Green cloudy water

T

texasmelon

Small Fish
#1
Oct 22, 2002
11
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#1
I have a new (from May) 46 gallon fresh tank...I had a big problem with nitrites in the beginning, but the levels have stayed at 0 for at least a month now.  Everything else seems normal too.
For about 2 weeks now (about a month after the addition of 2 bala sharks and 2 fancy catfish) the water started looking cloudy.  Within the last week or so, I have had 4 tiger barbs die, the 2 catfish, and 1 shark.  I did a water change the other day and the water is definitely green.  I keep trying to get it out of there, and today took everything out of the tank--I only had plastic plants and some rocks.
What should I do?  The tank is near a window but not in direct light, and I keep the blinds closed.  the tank looks terrible and I am getting frustrated >:(
 

fishboy

fishboy

Superstar Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
1,565
0
36
34
Cincinnati, Ohio
#2
Well, i  need to ask you a couple questions for you
 
What are you iron levels?
            Calcium?
              magnesium?
                Phosphate?














           8)
 

T

texasmelon

Small Fish
#3
Oct 22, 2002
11
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#3
Actually I have no idea...the test kit I have doesn't have those, only ammonia, nitrite, pH, GH and KH
I really wouldn't be surprised if there is a high mineral content--we have hard water here and this town is known to have a high pH water (like 8.5 I think)
 

D

dattack

Large Fish
#4
Oct 22, 2002
982
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#4
Initially, I thought it was a bacterial bloom but since you said it was green, it's probably an algae bloom.  The cause of it probably comes from the indirect sunlight from the window blinds but I am not sure what your setup is like.  
One way you can get rid of it is to to daily changes and cover the tank with a blanket for at least 4-5 days.  No artificial light/sunlight/shadows on the tank at all.  Must be pitch black so that no plant/algae will grow.  You can turn on the lights for 5 minutes for feeding the fish if you need to.
But if this is not an alternative, you need to cut down on feeding to one time a day and continue water changes because most algae blooms are caused by excessive waste/nutrients.
 

T

texasmelon

Small Fish
#6
Oct 22, 2002
11
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#6
The ammonia and nitrite are the lowest colors on the chart--zero for both.
The tank set up is 46 gallons with one of the larger Emperor filters (with 2 biowheels).  I just changed the filters the other day (I had just been rinsing them since I didn't read the directions)andthey were about 3 months old.  Moving the tank really isn't an option since every other spot in the house would be near a window, and now it's in my kitchen area and convienent to the sink.
How often do i need to do water changes--is this going to be an ongoing problem (with the algae) due to the tank's location?  I didn't think i was overfeeding--sometimes every other day and just a flake or 2 per fish.  I don't mind the work but frankly have had constant problems with the tank since i got it (first skyrocketing nitrite levels)...but it is my first tank and all.
 

T

texasmelon

Small Fish
#10
Oct 22, 2002
11
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#10
How often do y'all do water changes?  Someone in my lab (mistakenly) told me that once your aquarium is set up you only need to clean the gravel like 2X a year--I assumed they meant the water too.  I had been doing it I guess 1 or 2 times a month.
 

D

dattack

Large Fish
#11
Oct 22, 2002
982
0
0
#11
It really depends on your fish load and how much waste your fish produces.  For my planted tanks, I change only 5% a week and for the fish tank, I change 30% every month.  
If you going to feed your fish a lot then you will need to change your water more often.  You can tell how much you need to change your water by just looking at how much nitrate your tank shows.
 

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