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My goldie tank has been getting a blue-green hue (but clear not cloudy) to the water and the water stains. No dyes have been used in this tank, or meds containing dyes. When I take the lid off, every drop of water coming off of it is blue green. My white shirt sleeve touched the water and it was blue green. Luckily, it washed out.

I know that algae has grown on the sides of the tank and it was soft and easily torn away. I just know it was soft and the goldies liked eating it when it was knocked loose. However, there hasn't been any lately, but just this funny colored water.

Thinking it was an algae bloom, I used my diatom filter which returned my nephew's pea-soup 10 gallon back to crystal clear in less than 15 minutes. It did nothing on my 36 after running over an hour. The diatomaceaous earth was not green like it was when I ran it on his tank.

Bottom line is can cyanobacteria or blue-green algae be just in the water column? I've read it can be toxic to fish. I lost my oranda, and later my baby goldfish (junior) in a 5.5 gallon (also blue green water) and am now wondering if it wasn't toxicity. They didn't really show signs of infection before suddenly bloating out (no pine cone), then dying. In the final hours, both had popped eyes, but I know fluid from dropsy can push out the eyes like that.

Ideas? I'm thinking of erythromycin. If so, how much for how long?

Nitrates <30 ppm. Water changes weekly. 36 gal with two 3-inch goldies. Have not tested for phosphate, but just added a phosphate removing pad.


[span class="edited"][Edited by Cory_Di 2004-07-14 15:32][/span]

Well, I got the answer to my own question after putting just one dose of erythromycin (Maracyn) in the tank. I woke up to a clear/clear tank, not a blue-green/clear tank. I may dose it one more time to make sure it is gone.