Help! Algea bloom/green water

[stonecutter50]

Can anyone help with this? I have 2 tanks. The 65 gal. has a UV filter and since I've had it, I've had no green water problems. The 30 gal. has no UV and I cannot seem to get rid of the green water. Other than using the UV on the smaller tank (for a week?) is there any way I can get rid of that scourge? I thought by eliminating all nutrients, getting NO3 to as low as possible through massive water change, and cranking the CO2 to have the plants out-compete with the green water would do it. I'm in that process now, but seem to (once again) be losing the battle.

Thanks!
Stonecutter50

 

[PeterGwee]

Re: Help! Algea bloom/green water

Stonecutter50, just use the UV on the smaller tank coupled with a blackout for a day or 3 should kill it good. Remember algae lives on next to almost nothing in terms of nutrients whereas a plant will stunt or worst die if you limit the nutrients.

Regards
Peter Gwee

 

[quenton]

Re: Help! Algea bloom/green water

There is not really enough info here -- for example, do you have added CO2?

I would not reduce the ferts to nothing -- this will adversely affect the plants but not the algae.

Are you using EI? are you trying to run with no added CO2? These will require different approaches.

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Help! Algea bloom/green water

Can anyone help with this? I have 2 tanks. The 65 gal. has a UV filter and since I've had it, I've had no green water problems. The 30 gal. has no UV and I cannot seem to get rid of the green water. Other than using the UV on the smaller tank (for a week?) is there any way I can get rid of that scourge? I thought by eliminating all nutrients, getting NO3 to as low as possible through massive water change, and cranking the CO2 to have the plants out-compete with the green water would do it. I'm in that process now, but seem to (once again) be losing the battle.

Thanks!
Stonecutter50

No, you are not going to out nutrient and water change this algae.
Once it's present, you are stuck with it until you either Diatom or better yet, UV it for 5 days or so.

You have the UV already so that's a simple thing.

It will not come back after, just dose normal EI etc, add good CO2.


If you have a new tank and did not add mulm, very large fish load, high light + CO2, added Jobes sticks or anything with high NH4, did a large rework of the tank and did not do a water change after, these things can help cause or exacerbate a GW bloom.

Regards.
Tom Barr

 

[stonecutter50]

Re: Help! Algea bloom/green water

Thanks, will go the UV route. I do EI and use CO2. Just thought there might be a way to not take the filter out of one tank and connect it to the other with the UV added. The tank with the algea bloom only has a hang on filter and cannot connect to the UV.

Stonecutter50

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Help! Algea bloom/green water

Yea, just hook up a small powerhead.
Add more biomedia to the HOB filter also.

Regards, '
Tom Barr