Habitat - Indoor :: green water

[mega_devastation]

hello all

about a month or so ago i bought some river pebbles to cover the bottom of my turtles tank, everything was just great, it looked really good... then, after a while the water turned super green!! i read online that it was algae suspended in the water and said that i would need to get another filter to get rid of it.... well seeing as how ima college student, im perty low on funds.. is there aynyway to get rid of it without spending too much $$??

ive tried to remove all the water and refilling it, got rid of the rocks and i left the uvb lamp off for a couple a days after that but as soon as i turned it on again, the green came with it
Temp is about 75F
Filstar Xp3

My bf says i dumped ooze in the water cuz i want a ninja turtle! (lol)
Any help is appreciated...

[octpusgirl8]

Yikes, that is some greeeen water! How big is the tank? The XP3 is a great filter, i wouldn't think you would get a problem like this. I think a strict regimen of large water changes would be helpful, accompanied by feeding the turtle outside of the tank (so that there's less junk in the water) and maybe shortening the amount of time the lights are on. Honestly i've never had to deal with green water algae so that's just what i would do about regular algae. I know a UV filter would probably do the trick, but they aren't cheap. As a last resort, you could break everything down completely, tank and filter, and clean it out really well. Good luck!

[TheComputerGremlin]

Wow, I'd estimate your tank is within the range of an XP3, mine is working great, no green water. That's like scary green! I'd check a few things, first, your filter. When was the last time you gave it a good wash and changed the media. Second, are you overfeeding your turtle? Make sure you follow the guidelines for feeding.

I'd say at this point, your best bet is to break everything down and clean it really good, and replace the XP3 media and clean it out really good. There are also drops you can add to the water if you're sure it's algae, but I don't know if they'll affect your filter media.

[megcornell]

Also, the limiting factor in algae growth is phosphates. I think there are chemicals you can buy to reduce the amount of phosphates in the water which would limit how much algae can grow... I'd look into that.
You may also want to rig up an above tank basking area so that the lights aren't hitting the water, that would also potentially reduce algae growth in the future.

Seeing how green your water is now, I'd say that only a lot of partial water changes will get rid of the algae you already have growing.

[flyjawn]

wow! you're not joking when you say GREEN.

you could try to get some help from fish forums - they are contstantly battling algae.

www.aquahobby.com is a good one but there's lots out there.

good luck!

[donchewliano]

Hi,
I found this site that explains what is happening and sells a solution. I also trolled the aquarium forums, it's a common problem.

http://www.algone.com/green_water.php#solution

[mega_devastation]

thank you for all the speedy responses

well then ima feed Turtle outside of the tank for starters... thanks!

when ive done water changes (even 50% somtimes, the water hardly changes color, its so depressing)

i cleaned the filter and replaced the carbon pouch like 2 weeks after it got green, hopeing that it would get rid of it...

i haven really thought of making a basking box (mostly because i have no powertools) but ill look into it because Turtle often has a hard time getting on top of the ramp i have for her (she got bigger) it would be great if i can build platform that covers the top half of the aquarium so she has room to walk around heh heh...

Hi,
I found this site that explains what is happening and sells a solution. I also trolled the aquarium forums, it's a common problem.

http://www.algone.com/green_water.php#solution

i clicked your link and it seems like they understand my problem completely, do you think its safe to use on turtle tanks?


i also went to the site that flyjawn mentioned, i was thinking i should try the blackout method, that is to cover up the tank for four days + water changes (cuz its free!) but its gonna be hard keeping Turtle in the dark like that (poor turtle) - hmm i guess if that doesnt work ima try using the algone product (if its safe)...

[TheComputerGremlin]

I'd recommend that if you are doing a blackout method, take your turtle out a couple hours and put them in a box and turn the light on. That way your turtle will get some beneficial UVB rays and heat. It might mess up the turtle's schedule a bit, but it's better than total darkness.

[donchewliano]

Hi,
I found this site that explains what is happening and sells a solution. I also trolled the aquarium forums, it's a common problem.

http://www.algone.com/green_water.php#solution

i clicked your link and it seems like they understand my problem completely, do you think its safe to use on turtle tanks?

I wish I knew. Unfortunately, I've only been a RES owner for 2 weeks now and am learning myself.

In regards to building a basking area, although they make life easier, power tools arent needed. You can build one completely out of egg crate.
Egg crate can be snipped with wire cutters and held together with zip ties.

[steve]

The only time I've had green water like that was when there was sunlight reaching the tank. Even then it would take a week or so...

How big is your tank?

[mega_devastation]

the blackout worked! i did a bunch of water changes in the begining then covered it with plastic bags... though i had to keep it in darkness for a week more or less untill the water looked clear.then i did huge water changes to make sure it was all gone.

i kept turtle in a smaller tank during the process. it must have been perty stressfull for her but at least it wasn't in vain...

thanks everyone for all your help

[donchewliano]

Awesome... Congrats!