Why is my water green??

[Dmaan.]

it sounds like your tanks got some algae growth going on.
do you also have wood in the tank?

it can leave a greeny browny colour depending on your light.

 

[jbarbaresi]

hey i came across this post and just wanted to give my 2 cents cause i just went through this a few months ago while cycling my 90 gal. when i had the problem i would do my weekly water changes and then 2 to 3 days later the water would be green and so cloudy i couldn't even see the fish! like some of the others said i would be careful using the chemicals. the solution i found was to just leave my tank light off, COMPLETELY, for 2 or 3 weeks straight. without the light the algae gradually died off and now my water has been crystal for several months. i still limit the amount of time my lights are on, usually turning them on when i get home from work since my wife doesn't enjoy the tank during the day anyways. the important thing is to not stress over it and resort to adding chemicals and stuff if you don't need to. while the green water looks ugly it is harmless to the fish as long you ensure proper oxygenation of the water. good luck.

 

[fcamargo6thave]

jbar thanks for the advice but i went ahead and used algaefix which did wonders in 2 hours. My water is crystal clear now and its been 2 days with no problems to my fish or stingray... the bottle althought strongly reccomends that YOU DONT USE ALGAEFIX IF YOU HAVE freshwater crustraceans, which include shrimp crabs and lobsters. i didnt want to do it but i had to try it..

 

[Ullopincrate]

I would try to steer clear of the chemical solutions in the future. Definitely get a test kit. You must monitor your parameters often. You could cover the back of your tank to block some of the sunlight or paint it. Aside from your tank you need to test your tap water. City water is all over the charts you need to know and understand yours. OR if you have well water you need to know and understand it. It sounds like an algal boom. There is another way as a side note. A UV sterilizer/clarifier. They cost a bit but it'll solve your problem and keep it at bay while promoting healthier fish as it also kills parasites etc.

 

[jbarbaresi]

jbar thanks for the advice but i went ahead and used algaefix which did wonders in 2 hours. My water is crystal clear now and its been 2 days with no problems to my fish or stingray... the bottle althought strongly reccomends that YOU DONT USE ALGAEFIX IF YOU HAVE freshwater crustraceans, which include shrimp crabs and lobsters. i didnt want to do it but i had to try it..

glad the aglaefix worked for you. what you might find is that if you have another algae bloom in a couple of days or weeks it won't work again though. that's what happened to me after i used it anyways. it also damaged all the plants i had in my tank, even though it says its safe for plants so I hope it doesn't do the same to you if you have some. since then i've tried avoiding chemicals at all costs because you never know what they are going to do to your bacteria colonies. good luck, i hope if stays clear for you. if not, just limit the amount your lights are turned on and it will be a permanent fix.