why is my new tank water tainted green??

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

lix.ma14

Hydrolycus Armatus
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2011
7,182
21
92
Ontario, Canada
Hey guys. i just got a slightly used 75 gallon tank in great condition. after when I was filling water into my new tank via the garden hose (is that a good idea?), I noticed that my whole tank water colour was tainted a bit at a clean greenish colour. It seemed pretty natural to me cuz my old tank always had that colour even though it was perfectly clean. the reason i'm asking this question is because it very ugly compared to alot of you aquarist's water which is just plain crystally clear. what wrong and how can i remove this greeny tinge?? Is it because of microscpic algae or is it the sand i used from the previous owner (it looked clean). or is it somethingwrong with the water???? help!!!

Note: I washed my tank thoroghly with no chemicals.
thanks
 
is it because i put my tank right next to my glass door where sun light comes in?? could a LED light "remove" this green tinge???
 
is there driftwood in the tank? the tannis will discolor the water, or maybe the gravel had algae on it. the hose question, my buddy uses his hose too but im not sure if its good or not
 
is it because i put my tank right next to my glass door where sun light comes in?? could a LED light "remove" this green tinge???

Natural sunlight will help algae to grow. Cut down on this by pulling drapes shut or covering windows with blinds. An "LED" light will not remove the green tinge. A UV will. If you are running a canister filter an in line UV filter will definitely help with the green water.
 
You know I also just noticed the words "new tank water". I am presuming you also are not fully cycled so your water parameters could be way off, this helps feed your little algae friends.

Break out the test kit and also see whats going on with your water.
 
there used to be driftwood in the tank. i never put one in.
 
It's sand not gravel. Will sand contain quite a large amount of algae even though the sand isn't green (of algae)??
 
If the tank is new like you said, then the green color can't come from algae, since it haven't have time to develop yet. One explanation is that glass itself is green, and that might be why your water appear green. Other tanks that you saw perhaps are made from a different material, like acrylic, which is white.
 
If your tank is not starfire (low Iron) glass, it will give your water a slight green tinge. As mentioned above, the tap water might have something to do with it. I just filled my acrylic tank and the water was slightly green. But I'm not complaining...it's better than the brown sludge that comes out of the tap in Mexico. :ROFL:
 
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