green water

[lockrookie]

ive been fighting with green water recently did water changes tries phos killer tried water clarifiers. now im thinking maybe its the phytoplankton causing the water to be green im not sure my levels are all good.i just dont get it. any ideas?

[jorjef]

Had the same problem in a freshwater tank a few years back. Daily water changes of about 30-40% and lights off and it took about 5-6 days to clear up. I'm sure you have read until your eyes were bloodshot but here is another.

Green Water

Green water is often referred to as "pea soup". Free floating single celled algae grows at such a rapid rate that it turns the water green.
If one were to take a glass of water, then added some fish food and placed it into a sunny spot you would have green water within days!
This "recipe" holds, in part, true for aquariums as well.http://www.algone.com/images/aquariums/thumb838.jpg
Green water is nothing more then single celled planktonic organisms The most common type of blooming "algae (http://www.algone.com/algae.php)", Euglena, consists of hundreds of species. Planktonic algae are unicellular organisms not clearly characterized as plant or animal. As all protists they have both, plant and animal like characteristics.
Equipped with flagella the protist is mobile, allowing the organism to move towards the light. Phothosyntesis is one of the energy sources this organism utilizes.
An organism that creates its own food is referred to as autotroph, while a heterothropic organism requires an organic substance for its development. Green water causing algae can switch from autotroph during the lighting period to heterothroph at night.
If light (http://www.algone.com/aquarium_lighting.php) is not available for phothosyntesis the chlorophyll will turn clear and regain its color once sufficient light is again available. In older literature the lights-out-method has been recommended to eliminate an algae bloom. The result in most cases was a return of the bloom within days.
Green water causing algae are always present, but will not bloom if the aquarium is well balanced, meaning that all things exist in an equilibrium. External or internal impacts will result in an imbalance.
http://www.algone.com/images/aquariums/thumb775.jpgIn reference to the green planktonic algae the balance is maintened by either sufficient numbers of zooplankton, or optimal water conditions. Huge or frequent water changes (http://www.algone.com/water_changes.php) will reduce the zooplankton content and therefore increase the density of the green water by simply removing the leading predator. Less then perfect water conditions are man made, by habit and circumstance as further described below.
Plankton is the base of the food chain. Green water causing algae are referred to as phytoplankton (microscopic plants/animals) that photosynthesize. Zooplanktons are microscopic animals that feed off the phytoplankton, linking the primary producers to the higher trophic levels. Small fish, larvae, and corals in reef environments then consume zooplankton.
Planktonic algae can therefore be kept in a balanced state if zooplankton is present.
Zooplankton is part of the aquatic microfauna in established tanks. Algaecides (http://www.algone.com/algaecides.php) and medications can be detrimental for the balance of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Destroyed in large numbers, zooplankton will no longer feed off the planktonic green algae, but further deterioate the water quality, progressively http://www.algone.com/images/aquariums/thumb575.jpgfueling the algae bloom.
Before the nitrifying bacteria (http://www.algone.com/nitrifiers.php) can convert ammonia (http://www.algone.com/ammonia.php) to nitrite (http://www.algone.com/nitrites.php) / nitrate (http://www.algone.com/nitrates.php), heterothropic bacteria consume dead organics such as uneaten fish food, feces, plant leaves etc, creating ammonia which is required to establish beneficial bacteria (http://www.algone.com/nitrifiers.php) colonies. The heterotrophic bacteria sometimes referred to as scavengers, reproduce rapidly every 15-20 minutes, while the nitrifying bacteria need 10-15 days to multiply.
In new setups, heterotrophic bacteria get to work faster then the nitrifyiers, which in consequence can cause the water to become cloudy, which in this case is a bacteria bloom (http://www.algone.com/cloudywater.php#white).
Heterotrophic bacteria settle wherever dead organic material can be found. In some cases they appear as a cloud after the aquarium substrate has been vacuumed or otherwise disturbed.
The more waste is in the aquarium, the larger the heterotrophic colonies will grow. During the mineralization process, ammonia, CO2, and other substances are produced. CO2 is needed for photosynthesis and is an ingredient for the planktonic algae to thrive on. An increase of CO2 is directly linked to a declining pH.
Bacteria, either nitrifying or heterotrophic, require huge amounts of oxygen (http://www.algone.com/oxygen.php). As the water turns eutrophic (nutrient rich), an increase in bacterial oxygen demand can lead to insufficient oxygen levels for the fish. The lack of oxygen is the main risk during an algae bloom. This is enhanced by photosynthesizing planktonic algae, which produce oxygen during the day and deplete oxygen over night.
In almost every case green water can only be treated by lowering the eutrophication (the enrichment of an aquatic body) of the water column.

[TJSlayer]

teh what he said.. LOL good find...

You can always add a bunch of carbon to help, if you haven't done that already....

TJ

[Jan]

This is the link where jorjef got his info from.I have used Algone on my goldfish tank after I completely cleaned it(after 25 yrs.)and then started again.(water turned green)The tank is sitting right next to my 180 with metal halides. I blocked the light off the side of the goldfish tank that is right beside the 180....and used the Algone..worked like magic.
I got the Algone from the reefer I bought my tank from..he used it on his tank..
I don't know if you can get it in town but I still have some left if you want to try it.Says it is for reef tanks as well as fresh.
Is your tank sitting in the sun?Have you tested your ammonia,nitrite,nitrate levels?I would stop using phytoplankton for while.
Are you using some kind of mechanical filtration(filter pads?filter floss?)

http://www.algone.com/

[lockrookie]

yes I have stopped using phyto for the moment,afraid that my tank will become its own culture. my tank is on main floor but not in direct sunlight when it was fresh water I never had it go green.

I do use a fluval at filled with floss and recently some carbon lots of carbon. i have built a 20 gallon sump that is running as well with refugium imp hoping to be able to rid myself of the fluval after my rider pride of a tank clears up lol

i may take you up on your offer jan after going to the website i made an order for some and will pay you back in full. i do not want to use up your supply incase you ever need it again for yourself

[lockrookie]

yes my nitrates and all seem perfect but that doesnt mean the problem isnt hidden elsewhere from what a read

[wil0311]

You obviously dosed the phyto to heavy. I keep a 10 gallon green to culture rotifers. Just use a good protein skimmer and it should clear up overnight.

[lockrookie]

well the algone is in the filtration ill keep you posted at its results. cross your fingers

[lockrookie]

well im likeing this algone stuff tank is already looking better. thank you again jan your a lifesaver

[Jan]

Glad there is an improvement..hope it continues. I wonder what is in those little pouches. Maybe when you change them out..open one up and post a pic...and describe the contents..thanks.

[lockrookie]

i will do that thats a good idea change them out after 5 days

[Jan]

What is the brand name of your carbon?And how long have you been using it? I've been following a thread on canreef called "bad carbon kills".Towards the end of the thread..it mentions that a reefer had green water problems that stopped after he changed his carbon.

[lockrookie]

i read that article as well i have been using strictly chemi pure up until 4 days ago when i filled the fluval with fluval brand.. but up untill then it was all chemi pure which is suposed to be good so i am baffled but all in all its clearing up. so we will see

[lockrookie]

just an update
the algone did help when it was in the fluval and i am now usng it in the sump and it seems to help a bit but not the same result as going through the fluval.

im sorry jan i hanvent taken pictures of the stuff inside the packet yet it stank like sewer when i took them out and didnt want to keep them around too long but i will open the next one up.

[nigel]

are you running a uv light becaquse in my old tank i never ran one for the first few months and i had green water but after a week of the uv light being in it was crystal clear

[lockrookie]

24 watt one in tank 9 watt one in sump

[lockrookie]

just a quick update green water is gone i picked up a aqua clear to suck out floating particles and in combination with the algone my water is now clear. save for the sand floating around thanks to the sleeper goby but thats what i get for using such fine sand. i know i still havent taken pictures of the algone.. but it stinks soooooooooo bad after use that its hard to handle. simular smell to the skimmate just in a sealed packet.

i just want to thank you again jan you helped me be a happy reefer:)