History/Setup: I have a 90G SA/CA cichlid tank. I do 30% water changes 1 to 2 times a week. My tank is well established and has been cycled for months now. My ammonia and nitrite consistently read 0 and my nitrate bounces between 5 and 15 ppm. I use a freshwater Current LED Strip light. I have a rena filstar xp3 and a penguin 350 HOB. I use two hydro circulation pumps for water movement, and another powerhead for surface agitation. I increased the time my lights stay on from 8 hrs to 12-14 hrs in hopes of turning brown algae to green. My fish never gasp or hang out at the surface, so that leads me to think oxygen levels are good.
The Problem: A month ago my water began to get cloudy, I knew it was an algae bloom, but it was brown algae(Algae blooms in the past have started with cloudy water and once the algae grew on the rocks, the water cleared up; no matter how much algae grows on the glass or deco, it never gets clear!). I have wanted green algae so let the algae grow a little bit and thats when i increased lighting hoping it would turn to green algae. Within days my water got so cloudy you could not even see the back of the tank from the front. My ammonia and nitrite never spiked and my nitrates never went above 15ppm. I have cut back lighting to 8 hrs a day, reduced feeding to once a day but nothing is working. I can't get clear water to save my life.
I have had many tanks over the last 8 yrs and have never had this problem before! There are three things I do differently now compared to all of my other tanks in the past: 1- I use drsfostersmith chlorine neutralizer instead of prime, 2- I have added broken pieces of massivore to the feeding regimen, and 3- I do not use the python sink syphon, I drain water to a trash can and fill with pre treated buckets of de-chlorinated water.
Any help would be appreciated, I am at a loss, nothing I have read has helped. Thanks in advance!
The Problem: A month ago my water began to get cloudy, I knew it was an algae bloom, but it was brown algae(Algae blooms in the past have started with cloudy water and once the algae grew on the rocks, the water cleared up; no matter how much algae grows on the glass or deco, it never gets clear!). I have wanted green algae so let the algae grow a little bit and thats when i increased lighting hoping it would turn to green algae. Within days my water got so cloudy you could not even see the back of the tank from the front. My ammonia and nitrite never spiked and my nitrates never went above 15ppm. I have cut back lighting to 8 hrs a day, reduced feeding to once a day but nothing is working. I can't get clear water to save my life.
I have had many tanks over the last 8 yrs and have never had this problem before! There are three things I do differently now compared to all of my other tanks in the past: 1- I use drsfostersmith chlorine neutralizer instead of prime, 2- I have added broken pieces of massivore to the feeding regimen, and 3- I do not use the python sink syphon, I drain water to a trash can and fill with pre treated buckets of de-chlorinated water.
Any help would be appreciated, I am at a loss, nothing I have read has helped. Thanks in advance!
