Green Water, a condition that causes an aquarium to look like it is
filled with pea soup, is caused by a unicellular algae that is
generally introduced from common tap water. When high nutrient
levels from overfeeding or infrequent water changes meet with
excessive light, green water is usually produced. Green Water
is a very tough condition to control once you have it. It is
far easier to prevent than it is to treat. Ironically, for a
water condition that looks so bad, it is not harmful to the fish.
The high nutrient levels that cause it, however, are harmful.
Prevention of Green
Water is simple.
1. Keep your
feeding to a minimum. Feed once
every other day and do not
feed more than the
fish will consume
in 2 minutes.
2. Do not run your
lights for more than 8 hours at
a time.
3. Do REGULAR
water changes of AT LEAST 30%.
Regular means at least every month. At least 30%
means
that is the recommended minimum water
needed to reduce the nutrient levels by a
significant
amount. The way to tell how much water you should
change is by testing
the nitrate levels in your aquarium.
If the nitrates are higher than 40 ppm (parts per
million),
you should do a larger water change.
The recommended treatment:
UV Sterilization
Green water often comes right back after it seems to
have gone away as a result of treatment. The one
cure that works without fail is the use of a UV
sterilizer. This kills the algae on a continuous
basis and can produce results in a matter of hours.
UV sterilizers are very safe and introduce no chemicals
to the water. They also have the added benefit of
killing free swimming parasites in the water.
As with any aquarium setup, you should be certain to
have a good filter with biomedia (such as bio wheels or
ceramic rings) on your aquarium to house the beneficial
bacteria that fight ammonia. Failure to have a
good filter in combination with the use of a UV filter
can result in a deadly ammonia spike because UV light
does not discriminate between good and bad bacteria.
Other methods to try to
treat for Green Water:
Use an algaecide such as AlgaeFix, turn off the lights,
and do frequent water changes to reduce the excessive
nutrient levels. Some people have reported results
from using Crystal Clear to help coagulate the algae and
remove it through the filter. While a few people
might see results from this approach, it is very likely
that the condition will return repeatedly.
Always remember that you should
follow dosage directions when adding algaecides and
water clarifiers. You can kill your fish if you
overdose!
What can I do to control excess green
algae ?
Algae is typically caused by a combination of excessive nutrients (from overfeeding and infrequent water changes) and excessive
lighting. To help prevent algae, change at least 30% of your
water once a month and feed every other day only what the fish will
consume in 2 minutes. Also, keep your lighting to a maximum of
8 hours a day. You can best control this by putting the light
on a timer.
If you are following all of these steps,
but you still have algae, consider adding an algae eater such as a Plecostomus, otocinclus,
or other algae eating fish. Invertebrates such as snails and
shrimp are also an option for many tanks. Be sure to find the
right fish or invertebrate for your setup as not all fish and
invertebrates get along.
Having good cleaning tools is also helpful. NorthSide Aquatics
recommends the use of Mag Floats to keep algae off of the
glass. We also have a number of special scrapers and brushes
to help clean other surfaces.
I have black fuzzy algae EVERYWHERE!
HELP!
This is a very pesky algae known as Blackbeard Algae. It
usually starts out as little tiny tufts of black fuzz that soon grow
to cover everything in sight. Common algae control products do not
typically help with this condition. There are 2 options for
ridding your tank of this pest and both can be dangerous to your
tank's inhabitants if not done properly.
Method 1
Remove decorations and other
affected objects and bleach them in a separate
container. Be sure to soak them in freshwater
after removing them from the bleach and then add a dechlorinator
such as Prime to that water. Let the bleached
objects soak in the dechlorinator for some time before
returning them to the tank. NorthSide recommends
having 2 sets of decorations so that one can
soak while a clean set is put in the aquarium.
That way, there is plenty of time for the decorations to
become chlorine free before you put them back in the
tank.
Why Method 1 is dangerous:
Obviously it involves using bleach which can kill the
fish when the bleached items are returned to the tank.
The less obvious reason this is dangerous is that many
people are tempted to bleach EVERYTHING. Do not
attempt to bleach everything at once because it kills
off good bacteria that help to rid your tank of
dangerous ammonia. The sudden removal of the
biological filter can result in the death of your fish.
Method 2
Use Flourish Excel by Seachem.
Flourish Excel is technically a plant fertilizer for
aquarium plants that is effective at treating BlackBeard
Algae. If you would like to use this method,
please be advised that the use of this product with
scaleless fish and invertebrates such as snails and
shrimp can be deadly, especially if used at dosage
levels exceeding the recommended dosage.
Why Method 2 is dangerous:
Using any product other than the way it is labeled can
result in a tank full of dead fish and other
inhabitants.
