Green Water Problems..

[Toby_H]

So I shouldnt buy AlgaeFix to remove this green water problem and just wait?

You are absolutely correct...

If you speak with hobbyists that have personal experience they will very consistently tell you that these products are harmful to fish. Despite well worded lableing that suggests the opposite...

I've personally killed fish in two different situations using two different such products that were clearly lableed not to be harmful to fish.

Be very skeptical of "user reviews" supplied to you by the manufacturer or their retailers. You will be much better off trusting user reviews supplied by a forum with non biast hobbyists.

So I believe in a week I should give them Bottled or Mineral water bought at the market which contains low PH right? Would this be a good idea?

This may or may not help. "mineral water" or "spring water" are very very loose definitions for water and are not closely regulated as far as aquarium specifications go. The PH could vary in them just like it can vary in tap water.

Once you have fish in the tank (I'm not sure if you do now), you will not want to cause/allow PH swings. A stable PH is very important for a fish's health.

A PH swing in and of itself will not harm algae unless it is a drastic swing that puts the PH in unacceptible levels for plantlife, which will also be in unacceptible levels for aquatic life...

My point wasn't suggesting to change your water source, my point was simply sharing that a water change is not a cure. There are other steps you can take to rid yourself of green water.


My foremost suggestion is... let the tank finish cycling. Biochemically, there is a lot going on in a new tank. Several forms of bacteria are forming to serve several functions and along the way the water conditions will change considerably. So todays problem may simply take care of itself in a few days time as the system matures. If I read properly you are only 5 days into cycling...


Monitor your water parameters closely. Especially for ammonia, nitrite & nitrate. Do water changes as needed to ensure the ammonia and nitrite stay very low. Ideally you want them at zero, but in the early stages they may tend to creep up. Both of these are incrediably bad for your fish and cater to unwanted issues such as green water.


Like others have 'warned', do not turn to chemicals or additives. An aquarium is an ecosystem and has a lot of biochemistry going on. Many additives are designed to interupt the natural biochemistry balance which forces you to rely on their product to sustain a balance.


^^Wow I talk alot^^

 

[Snipe]

Ok. How often should I change the water? 20% every week? Also everytime I change water do I have to add bacteria to the water? If so, do I add bacteria for 30 gallons or just for the 20% water I change. Sorry for too much questions guys. I am just a bit worried for my fish. And yes I have 4 baby RBP's.

 

[Toby_H]

We'd rather you ask questions than kill fish, lol...


Get a quality aquarium water test kit.

You will want to establish a water change schedule that keps the nitrates in an acceptible range. Most of us consider 40 a maximum acceptible value for nitrates, with 20 or less being "ideal"... Although this may vary slightly from hobbyist to hobbyist...

For some people it takes 50% water changes twice a week to keep this range...
For others it takes 20% every two weeks...
You'll have to try different approaches to learn what your tank needs...

Keep in mind that while your tank is cycling you will not be able to establish your needs, as the ecosystem in your tank is in a high speed evolution. Once it becomes mature you will then be able to find it's regulation...

For the time being, you will want to test for ammonia & nitrite and do what it takes to keep them near zero. Not all bacteria supplements work as advertised, and the cheaper ones are most likely to fail you.

 

[Toby_H]

This current thread is boasting the quality of Seachem Stability which is a bacterial supplement... http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=324445

If your supplement is not meeting your needs I would consider using Stability... but you'll have to test your water to know if your's is working.

 

[Snipe]

Ok. But will my baby RBP's do fine in the tank? I have no other place to put them in.

 

[Toby_H]

If you keep the ammonia & nitrite in check they should... if you let it get out of control they will suffer and possibly die...

So go out and get that test kit

 

[Snipe]

Now what I did with my tank is I covered 75% of the area with black cardboard and left 25% open. Yesterday I went to my LFS and they tested my water. The guy told me that everything is normal except my nitrite. He suggested me to just continue with my water changes. The guy told me to do 20% water changes every other day and not to worry about this green water it will disappear.

I am not going to turn on my lights for a couple of days and just feed them a lil bit of blood worms once a day. I read it at another thread in this section about green haze water.

 

[Snipe]

What my LFS told me about this problem is after Nutrafin has been opened I have to store it in the fridge. It is going to be useless if I don't put it in there.

lol nutrafin cycle, i used that stuff on my first cycle and man it SUCKS!!!! that stuff does not work. it says to keep treating it weekley or monthly just so you spend your money. in reality if your tank is cycled then you dont have to keep adding chemicals to keep your tank cycled. later on i learned about safe start and the stuff is the real deal. its way more pricey than nutrifin and you can add fish right away, but you will get a nitrite spike. i also dont mess with the ph at all or add any other chemicals. IMO all of the so called medications and water adjusters are scams and will mess up your tank or cycle.

 

[Toby_H]

I generally suggest agaijnst relyoing on LFS guys for testing and advice... but in this case I think the guy gave you the truth...

Water changes will keep the nitrite concentration in check... though 20% every other day is a random guess as to if it's enough or not...

The reduced feeding will produce less waste in the system and thus allow the pollutants to build up more slowly...

In time your bacteria colonies will build up enough process the ammonia & nitrite into nitrates... then you will water change as needed to keep the nitrates in check...

 

[Snipe]

I generally suggest agaijnst relyoing on LFS guys for testing and advice... but in this case I think the guy gave you the truth...

Water changes will keep the nitrite concentration in check... though 20% every other day is a random guess as to if it's enough or not...

The reduced feeding will produce less waste in the system and thus allow the pollutants to build up more slowly...

In time your bacteria colonies will build up enough process the ammonia & nitrite into nitrates... then you will water change as needed to keep the nitrates in check...

I didn't really understand if this means I should reduce feeding or continue feeding 2 - 3 times will be fine. Sorry