Aquarium Water
My aquarium water turned a solid green just after filling it with clean water. What happened?
My aquarium water turned a dense green about an hour after filling it with clean water. I drained it and refilled it and again within an hour it was solid green. I've done this four times and can't get it clear. What happened? I tried putting everything in boiling water, filling the tank with boiling water but as soon as it cools it's green again. I've never had this problem before.
Algae are mostly-photosynthetic organisms that sometimes resemble plants but are not plants, having no true roots, stems or leaves. Algae grow in freshwater and saltwater. Saltwater algae are sometimes referred to as "seaweed." Like plants, algae require light and nutrients to grow. We supply plenty of both in our aquariums, with several hours of aquarium lighting a day and nutrients like nitrates and phosphates from fish waste.
Algae come in many forms. There are microscopic, one-celled algae, filamentous algae that resemble hair, algae that grow in sheets, and macroalgae that look like plants. There are even algae that live inside the outer integument ("skin") or calcium shell of some corals, anemones, and other sessile invertebrates called zooxanthellae. There are slimy-looking algae that are often not algae at all, but a colony of primitive photosynthetic organisms known as cyanobacteria. There are also very hard-to-remove little dots of green that sometimes grow on aquarium panels which also are not algae, but diatom or radiolarian colonies (microscopic, one-celled, animals with hard shells) with algae incorporated in their matrix. With all that said, let us answer some common questions right up front:
Algae growth is inevitable in an aquarium.
Algae consume nutrients in the aquarium that if allowed to accumulate, are harmful to fish. Algae can be a good thing.
The presence of green algae in an aquarium indicates a healthy environment for fish.
There is absolutely no way to completely prevent algae from growing in an aquarium, without killing the other life in the tank.
Chemicals should never be used to control the growth of true algae in an aquarium, and should only be used in rare circumstances to control cyanobacteria.
Correcting a severe algae problem requires time and patience.
Natural methods of controlling algae are the best and most effective.
Algae removal from the tank panels can be done on an as-needed basis, but no more than once a week. Removing algae involves either correcting negative water conditions to control or slow excessive algae growth, or an age-old process known as "elbow grease" (scrubbing it off!). Algae removal in an aquarium should be done only when necessary. We have seen many aquariums where daily removal of algae resulted in fish that were so stressed, most had diseases and were dying. You should never remove all of the algae from your tank. Allowing some algae to grow in the aquarium can be beneficial to the aquatic environment. When algae is removed from aquarium side panels, care should be taken to select an algae scrubber that will not hurt the finish of an aquarium. Be careful not to get gravel caught in an algae scrubbing pad where it can scratch the aquarium. Never use household cleaning pads to remove algae. They contain fungicides that kill fish.
Your first mistake is boiling the water. Boiling water consentrates the nitrates in it causing algae to grow even faster. However, I've never heard of it growing within an hour Wow!
First, test the water you are filling up your tank with. Many public water supplies (our homes) have a concentration of nitrates at around 7ppm or higher. (Bottled water is no better).
This could be the start of your problem.
Be sure your tank is not within direct or indirect lighting such as a window or in a room where the lights are on constantly. Is you tank near a heat source. Sometimes we do not take into consideration a fishtank is near a heat register which can and does add additional temperature changes to your tank.
Did you clean the filter as well? Be sure the entire filter is cleaned and free of algae.
Use a razor or scraper and gently scrape all sides of your tank. Clean your gravel and return it to the tank as well. DO NOT wash the gravel in the tank. The residues of the algae will remain.
Since you have NO FISH I am assuming, use cold water to start your tank. Algae likes heat and light. Using cold water will prohibit growth. Allow your tank to run bringing it to room temperature. Then you can plug in your heater allowing your tank to run.
If you have a stick on thermometer, get yourself a floating one. The stick on thermometers pick up ambient air temperatures from OUTSIDE the tank and can be up to 10 degrees off. DON"T trust them. Try keeping your tank at 72 for a couple of days.
You can also purchase phosphorus pads for around $2.00 at your local pet store. These can be cut to fit with your filter and remove large amounts of phosphorus. These can be reused over and over just remember to rinse them out well when you clean your tank.
Test your water. Since you have not gone thru the cycle process allow your tank to run. This should really help with the algae. If you find your water quality is all your tank isn't near a heat or light source, ok but still getting algae turn the temperature down or off and let it run. You will want to scrape the sides of the tank and do a water change no more than 20% every other day. This should only be done if the algae returns in a heavy form.
If you need any more help, you can im or email me.
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Ever wonder why your friend's fish tank is cleaner than yours? Or how come you have to clean twice as much as him when you both use the same products and have the same kind of fish? It's probably because he is using some type of water filter but not just any kind - it's most likely a reverse osmosis (ro) system. A reverse osmosis system will remove a very good majority of impurities out of the water. Impurities like phosphates, nitrates, and heavy metals exist in most water sources even in bottled water.
Many tap water sources contains phosphates and nitrates which is the main food source for algae. When there is an abundance of these elements, algae will tend to grow very rapidly and stick to your glass making you spend your valuable time on cleaning the glass. Copper is another notorious element found in tap water which comes from the copper plumbing. Copper is can be very toxic to invertebrates and should be removed quickly to prevent any illnesses or unfortunate deaths within your aquarium. The best way to combat these impurities is by using a reverse osmosis system coupled with a mixed bed deionization (DI) filter. A reverse osmosis filter alone will remove about 95-98% of the impurities and the mixed bed DI filter will catch anything that is left behind. Together both will remove about 99.9% of impurities.
Another related problem to untreated water is the effects of pH conditioners. With untreated water, pH conditioners tend to be less effective due to the amount of impurities in the water. Reverse osmosis (ro) water coupled with mixed bed DI filtration will typically have nero zero TDS (total dissolved solids) in the water making it much easier for you to pH balance. With RO/DI water, you will be able to use less pH conditioners and minerals for pH balancing than with untreated water.
It requires very little maintenance and will help with saving time and costs. When the filters for the filtration system is serviced regularly, the costs in the long run outweigh any short term immediate bandage. Almost any standard reverse osmosis system on the market can be turned into an aquarium ready system simply by adding a mixed bed di filter. So join your friend and try using a reverse osmosis system with a DI filter. You will be surprised at the quality of water that you get.
Tabish Ali http://www.isopurewater.com
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