# Greenwater lifespan?



## klumsyninja (Apr 16, 2008)

I have green water right now. I cant afford to go out and buy a GOOD uv sterilizer. I bought a 'green killing machine' uv sterilizer and it honestly hasn't made a dent ($50 garbage).

I'm worried about doing a blackout because the last time I did that a ton of my plants and a school of 50 rummy nose all died somehow within that three day span of darkness. (3 yrs ago, different tank) People attributed that to the lack of an air stone I didn't realize was needed 

I'm doing small water changes every couple days and it clears up temporarily but by the end of the day is green again.

It's a low light tank without c02, I was dosing dry ferts EI method but less than suggested as it's not high light or co2 and was running my lights 9 hours a day (reduced to 8 a couple weeks ago).

Its been green for like a month, maybe a couple weeks more, and it's driving me nuts. 

How long does green water usually last? What's its average life cycle?


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## Zefrik (Oct 23, 2011)

I used that uv twice now and it really did a good job. I wonder why it is not working for you? If it is not working take it back.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

When one of my tanks developed green water, I INCREASED the photo period. It speeds up the life cycle of the bloom.


Jenna


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

i just went through this. i reduced the photo period. cut my fert doses in half, did a water change and replanted the fine floss in my filter and it was gone in 48 hours.


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## klumsyninja (Apr 16, 2008)

Zefrik said:


> I used that uv twice now and it really did a good job. I wonder why it is not working for you? If it is not working take it back.


You used the 'UV Killing Machine' uv sterilizer? Maybe the one I bought isnt working properly, I'll try returning it. hopefully I still have the box.



Chadramsey: I have no idea how you were able to do that.. I haven't tried replacing the filter floss but will do so tomorrow. 

I've left the lights off for a couple days and the water just went brown, water change, and then when lights come on the (slightly brown) water turns green..


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

If the ferts, light, etc. balance stays out of whack, the green water can hang around for a long time. Just read that one person has been fighting it for 6 months.
I used a 9W JBJ Submariner UV sterilizer on green water in my 75 gal tank - it cleared it right up in 72 hrs., and I haven't had a recurrence.
Perhaps you can take your green killing machine back & exchange for a Submariner.

I now regularly use double-layered filter floss, chucked & replaced with new every 2 weeks, along with Purigen, pre-filter sponges on the filter intakes, and coupled with regular use of the UV, and I have crystal water clarity all the time in my low-tech tank.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

Is it possible to remove the bulb and check to see if it was damaged in shipping? If the sterilizer has zero effect, it sounds like it's broken.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

kevmo911 said:


> Is it possible to remove the bulb and check to see if it was damaged in shipping? If the sterilizer has zero effect, it sounds like it's broken.


That could very well be the case.
Then the OP should be able to return it & exchange.


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## klumsyninja (Apr 16, 2008)

its a sealed compartment as far as I can tell. 

Yes I'm going to return it for sure, I'll poke around and see if they have a submariner there.

I'm for sure going to replace my filter floss. In fact like you Discuspaul I'm going to get in the habit of replacing it every couple weeks as well. I usually just rinse it out, but really, it's cheap.. I can replace it.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Yes, it's cheap, and even much cheaper if you buy it at a discount fabric store - you'll get 3 X the amount for 1/2 the price, vs. the price of a small bag @ a LFS. 
I get a one meter X one meter piece @ Fabricland, or Fannie's Fabrics, for $5. - Lasts for months. Just make sure what you're buying is free of additives, any chemicals, or fire retardants. 
It's usually called ' polyester quilt batting'.


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## klumsyninja (Apr 16, 2008)

Ya I used to use it all the time in my cichlid tanks.. I've just been rinsing my eheim pads out of laziness I guess (rinse them in the water change water from the python into the tub during WC's).


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## synaethetic (Oct 4, 2011)

Run an air-stone at night. Increase water flow. Decrease light intensity if possible, 8-10 hours is always ideal. Do not reduce fertilizing, dose as normal. Maintain good c02 levels while the lights are on. 

In my experience with green water it was caused by an excess of light intensity, lack of oxygen, poor flow. My tank is moderately planted, and I didn't dose any less than usual, in fact I dosed more. Running an airstone every night and adding a powerhead really helped the most I think. I didn't do any crazy water changes, just once a week, drain the tank half way, and fill it with 100% RO water re-mineralized to 5gh, which I've been doing on this tank since the beginning.

With some patience the green water cleared up within a few weeks of improved conditions, no need to buy an expensive UV filter in the end. My water is crystal clear these days, and all the inhabitants within my tank seem to be thriving.


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## klumsyninja (Apr 16, 2008)

Just a quick update, tried a 3 day blackout (with an airstone) and It didn't work.

I returned the green killing machine and he gave me a full credit exchange even though there technically wasn't anything 'wrong' with it (they just have weak bulbs and weak powerheads and are best suited to smaller tanks). So I bought a Coralife Turbo Twist 3X. Its day two now with the turbo twist running, the water is clearer, but its still green and seems like it has quite a bit to go before its clean. 

The tank gets sun exposure every day, the whole room does and I'm sure that isn't helping anything. 

I'll update again in a couple more days to keep the thread going (for search & research purposes)

My plants are almost all dead though.. all the valls died, a sword died, my dwarf sag is suffering, crypts are melting and almost all gone.. eff this green water. Luckily plants are 'cheap' and I can easily replant the tank once I trust that the light can penetrate the water :icon_eek:


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## asmith (Mar 29, 2012)

If you have someplace to move your fish just get some daphnia (or net some out of a local pond). They will multiply and clear the water within in a week.


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## klumsyninja (Apr 16, 2008)

asmith said:


> If you have someplace to move your fish just get some daphnia (or net some out of a local pond). They will multiply and clear the water within in a week.


funny you should mention that.. because what I didn't mention i this thread is that I had used my water from the big tank to top up the water in my smaller moss tank (long while ago, at the beginning of this green fiasco) and it also has GW. I sought out a person supplying daphnia here in toronto and seeded that little tank and they're doing a very busy job of slowly clearing up that water, they've been in there three days and I have definitely noticed a difference 

Unfortunately I don't have anywhere for the fish in my bigger tank.. 

The turbo twist I bought, I installed inline on my 2213, which already had a Hydor inline heater on it.. the flow was too slow and the greenwater was not getting turned over at a rapid enough rate. So, I bought a 2215 Friday night, hooked it up yesterday morning and we'll see how that goes. 

(there's also a small AC30 on the tank that I have a skimmer attached to)


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## Fishly (Jan 8, 2010)

Try putting the daphnia in a fry net to keep them away from your fish.


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

For what its worth, I have used the Green Killing Machine twice on green water and it cleared both in three days. You must have had a defective product. Good luck with the coralife, its a much better product.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

You might seriously try increasing the photo period as I mentioned before. It worked very quickly for me. It causes the bloom to increase thereby using up the excess nutrients more quickly. Mine cleared out in about three days this way.


Jenna


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

how many gallon is your tank? how many waats of UV it is? 

if its hooked up to the filter with high gph and the uv is less of watts then it doesnt work correctly.


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## rusty shackleford (Feb 17, 2012)

i had green water a while back, i flushed out my tank (48 gallon) with about 65 gallons of water in 1 day. water was still slightly green, i to have "the green killing machine" and it was the smaller model "for 20 gallon aquariums" and after the massive water change the under powered uv was able to clear the rest in a couple days 

hope that helps, green water is the worst


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

A simple solution is run the UV 24/7, do a 90% water change and cut back on light a TON(like a 3-4 hour photoperiod for several days). A few days of 90% changes may be in order. 

For anyone who says 90% changes aren't safe, I've been doing them in ALL of my tanks for a decade. No problems yet.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

No problem to also add Daphnia to a tank with fish, while they survive they will be eating the algae. If you re doing massive water changes, though, you will lose the Daphnia. (if the fish do not eat them first)

How about shading the tank from the direct sun with a sheet of cardboard or something? I think it is the sunlight contributing to the problem.


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## asmith (Mar 29, 2012)

Pretty pointless to add daphnia unless you can protect them from the fish as far as clearing greenwater goes. I read somewhere about adding an extra tank with daphnia as a "reactor" to clarify water. found it here: http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/People/Darn/darn6.html would be more effective to have more than 3 gallons devoted to the daphnia though.


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## dr.tran (Oct 8, 2007)

asmith said:


> Pretty pointless to add daphnia unless you can protect them from the fish as far as clearing greenwater goes. I read somewhere about adding an extra tank with daphnia as a "reactor" to clarify water. found it here: http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/People/Darn/darn6.html would be more effective to have more than 3 gallons devoted to the daphnia though.


One time my 29 gal tank was so green I couldn't even see the back of the tank. Luckily I have culture of daphnia so I netted out as much as I possibly could and put them in the tank. Also I turned off the filter and I didn't have any fish.

Over night it was clear and I had tons of daphnia to feed to my fishes. I didn't keep fishes in that tank because there was a co2 injected and I was still new to planted tanks.

So it is possible for daphnia to do its work but you also need lots of it under certain conditions.


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## klumsyninja (Apr 16, 2008)

the tank is a 48G starfire, the new filter is a 2215, the turbo twist is a 9W.

The greenwater WAS so thick I couldn't see the rear half of the tank.. Its much clearer now, but still green. I still have to do a waterchange but I'm exhausted after a long day and will probably just do it tomorrow, its been about 3 days since the last one. 

I was thinking about doing the net full of daphnia just to see how it went, couldn't hurt.

in better news, i bought an ATI sunpower today so when the water does clear it up Im'a have some fun replanting that badboy :red_mouth

edit: I haven't installed the ATI SP (6x39w) yet, it currently has a coralife 2 x 39W T5HO on an 8hr timer


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## shrimp pliskin (Mar 16, 2012)

You gotta get rid of that sunlight hitting the tank. That's an open door invitation for all kinds of algae.


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## herns (May 6, 2008)

This algae came to my smaller tank already twice. I just treated my tank last week for another bloom. It always happens when I dose too much ferts than what is recommended.

I always do 90% wc. then reduced photo period to at least 4 hrs a day. The following day if green water still exist, I do another 50% wc and so on until the water gets clear. Then I get back to normal EI dosing.

Yesterday, I adjusted photo period back to normal.


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