green water

[dlove18]

I moved my tank a few days before xmas. I pulled all the water into storage tubs. I moved the tank with the sand in it. I took this opportunity to install my sump. I put all the old water back in the tank. I added about 13 gallons of new water when refilling. of course everything was a bit cloudy(I expected that). the next day it started turning green. I figured it was just a bloom and would go away in a day or 2. now, it's been about 10 days and it is still green. I can barely see the back of the tank. I've only been running about 6 hours of light. I left them off completely for 2 days.


I think I may have made too many changes at once. I added the sump. it is 30 x 11 with a fuge area of about 14x11. it is on a CPR overflow with a mag7 with about 4 feet of head and a little PVC spray bar.(not a lot of flow) I put about 10 pounds of LR in the fuge area and added a CF light. I also switched from IO to reef crystals. I moved my skimmer from HOB to the sump.

the freaky thing is everything tests clean.

0 phosphates
0 nitrates
sg .026
calcium 380
PH 8.2
dKH 11

I only have 1 fish and it is still living in my little QT tank. the only thing in the tank is 2 shrimp, mushrooms, zoas, a couple small frags, and a few hermits and snails. I feed 2 or 3 flakes every couple of days. I'm using RO/DI water.

what is this stuff eating? how can I get rid of it? I figured it would burn out, but I'm losing my patience. I was thinking of trying a diatom filter or a UV sterilizer.

BTW: tank is a 55 with 330w of VHO.

thanks,

dan

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Your PO3 and/or NO3 test kit is suspect. There is almost no way that you can have green water without food. If not nitrates, phosphates that got stirred up from the sand. Probably both. Run carbon, and a filter sock and keep it rinsed often.

 

[vwmoneypit]

u guessed it! w/o a uv sterilizer it wont go away. i have seen little ones and over sized ones on tanks around 55 i have used my life guard ql 25 for 2 yrs nothing green but the other 110 "friends tank "greened in 4 months w/o one ....proof enuff for me !just allaround good to have anyways look for a cheapy with a good ballast !

 

[DonW]

u guessed it! w/o a uv sterilizer it wont go away.

No way, you do NOT "need" a uv sterilizer to clear up your tank. Just keep up the water changes, carbon and run the skimmer a little wet. It will pass in time.

Don

 

[Reeferdude]

I think a UV sterilizer is about the worse thing you can use on a reef tank.

dlove18...Do or did you have any Calupra?

 

[dlove18]

I don't have any caulerpa or any other macro algae. I am planning on adding some to my little 'fuge.

I changed about 8 gallons yesterday. I couldn't tell if it helped at all. I have been running carbon.

my skimmer has been a PITA since I moved it to the sump. it worked great as a HOB. now, sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.

 

[Reeferdude]

"Green" is not typically seen unless something "green" produces it. The reason I asked is because Calupra, Valonia, and other types of green algae contain Chlorophyll which can leach from the dieing algae. Like DonW said, water changes and it will pass...Good luck.

 

[aquarookie]

Isn't green water good for Rotifers? You could start breeding clowns! :lol:

On a more serious note, I would keep using IO salt, too many people I know switched to Reef Crystals or other salts and had weird things happen to their tanks...

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I put all the old water back in the tank. I added about 13 gallons of new water when refilling. of course everything was a bit cloudy(I expected that). the next day it started turning green. ..and a little PVC spray bar...I put about 10 pounds of LR in the fuge area and added a CF light.

Dan a few questions. Did you pour the water right into the tank full of sand, stirring it up?

Does the spray bar mix up the sand?

Why is there a light on the live rock in the fuge area if no plants?

My guess is you stirred up nutrients from the sand and the algae plus nutrients will filter out with water changes, carbon, and any other particulate filtration such as skimming and/or socks.

 

[dlove18]

thanks guy. "it will pass" is what I've been telling myself. I guess I just needed to hear someone smarter than me say it.

waiting suxors. the LFS just go some really kewl yellow zoas. I want em, but I'm not putting them into the green jello.

=]

thanks,

dan

 

[dlove18]

Don,

I moved the tank about 12 miles in a truck. it shook the sand around pretty good. I put a large bowl in the tank and tried not to stir the sand any more than I had to.

the spray doesn't have much flow and it's pointed at the back corners of the tank where I had dead spots before the move. it doesn't disturb the sand.

I put the light on the rock in the fuge because I am planning to get some kind of macro going down there. it also helps a lot when working on stuff inside the stand. =]

right now, I wish I had hair algae or some "normal" problem. at least with hair algae I could still see my critters. it would be nice to see if my corals are still alive.

 

[vwmoneypit]

hey guy's I guess after looking at the wording I was making it sound like it was a forever thing not what i meant !SO I hear some say they are a bad thing (u.v.)why? allways looking to learn fill me in please thanks .well hope to see some pics when u return to the clear!

 

[DonW]

hey guy's I guess after looking at the wording I was making it sound like it was a forever thing not what i meant !SO I hear some say they are a bad thing (u.v.)why? allways looking to learn fill me in please thanks .well hope to see some pics when u return to the clear!

As far as this thread goes, just time and good house keeping will clear the tank. It had a bloom due to excess nutrients being stirred in the move. One thing to keep in mind is future house keeping. The nutrient were building so something to think about.
As far as UV being bad for a tank that is also not reality. The tiny hobby UV sterilizers are inefficient and only have a chance at killing what goes through them nothing more. No tank is so clean a devoid of life that a uv sterilizer is going to wipe out enough to make much of any negative difference.

Don

 

[Reeferdude]

Water, be it salt or fresh contain many living organisms. UV sterilizers kill them. They can be used to combat and kill harmful, waterborne bacteria, viruses, fungi, and small protozoans. The UV unit also helps control algae blooms by killing waterborne algae. However in a reef system many inhabitants rely on organisms eliminated by the U sterilization process. In other words, depending on the tank and it's inhabitants a UV sterilizer can be beneficial but good husbandry in my opinion eliminates the need for one...

 

[dlove18]

herefishy,

that last reply should have been addressed to you. sorry bout that. I stay confused.

here are a couple more lessons learned from this so far:

about 50# of my sand was used. a friend scooped it out of her tank before she converted to cichlids. if I had it to do again, I would NOT use old sand.

differences in tap water: at my old house my tap water was 270 tds with 0 nitrate and 0 phosphates. I always rinsed my filter pads in tap water. it didn't make any difference as far as I could tell.

I tested the tap water at my new house this morning. it was 520 tds. it didn't show nitrates, but it registered 2.0 on phosphates. I have been rinsing filters in tap water. that has to stop.

I guess I should test my RO/DI water water from this source too.

I think my nitrate test may be bad. I have tested water from several different sources and it always shows 0. I have 2 nitrate tests and neither of them ever show nitrates. they are both API brand tests.

another thing that may have made a difference is that I didn't have much in the way of algae. maybe that is why the water itself bloomed. if I had some macro or hair algae, maybe it would have taken off instead of making green jello in my tank.

no comments at all on the diatom filter? it sounds like it could help clear this bloom and be useful in the future. anyone tried one?

thanks for the help. =]

dan

 

[DonW]

herefishy,


no comments at all on the diatom filter? it sounds like it could help clear this bloom and be useful in the future. anyone tried one?

thanks for the help. =]

dan

Diatom filters are great to have and would clear your tank real quick. I keep mine just for emergency clean-ups like this.

Don

 

[Herefishyfishy]

herefishy,

that last reply should have been addressed to you. sorry bout that. I stay confused.

here are a couple more lessons learned from this so far:

about 50# of my sand was used. a friend scooped it out of her tank before she converted to cichlids. if I had it to do again, I would NOT use old sand.

differences in tap water: at my old house my tap water was 270 tds with 0 nitrate and 0 phosphates. I always rinsed my filter pads in tap water. it didn't make any difference as far as I could tell.

I tested the tap water at my new house this morning. it was 520 tds. it didn't show nitrates, but it registered 2.0 on phosphates. I have been rinsing filters in tap water. that has to stop.

I guess I should test my RO/DI water water from this source too.

I think my nitrate test may be bad. I have tested water from several different sources and it always shows 0. I have 2 nitrate tests and neither of them ever show nitrates. they are both API brand tests.

another thing that may have made a difference is that I didn't have much in the way of algae. maybe that is why the water itself bloomed. if I had some macro or hair algae, maybe it would have taken off instead of making green jello in my tank.

no comments at all on the diatom filter? it sounds like it could help clear this bloom and be useful in the future. anyone tried one?

thanks for the help. =]

dan

Sorry, I missed your reply and then Don did great. Hard to beat fresh sand, but every dollar often counts.

Yes agree with the diatom filter though a pain to set up and clean, it will filter out everything and leave it crystal clear. I own one but haven't used it in about 5 years. It will clog fast with green water.

Running a PO3 reactor will clear up the re-desolved phosphates and water changes will take care of the rest including nitrates as well as your rock maturing further.

Set up your fuge when you get a chance, I think they are great.

Get better test kits.

I'm sure you will be back to great shape in very short order. In the grand scheme of things, green water is a pretty tiny problem.
Mike

 

[delemi]

As I was reading your post this statement really lit the flickering lightbulb in my brain...

"about 50# of my sand was used. a friend scooped it out of her tank before she converted to cichlids. if I had it to do again, I would NOT use old sand."

Although not a direct correlation, I've attached a photo of what I did to my tank after taking a canister filter off of my cichlid tank and putting it on my 40 gal... Needless to say, the algae build up in the hoses turned the water 100% green... Look familiar??

From my experience, it took about a month to finally clear the water... I did extensive water changes weekly (like 20-30%) and just kept feeding down. I may have been lucky, but I had no coral or fish loss.. Dunno about snails and hermits, but I still have plenty so any losses must have been insignificant.

Like everyone else is saying, wait it out, it'll clear up!

- Joanne

 

[dlove18]

I wish my water was that clear.

take a green sharpie and color your glass. that is what mine looks like. I have maybe 4 inches of visibility.

the LFS guy talked me out of the diatom filter. I added a big ball of cheato(sp?) to my fuge.

he told me to go back to full light schedule and just let it burn itself out. it will be an interesting experiment.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

get a filter sock going