# Green water Issue, Is too much light/Co2?



## StaleyDaBear (Apr 15, 2010)

over stocked and tom barr says that it is an ammonia spike that usually causes green water. Dead fish, ammoniacal nitrogen (comes from terrestrial plant fert.s) and the like. I am in the middle of a blackout right now and guess what I found in my substrate? a dead cardinal. right under the filter so the ammonia was filtering and getting washed through the entire aquarium. I suggest a blackout or UV Sterilizer.


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## q8vw (Apr 20, 2010)

Since i started my tank there is no dead fish yet, and my tank is cycled, when i check the water parameters its:

0 ppm Ammonia.
0 ppm Nitrite.
5 ppm Nitrate.
Phosphate is at 0.25 ppm.

I can have a UV sterilizer from a friend to use it.. But i'm trying to find where the issue is, the lights? co2? fertilizer?

Thanks.


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## ZID ZULANDER (Apr 15, 2008)

I would cut your lighting back. The nitrate and phosphates could easly be feeding the algae along with the long photo period.


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## StaleyDaBear (Apr 15, 2010)

reading back over your issues again, do you dose NPK? if not, cutting back your lights might not be the problem, just a limiting factor on your plants growth. If you don't, try dosing after you run the UV through or try a blackout. .25 is a little low for my phosphate taste and 5 ppm N is on the low end of my range when running that much light. Let me know . . .


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## q8vw (Apr 20, 2010)

I'm not dosing NPK at all, i only have seachem flourish, Now i turned my UV unit on to clean the water.

But I'm trying to understand the balance thing between, co2/lights/nutrients.

Also i turned my T5 (14,000K) off, by the weekend im gonig to change them to 10,000K, only have the HQI running 5 hours.

Thanks.


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## StaleyDaBear (Apr 15, 2010)

Read sticky on dosing regime in water parameters and fert's forum. also everything from tom barr  researching is essential to proper maintenance, care and ongoing success.


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## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

those trates are low, and the phosphate is a smidge low. I'd bump up your flourish a little. (did you come from the reef side of things? if so I can see why you'd have a mental breakdown trying to ADD nitrates lol) I'm just about to start my first one(reef) and I can't wrap my head around nitrates being the enemy anymore lol


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## dutchy (Jul 31, 2009)

High light and ammonia. Change 50% water, Use the UV, change 80% water after two days and change 50% every week.

Are you overstocked? Not enough plant biomass? 

Raise your HQI to 15 inch above water level.


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## Zachary J. Valois (Apr 23, 2010)

I am beginning to develop hair algae (in my hair grass) and typical algae (on the substrate). It is not yet a problem, but growing fast enough that I know it will become one. 

My tank is very similar to what this original post was about. Dosing 1-2 times a week with Seachem Flourish. Lights are on for 14h, TWO Coralife T-5 double linear strips. Each fixture holds a Colormax full spec and a 6700 K plant bulb. Each bulb is 18 watts, making the combined two fixtures 72 watts.
I am asking the same question Q8 is. What needs to be balanced here to choke out the algae; more-less ferts, less light, lower CO2, or what?

I might add that I am about to order the medium tech+ fert kit from Pfertz.

My tank and parameters:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/g...iscussion/107010-another-opinion-piece-2.html


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## Zachary J. Valois (Apr 23, 2010)

Well it looks like a lot of information I am looking for is in the dosing sticky in the fert section.


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