FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I have a 75 allon goldfish tank until a few days ago it was crystal clear, I have always taken great pride in a clear tank. I conducted my weekly water change a few days later the water became cloudy and green, what would cause this and how do I clear my tank again. see pic

It might be a good idea if you could post a full water parameters test, plus every thing about the tank and your feeding program including the filtration cleaning etc

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Keith,
my water temp is 72deg amonia level 0 and ph is 7.0 I have two 330 bio-wheels. I feed them twice a day. I change 25% of the tank weekly. I recently changed food to tetrafin goldfish flakes.

It could possibly be an issue with your water supplier. I'd run some tests on your tap water, that is unless you're on well/tank/bore water...

Change of fish food could be part of the issue. Was there a reason you changed food?


^_^

I was at walmart needed some so i brought a diffrent kind.

If every thing was OK before you had a food change Babel could be on to some thing for you.

Try this for a few weeks.
Reduce the lighting by 50%
Do a 30% weekly water change and a 15% mid week.
Also reduce the feeding by 50% also use a cooking measuring spoon I use a 1/4 teaspoon all the time by doing that I know I am always feeding the same amount.

If this does not clean it up, you will have to start to look a lot harder to find the reason

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Hi,
When a tank becomes cloudy, generally a milky white, that
is most often caused by a bacterial bloom. Too much food
at once, or something in the tank that is dead and decaying.

A greenish color is an algae bloom and is called "Green
water." One of the main causes of a stable tank becoming
affected by green water (note the operative word AFFECTED)
is the change in seasons and the amount of sunlight
reaching either the tank, or the the room the tank is in.

Check out this site for green water suggestions:

http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/greenwater.html

When you give a tank with the right amount of nutrients
the right amount of light you will get greenwater.
Another cause, related to light is when your fluorescent
bulbs age. As they age the amount of light and the
frequency of the light shifts and the area the bulbs are
in now could be favoring the formation of green water.
Fluorescents should be changed annually regardless of what
they look like.

Things to think about...
Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thanks for all the info. I invested in green killing machine AKA UV sterilizer. I am 48 hours into using it and my tank is already 50% clearer.

Hi,
A UV filter is an outstanding solution... to the result,
but that does not take care of the cause. The nutrient
buildup along with the amount of available light are the
causes.

Goldfish are not "neat" eaters, and food fragments
remaining in the tank after feeding will rot and provide
the perfect environment for high nitrates, and high amounts
of organic compounds that will eventually create far worse
problems in the tank than green water. With carp, such
as goldfish, you must keep the tank very nearly immaculate.
Along with the food fragments, they also give off very
large amounts of urea for the size of the fish.

Frequent water changes, coupled with gravel vacuuming
is a must. Also, be sure that the gravel is around a #2 or
#3 grain size (2-3mm in size). If the gravel is too small
it will compact and form a barrier leaving rotting food on
top, and an anaerobic environment under it that forms toxic
areas and gives off Hydrogen Sulfide, a gas that is toxic
to both fish and plants. If the gravel size is too large
then the food fragments will fall beneath the pebbles and
rot in the spaces between the grains again polluting the
tank and not easily cleaned.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Frank
Thanks for that info I have increased the maintenace and water changes to ensure the conditions don't return.