Let me tell you the whole situation so that you guys can accurately answer my question. I am currently taking care of a tank at a nursing home and it is green and mercky. It is a 55 gallon african cichlid tank. There are no plants in the tank because the africans would not like them too much, they would end up eating themm. This tank has not had theis problem before and all of a sudden adding some new gravel and a piece of driftwood it turned this color. The water chemistry could not be better. There is indirect sun but I cannot move the tank. If you have any advise it would be highly appreciated. Thank you.
How to clear up green mercky water.
- Thread starter reefkeep18
- Start date
Still Fya is probably right, just run the lights less little by little till it clears. If it tests good and fish look good just slowly get it back to clear. (the following statement is just a suggestion and something that will work) Go get some activated carbon rinse it real good and drop it in the tank over night it will be clear if in fact it is a healthy tank. Just get a carton of it, mesh bag, rinse and drop. If it is an office tank, it is kind of important to make it look as healthy as possible, as it could reflect on the business, and a clear tank is optimal......
reefkeep18;1034731; said:
It is possible that part of the problem is from the driftwood and gravel. Both needed to be cleaned before adding to the tank. If the gravel was not rinsed well, the silt from it can cloud the water.
Driftwood that you buy is usually not real driftwood. If it has not been gathered from lakes or rivers, it will need to be treated to remove the tanins. The tanins will dye the water quickly.
Algae could have been introduced from both the driftwood and gravel, depending on their source of origin.
reefkeep18;1034731; said:
By the way, what are your latest test results? Also, what are the test results for your tap water?
Thanks for the reply's. The water chemistry is as follows.
Ph: 7.8
Amm: 0
Nitrates:0
Nitrites:0
tap
Ph:7.2
Ph: 7.8
Amm: 0
Nitrates:0
Nitrites:0
tap
Ph:7.2
Chompers said it all
just wanted to add that if it were me i would take out driftwood and substrate
taking out half substrate wait a day or two then other half
do extra water changes
and put in new cleaned substrate without the driftwood
just wanted to add that if it were me i would take out driftwood and substrate
taking out half substrate wait a day or two then other half
do extra water changes
and put in new cleaned substrate without the driftwood
reefkeep18;1035973; said:
No, you can't get any better than that. Since the nitrates (and whole ammonia cycle) are at zero, that leads me to think that you possibly could have high phosphates. That is an issue I have to deal with. I also have zero nitrates in my water but because of the phosphates, I can grow algae like crazy. There is a product that removes phosphates but off hand I am uncertain which. I am thinking Amquel Plus or Prime. That resin stuff will do it too (someone help me on the name of it (brain fart ~ it's only 4am)).
I just checked my bottle of Prime and that isn't it. I can't check my Amquel till morning (my nephews are camping out in that room).
Just a thought, since it is not a planted tank, give some algaecides a try. Since you will be taking care of this for the long term and the lights have to stay on, do this:
take a pen and paper to Walmart and go to the aquarium section. Find the aquarium algaecide and then take it to the swimming pool supplies. There is an algaecide there that is the exact same chemical but in a much higher concentration. It costs about twice as much but you get about thirty times more. Before 'losing' the aquarium algaecide on a random isle, write down the concentration so you can do the dosing conversion later.
If aquarium algaecide is hard to find, you can also use Copper Safe. Though it is not marketed for algae control, copper is a very good algaecide.
Another consideration, check out what type of lights are on the aquarium. If it is the typical flourecent type fixtures (I am sure it is), then you will probably find changing the bulbs will help. Bulbs labeled 'aquarium' or 'grow bulb' both produce the wavelengths intended for plant growth. By replacing them with the cheapie regular flourecent bulbs, you will be reducing these wavelengths.
Just a thought, since it is not a planted tank, give some algaecides a try. Since you will be taking care of this for the long term and the lights have to stay on, do this:
take a pen and paper to Walmart and go to the aquarium section. Find the aquarium algaecide and then take it to the swimming pool supplies. There is an algaecide there that is the exact same chemical but in a much higher concentration. It costs about twice as much but you get about thirty times more. Before 'losing' the aquarium algaecide on a random isle, write down the concentration so you can do the dosing conversion later.
If aquarium algaecide is hard to find, you can also use Copper Safe. Though it is not marketed for algae control, copper is a very good algaecide.
Another consideration, check out what type of lights are on the aquarium. If it is the typical flourecent type fixtures (I am sure it is), then you will probably find changing the bulbs will help. Bulbs labeled 'aquarium' or 'grow bulb' both produce the wavelengths intended for plant growth. By replacing them with the cheapie regular flourecent bulbs, you will be reducing these wavelengths.
Chompers I appreciate your help and believe in a lot of your advise. I am going to try doing the things you said on Monday and I will get back to you on how I made out.
