, less lighting hours and the UV light machine is the answer?

 

I have this same problem and it is getting the better of me. Please help.

 

Hi 1 Judah
As someone who deliberately grows green water myself I can tell you what it needs to grow and what slows it down.

To encourage green water you need nutrients in the water and lots of sunlight.
What slows it down is having floating plants on the surface.

This would lead me to suggest before you buy a UV light in a water pump or green water killing machine you need to have less than 8 hours of artificial lighting with minimal sunlight hitting the tank.
Adding Amazon frogbit will rob the algae of nutrients as will any fast growing plant that has its leaves in the air. Pothos as an example.